A Vermont Wedding With a Sherbet Color Palette and Indian and Western Traditions

On Monika Chawla and Calum Wagner's first date in August 2017, they realized they lived two blocks from each other. “We frequented the same bodega nearly every day, and must have crossed paths many times without even realizing,” Monika says. A year into their relationship, Monika moved to Philadelphia for law school, so the couple decided to make things from afar until she graduated and could move back to New York. They went the distance—and literally went the distance for a five-year anniversary trip Europe, which Calum saw as the perfect proposal opportunity. On the last leg of the trip on the Amalfi Coast, Calum got down on one knee during a walk overlooking the Positano cliffs and ocean.

The pair knew they wanted to invite their 125 guests to one of their favorite places to escape from the city—Stowe, Vermont. “We both love being outdoors and feel most at home in the mountains, so it was important that our venue reflected that,” Monika says. “When we saw Trapp Family Lodge, we fell in love with the expansive views of the Vermont mountains and the European-inspired architecture.”

They enlisted local wedding planner Randi Nonni Events to design a nature-inspired wedding on July 8, 2023, with a sherbet color palette; the event seamlessly blended Indian and Western traditions. Keep scrolling to see Liz Andolina’s photos from Monika and Calum’s big day.

The couple’s vibrant wedding invitations by Karli Strohschein gave guests an introduction to the day's sherbet color scheme. The suite included a custom monogram of the couple’s first initials, floral lined envelopes, and a green silk ribbon as the finishing touch. The couple also assembled welcome bags that they gave to attendees at their welcome party; they included a welcome letter and some local favorites, including maple syrup and kettle corn.

Monika and Calum hosted their intimate rehearsal dinner at Stowe Mountain Resort before transitioning the event to a welcome party with the rest of their loved ones. Monika wore a tiered Brock Collection floral-jacquard gown paired with Loeffler Randall heels and a Prada clutch. Calum donned a cream linen suit from Suit Supply paired with white Koio sneakers.

For their pre-wedding party, the pair chose a natural, but whimsical color palette of whites, yellows, and greens. Their florist, Organic Flora, used white peonies, garden roses, ranunculus, Queen Anne’s lace, cosmos, feverfew, and natural foliage for the centerpieces. Finding their friends waiting for them after the rehearsal party wrapped was one of the best parts of the evening: “It was so great to have everyone from out of town have a place to come together and meet each other before the wedding,” the bride says of the welcome party.

On the morning of the wedding, Monika got ready in a white pajama set with feather details. She had some minimal henna designs done on her hands, too.

Monika wore a champagne colored Seema Gujral lehenga with pearl embroidery and a matching pearl embellished veil. “I was admittedly a bit late to the game when it came to wedding dress shopping—I thought it was going to be much easier than it was!” Monika says. “My goal was to find a lehenga that was fit for a Hindu wedding ceremony, but something closer to my personal style than the deep red color that Indian brides traditionally wear.”

She accessorized with bracelets her mother gave her, and a matching earring and necklace set by Indian designer Anita Dongre. She wore her hair down in loose waves and pinned the front back later for dancing. For the day’s beauty look, Monika wanted a fresh, glowing base with a pink lip, rosy cheeks, and gold eyeshadow. “I rarely wear a full face of makeup, and in the July heat, I wanted to feel natural and care-free and not worry about it all coming off!” she says.

Calum wore a white dinner jacket from N Peal, which was a replica of the suit that Sean Connery wore in the James Bond film, Goldfinger. He wore a shirt, pants, and bowtie from Suit Supply and shoes from Todd Snyder. As a sentimental touch, Calum put on a watch that his grandfather left him when he passed away. He wore his signature scent, D.S. and Durga’s “Debaser,” for the occasion.

Monika and Calum met before the ceremony for their first look and decided to privately recite their vows below the scenic birch trees. “It was so magical and one of our favorite moments of the entire day,” Monika says. “We couldn’t stop laughing and smiling when we saw each other!”

Monika’s bridesmaids wore mismatched dresses in sherbet tones to match the day’s color scheme. “I loved giving everyone the freedom to wear the dresses they wanted in a variety of styles and colors,” Monika says. “They ended up coming together perfectly!” The bridesmaids held smaller versions of Monika’s bouquet, which consisted of dahlias, peonies, garden roses, and ranunculus.

The duo's outdoor ceremony overlooked a stunning mountain backdrop. A mandap marked the horizon line and was set up on a raised platform; it was decorated with dahlias, peonies, garden roses, ranunculus, snapdragons, marigold, wildflowers, and a variety of textured greenery. The aisle was lined with wildflower arrangements in vibrant colors; guests were offered parasols for extra shade from the sun.

Monika was accompanied by both her mom and dad as she walked down the aisle to a live string quartet playing “Bittersweet Symphony” by the Verve. “Definitely a nontraditional and very last minute choice, but one of my favorite songs and something I’ll never forget!” the bride says.

The couple had a Hindu ceremony which included a jai mala tradition, where the couple exchanges flower garlands to signify choosing one another. They also partook in the mangal sutra and ring exchange, the agni puja tradition, and the saptapadi. “It was important to me to honor my heritage,” Monika says.

At the couple’s cocktail hour, they offered three signature drinks; a gin sip, an Aperol spritz with edible flowers, and a summer berry spritzer mocktail. They served them with cocktail napkins featuring their custom monogram. As guests mingled, snacked, and sipped, they stopped by a table to find their table numbers and leave the couple a voicemail on their audio guestbook. “The next month, when we got our audio guestbook to listen to, we listened to all of our guests’ voicemails—and the last one was a sweet message from my new husband,” Monika says. “It was so meaningful and brought back so many special memories of that night.”

For the reception, Monika changed into a silk off-the-shoulder Vivienne Westwood gown. The couple stepped away from the cocktail hour to take portraits with their photographer, Liz Andolina.

Monika and Calum’s reception took place underneath a sailcloth tent. They set up a few lounge areas surrounded by fresh greenery to bring the outdoors in.

Long farm tables with white linens were set up throughout the tent for dinner. Overhead, greenery vines and string lights added texture and a warm glow from above. Centerpieces included white bud vases mixed with medium sized arrangements in the sherbet color palette; colorful candles, fruits, and tea lights finished the tablescape. The place settings featured woven chargers, green leaf patterned napkins, and custom floral menus.

Monika and Calum shared their first dance to “Sky Full of Stars” by Coldplay. “The first concert we saw together was Coldplay, so this was a really special song for us,” Monika says. They hired a DJ and sax player to keep guests on their feet all night long. After their first spin, they invited guests to join them and played ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” to get everybody out of their seats. “Everyone had a blast, and it completely set the tone and energy for the night,” the bride says. “We felt so much love around us in that moment!”

For dinner, Monika and Calum chose a menu with Indian flair. They had a Vermont maple cider chicken with Bombay potatoes and asparagus, a maple dijon salmon with basmati rice and spiced garbanzo beans, and a summer couscous salad with grilled veggies and a lemon coriander vinaigrette.

The newlyweds' three-tiered buttercream cake was decorated with flowers—and each tier had a different flavor. They chose cardamom-spiced carrot cake with maple swiss buttercream, pistachio cake with rosewater buttercream and white chocolate ganache, and lemon elderflower cake with vanilla swiss buttercream (also known as royal wedding cake, a nod to Calum’s English heritage). For a late-night snack, they brought out pretzel bites and samosas.

Monika and Callum had a sparkler exit before heading to their after-party—and a few days after that, they flew to Tanzania for a week-long safari before spending another week on the beach in the Seychelles. To couples planning their big days, especially a destination wedding, Monika has this advice. “Remember that it’s just a fancy dinner party with all of your favorite people,” she says. “And for the type-A brides, remember that you can’t control the unknown, so don’t spend too much time worrying about the weather as you get closer to the day-of. Rain or shine, you are still lucky to be marrying your best friend!”