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After an Extravagant Jaipur Wedding, These Newlyweds Said I Do Again at a Lakeside Ceremony Outside Asheville

By Elle Cashin | Photography by 

Anne Rhett and Twah Dougherty

|Planning by 

Aura Affaire and Julia Nicole Weddings & Events

Sara Rossi and Siddhartha “Sidd” Chaudhary’s love story is straight out of a movie, complete with worldly protagonists, love at first sight, and a whirlwind connection. It begins in India. As the founder of apparel brand Beau & Ro, Sara was there visiting her production factory, owned by Sidd’s sister. “Sidd had just left his civil engineering job to help his sister scale the factory, and she asked Sidd to take care of her American client—me!” Sara remembers. “The first time I met Sidd, he had been sent to escort me around an artisan market. I was scouring for bags and shoes, and he was under orders to buy wedding shoes. He was engaged, and his arranged marriage was happening the next month.” But the two formed an instant connection.

“After ten days, I got back on the plane to America and cried as it took off because he was both engaged and had never left India, two obvious non-starters,” Sara shares. But, a week later, Sidd’s sister called Sara with news: Sidd had called off his wedding. “A couple months later, we had our first date—ten days in Turkey.” Six months after that, Sidd flew to Charleston with a ring. 

The couple decided to celebrate their marriage on both continents with dual events that paid homage to their respective families and cultures. Once again, it began in India. “One of our favorite places in Jaipur is Bar Palladio because of its incredible design and great service,” Sara says. “When they recently opened a stunning hotel property, Villa Palladio, we knew it was the place. It was over the top but still intimate, warm, and charming. We were the property’s first wedding.” The multi-day celebration began at Sidd’s family’s home in Delhi with a haldi ceremony and included a mehndi and a ring exchange luncheon before the main events in Jaipur. 

Each event, of course, was a fashion moment. Sara designed her own look for the haldi and had it produced at the factory she and Sidd now own together, Olive Workshop. “I designed a two-piece outfit hand-embroidered with a personal message, ‘Sidd and Sara for seven lifetimes,’” she says. She styled it with Anayah jewelry before being covered in turmeric and honey during the ceremony. There were three more looks before the official wedding, including a Gazal Gupta lehenga gifted by the groom’s mom for the ring ceremony.

For the wedding itself, Sara put her own spin on tradition. “Red is a traditional bridal color in India, but because the venue was so red, I wanted a look that complemented the venue without clashing,” she says. “When I saw the intricacy of this Anushree Reddy lehenga, I immediately fell in love with it. Gold jewelry was given to me by Sidd’s mom, who had the stones changed to pink to coordinate with the dress.” Varleen Kaur got the bride hair- and makeup-ready. 

Their wedding date in July was not random. “A Hindu priest presides over the ceremony and consults astrology to determine the most auspicious date and time for it to take place,” Sara says. “It is for that reason we had the wedding on July 2 and the ceremony late in the evening.” Following Sidd’s grand baraat entrance, Sara arrived in a doli procession. The service was full of rites and traditions, performed in Sanskrit then translated into Hindi. “Near the end of the ceremony, we walked seven circles clockwise around the fire, representing the seven vows we made to each other, as family members threw flower petals on us. . . It was beautiful.”

Afterward, a lively reception followed. “We kicked off the dance floor with choreographed Bollywood dances by all our family members,” Sara says. She and Sidd performed, too, dancing to an Indian mashup of Major Lazer’s “Lean On.” “There were endless buffets and live food stations serving Indian delicacies, plus some Italian food. . . Once the dances were complete, the dance floor opened up late into the evening.” 

A few months later, they’d do it all again—this time on a smaller scale and on Sara’s home turf. “After our Indian extravaganza, I wanted something small, relaxed and cozy,” the bride says. “I fell in love with The Greystone Inn because getting there feels like a mountain adventure, but once you arrive, you’re on a peaceful lake.” 

Though smaller, the North Carolina wedding spanned a few days as well. It began with an Indian welcome party to give American guests a taste of the summer’s festivities. (Sara donned a Sahil Kochhar dress.) The next day was filled with mountain activities for guests and a boat ride for Sara and her friends. “I wore a dress I designed and produced in our factory, featuring one of our Beau & Ro wedding prints by Markey Mossman.” 

For the wedding, Sara went vintage. “After trying on some traditional dresses, I felt a little overwhelmed by the amount of fabric and wanted something airy and comfortable for a mountain wedding,” she says. “When I saw this Oscar De La Renta dress on 1st Dibs, I fell in love with it and tracked it down. I had a gold veil made to match and paired it with gold Gucci heels.” Teresa Zito and Blush Asheville beautified her. 

On September 23, Sara and Sidd said “I do” once again in a terrace ceremony officiated by the bride’s sister. “I felt very relaxed,” Sara recalls. “After all the ceremonies and traditions in India, this felt like a cakewalk. Plus, we had already promised ourselves to each other for seven lifetimes in Jaipur.”

The party then moved into the dining room with one long table. “I designed all the linens, including the tablecloths, placemats, and personalized embroidered napkins instead of seating cards,” the bride explains. “It was my dream table setting, romantic and lively at the same time.” 

“After dinner, we followed the musicians in a second line procession up to the reception tent for lots of dancing and dessert,” Sara says. “The tent was set up lounge-style, with couches and seating vignettes.” The Block Party Experience performed and guests feasted on ice cream sandwiches and cakes flown in from Milk Bar, as the newlyweds dance to Zayn’s version of “A Whole New World.” At the end of the night—the end of the weekend, the end of a months-long celebration of love—Sara and Sidd headed back to the serene inn with a sparkler send-off.