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weddingprofessionalasian weddings Samantha Salisbury has been organising events for four years, specialising in Asian, Indian, Sri Lankan and multicultural weddings. She tells Wedding Professional about one of her most memorable events, helping a Sri Lankan bride and German groom tie the knot in style.
Couple’s different cultures unite for wedding day ANISHA and Sebastian Worbs married in a civil ceremony at the Orangery at London’s Holland Park followed by a large reception at Porchester Hall. The aim with the ceremony was to keep the look simple with white chairs and a green flower display on the registrar’s table. Music was provided by a classic cellist. Following the reception, guests moved outside to the gardens and were treated to canapes and drinks served by Party Ingredients. Canapes included mini Yorkshire puddings with roast beef, Feta and mint samosas, smoked salmon blinis and tempura selection. Later, guests were served afternoon tea including scones, walnut and chocolate brownies and fresh fruit tartlets. Guests
then travelled on a routemaster bus to Porchester Hall. The bride is Sri Lankan and groom is German so they wanted to incorporate elements of both cultures in their wedding day in the catering, music and entertainment. The wedding colours were green and white for the Orangery and gold, red and white for the reception venue. Music was also important for the groom so they had a variety of musicians providing entertainment throughout the day. 300 guests attended the wedding reception at Porchester Hall, which was transformed into a stunning venue with white and gold chair covers, decorated with silk table runners, scented candles and red rose petals scattered along the
long banquet tables. The reception started with the bride and groom and their families walking into the venue accompanied by Sri Lankan drummers and dancers. This was followed by the Lighting of the Lamp, a Sri Lankan tradition which involved the bride and groom and family members lighting different sections of an oil lamp in order to unite the families. Throughout the evening, guests were entertained with various musicians including a classical guitarist, steel drums, an accordionist, Sri Lankan musicians and fun entertainment from Bikini Beach Band. And as a surprise, the bride’s mother arranged a special red and orange pedicab to whisk the couple away at the end of the night.
Samantha Salisbury
Wedding day: Anisha and Sebastian, Sri Lankan musicians, the ‘lighting of the lamp’ and one of the entertainers.
Suppliers: Catering: Party Ingredients and Golden Platter Entertainment: Bikini Beach Band PA System: Matt Snowball Music Photographer: Christian Doyle Table and linen at Porchester Hall: Event Hire Company Pedicab: BugBugs Media Ltd
Partnership offers high-end Indian cuisine EVENT caterers Mint Catering have gone into partnership with Indian restaurant Tamarind to offer high-end Indian cuisine for wedding receptions. The team at Mint Catering will take responsibility for sales, marketing, staffing and event organisation. General manager Martin Allen said: “In todays market, we constantly need to innovate and this will add a new
dimension to what we can offer our clients. “This partnership opens up many exciting opportunities and one of our first activities will be to target high-end Asian weddings, whether it be in a five star hotel or a unique London venue.” Tamarind’s chief operating officer Rajesh Suri added: “This fantastic collaboration allows us to go into the
external catering field and focus on what we do best – the creation of out-of-thisworld food and drink. “The partnership also means that we can form part of a comprehensive catering offering. “Our fine dining Indian cuisine will be available alongside European menus so customers will be able to choose their preferred option.”