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Jessica and Chintan’s Sparkling Civil Ceremony

Jessica and Chintan met seven years ago at a nightclub in Portland which no longer exists. Fittingly enough, by chance, they had their photo taken the night we met. During the pedicab tour after their American wedding, they re-created the same pose and photo from seven years prior.

“A few weeks after returning from India where I met his family, it was nearly Valentine’s Day. He had his brother send the ingredients for my favorite Indian food, street-style pizza. In India, you often have to offer bribes to get what you want. He said the pizza ingredients was my “bribe” if I’d let him be my husband. (Technically, I was proposed to with Amul cheese—although there was a ring, too).”

“I am not a DIYer, but many of the details were from Etsy designers and shops. I also surprised my husband by having a brick placed in downtown Portland’s Pioneer Square. You can purchase a permanent brick in what’s dubbed Portland’s livingroom. It read ‘J+C 4.1.16.'”

Following a month long trip and a very large traditional wedding in India, Jess (writer) and Chintan (engineer) returned home to Portland, Oregon for a low key, small and simple wedding with friends that took place on April Fool’s day. The day began with a civil ceremony at Multnomah County Courthouse where the judge was gifted with a custom cake by Dream Cakes.

Adorning a gorgeous custom made gown by local Portland designer – Embellish Designs, Jessica’s shimmering gold Christian Louboutin’s (and gold sequin converses for the reception) were a beautiful contrast against their relaxed civil ceremony. Jessica also paid homage to her partner’s ancestry and her own contemporary taste with a nontraditional bouquet completely filled with glimmering peacock jeweled broaches (the national bird of India.)

After taking a romantic pedicab tour around the city where their hearts first met, the couple returned home to their newly built house with their friends and family for a selection of treats from Voodoo donuts and Poplandia popcorn following a dinner of sweet and savory grilled sandwiches from local food trucks, PBJ’s Grilled and Koi Fusion.

“For our American wedding, just a few weeks following the large Indian wedding, we wanted something small and simple with just friends. Since neither of us are Christian, so the idea of a church wedding was already out. There’s always been something sweet and romantic about the notion of getting married at the courthouse. The day was informal, fun, and simple, which is just what we needed after spending a month in India.”

Any advice for fellow brides to be?

Prioritize making time to spend with just your husband on your wedding day! After all, that’s what it’s really about.

The favorite moment of the day…

For an hour in between the ceremony and reception, we took a pedicab tour around downtown Portland. It was time where we could just spend it together before hosting the party at home. We also got married again (our third time after India and the courthouse!) at Voodoo Doughnuts where legal ceremonies are performed with blessings from the “Voodoo gods.”