Cass and Ramit met in New York but are both originally from California and, when they began planning their wedding, The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe, and Northstar California Resort emerged as the perfect venues for an extended multicultural wedding weekend celebration shared with family and friends.
Ramit is a personal finance advisor and the author of the New York Times Bestseller I Will Teach You To Be Rich, while Cass is a personal stylist and the founder of Next Level Wardrobe. They are both next-level talented, creative, and hardworking, and extremely dedicated to their family and friend communities.
Brilliant Event Planning, based in NYC, was hired to execute the couple’s vision of an outdoor California wedding with great food and a mix of Cass’ Mexican heritage and Ramit’s Indian culture. What came together in their honor is so stunning we’ve broken into two blog posts, the first focused on the beautiful cultural celebrations and ceremonies.
The wedding weekend began with a Mehndi party for immediate family on the Ritz-Carlton’s spacious and sunny Fireside Terrace. As the henna artists created their intricate designs, the bride excitedly watched the construction of the custom golden archway for the sangeet ceremony – a traditional pre-wedding musical celebration that would take place later that day in the Ritz-Carlton meadows.
After a quick wardrobe change, Cass and Ramit led the way into the sangeet accompanied by a lively mariachi band – a nod to the bride’s Latina heritage. The sangeet tent was inspired by an outdoor Indian spice market, resplendent with colorful spices and fresh blossoms. Guests were treated to choreographed dancing by many of the immediate family members, followed by a jaggo performance with a drummer and gaggar pots.
Saturday morning began early with a Sikh turban-tying ceremony, followed by a rousing baraat procession beginning at the Big Springs gondola. Ramit entered on horseback, accompanied by drummers and the cheers of family and friends, leading the parade to Northstar’s Overlook deck. Here Cass and Ramit’s families exchanged garlands in a milni ceremony, followed by tea.
As is traditional, Cass remained out of view during the early events and guests were breathless as she entered on the arms of her future sisters-in-law for the absolutely stunning anand karaj – the wedding ceremony itself. Langar was served following the ceremony, with the Ritz-Carlton chefs referring to Mrs. Sethi’s family cookbook to keep the dishes as authentic as possible.
After the langar, everyone retired for a few hours, awaiting the Catholic ceremony in the Ritz-Carlton’s wooded wedding venue. And that’s where we’ll pause too, before bringing you Part II of this exquisite celebration!
Don’t miss the incredible wedding film by Dax Victorino Films.