Bartram’s Garden Wedding, Philadelphia | Lori & Rakesh

An Indian-Jewish Fusion Wedding in Philadelphia

Lori and Rakesh’s wedding celebration spread across two days. The first night was the mehndi — held at the Warwick Hotel Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia. The wedding day followed at Bartram’s Garden, America’s oldest surviving botanical garden, set along the Schuylkill River in southwest Philadelphia.

Two traditions, two families, one celebration built carefully around both. Lori is Jewish. Rakesh is Indian. Rather than choosing one culture over the other, they made space for everything — and the result was a wedding that felt entirely like theirs.

Night One: Mehndi Night at Warwick Hotel Rittenhouse Square

The mehndi night unfolded at the Warwick Hotel Rittenhouse Square with dancing, live music courtesy of DJ Ravi Jackson, and henna artists working through the crowd. Guests filled the room with the particular energy of people who know a celebration is coming and are in no rush to get there.

Before the festivities began, Lori and Rakesh slipped out for a walk through Rittenhouse Square — back to the spot where they had their first date. They walked, they laughed, they took photographs outside Cafe Tria. A few minutes of just the two of them before the next day opened up around them.

Mehndi Station

Henna by Sushma had a table set up with her assistant alongside her, open for guests to experience throughout the evening. People lined up and waited for their turn; the line was its own small gathering, full of conversation and familiar faces reuniting. It was a chance for guests to take part in a tradition that had already been part of Lori’s preparation, now extended to everyone in the room.

Bollywood Entertainment

Bollywood Touch brought the entertainment for the evening. Family members took the stage and performed dances that pulled from both sides of the room — friends and family coming together to share stories through movement. Nobody needed to explain the cultural references to each other. Both families were already finding their way into the same celebration, and the performances helped move that along.

Day Two: Getting Ready at Warwick Hotel Rittenhouse Square

The wedding morning started back at the Warwick. Rakesh dressed with his father nearby — sherwani, the quiet focus of a groom on a timeline. Lori’s dress was its own statement: a fusion of her Jewish and Indian heritage, considered and personal, the henna on her hands already visible against the fabric.

The details laid out before the ceremony — rings, invitations, the bridal bouquet — were small but specific. Everything had been chosen on purpose.

First Look at Bartram’s Garden

Bartram’s Garden has been growing along the Schuylkill River since 1728 — centuries-old trees, lush greenery, the kind of stillness that only comes from a place with that much history behind it. It was the right setting for a first look. Quiet, unhurried, removed from the city without being far from it.

As Lori approached Rakesh, the garden held the moment without any interference. He turned. They stood together in the middle of all that green, taking it in. It was one of those moments that didn’t need much — the place and the people were enough.

Ketubah Signing

Before the ceremony, Lori and Rakesh gathered with their families for a first look together — both sides of the room meeting in the garden before the day officially began. From there, the group moved into the Ketubah signing, with close family and friends present for a moment that was quieter and more deliberate than what was coming.

The handwritten document had been crafted to reflect both of their backgrounds — a tangible record of the promises they were about to make publicly. The garden light came through the trees, soft and even. The people in the room were the ones who knew them best.

The Baraat

Rakesh made his entrance by a rickshaw — a decorated blue vehicle from Rags to Rickshaws, marked with their wedding date. The procession moved through Bartram’s Garden with music and dancing on every side, family and friends fully committed to the moment. The rickshaw was an unexpected detail that landed exactly right: personal, specific, something that made the start of their ceremony entirely their own.

The Ceremony

Lori and Rakesh stood under a beautifully crafted chuppah, Bartram’s Garden surrounding them on every side. They had chosen both a priest and Cantor Laura Stein to officiate — a decision that meant the ceremony held both traditions fully rather than abbreviating either one. Blessings moved between Hebrew and Sanskrit throughout. The Saat Phere, the seven circles, followed.

The ceremony was unhurried enough to feel the weight of what was happening. Wedding planner Neha kept everything moving without the day ever feeling rushed.

Five Minutes at Sunset

While cocktail hour moved through the garden, Lori and Rakesh slipped away for five minutes. Just the two of them, the last of the light coming through the trees along the Schuylkill. Bartram’s Garden at sunset has a warmth to it that’s hard to manufacture anywhere else — the kind that makes everything feel quieter than it actually is.

Five minutes. It was enough.

Hava Nagila and the Reception

The reception was a lively celebration. Beautifully embodying Lori and Rakesh’s Jewish-Indian fusion. Guests were treated to an evening filled with laughter, dancing, and the warmth of family traditions, all set against the stunning backdrop of Bartram’s Garden. From start to finish, it was a night brimming with joy, where two cultures came together in harmony, creating memories to last a lifetime.

Sugarbomb Entertainment provided live music through the evening, moving between traditional melodies and the kind of music that keeps a dance floor going without anyone noticing how late it’s gotten. Bukhari Grill NYC handled catering. Beautiful Blooms Events dressed the space and the stage. Royal Vivaah Creations built the mandap. Every detail had been attended to — the result was a reception that felt considered without feeling stiff.

Speeches

The families took the floor during the reception — the groom’s sister, the bride’s sister, and both sets of parents. Each one spoke from a different angle on the same story: two people, two families, one room. The speeches were personal in the way that good wedding speeches always are — specific enough to matter, warm enough to land with everyone in the room.

As the Sun Set

Bartram’s Garden in the late evening has a different quality than it does in the morning. The light drops through the trees at an angle that turns everything warm, the Schuylkill visible in the distance, the garden quieter around the edges while the celebration continues at the center.

Lori and Rakesh moved through it — photographs in the last of the light, the day winding toward its close. It was a two-day celebration that honored everything it set out to honor. Both families left the same people they had arrived as, and also something slightly different.

Thank you to the following vendors:

Wedding day Band: @sugarbomb_entertainment
Baraat Vehicle: @ragstorickshaws
Catering: @bukharagrillnyc
Dance: @bollywoodtouch
Decor: @beautifulbloomsevents
Mendhi night DJ: @djravijackson
Brides Draping: @shilpashenna
Draping: @pjmaisonbeauty
Hair and Makeup: @eleganceartistrygroup
Brides Henna: @hennabysushma
Officiant: @cantorlaurastein
Wedding planner: @asknehanow
Stage: @royalvivaahcreations
Wedding Venue: @jh_weddings
Mendhi Venue: @warwickrittenhouse

Planning a Wedding at Bartram’s Garden?

If you’re considering Bartram’s Garden for your Philadelphia wedding — or planning a multicultural or fusion celebration anywhere across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, or the East Coast — I’d love to hear about your day. MAGP has over 14 years of experience documenting South Asian, Jewish, and multicultural weddings, and I know how to move through a day with multiple traditions without losing what makes each one distinct.

Be present. I’ll preserve the rest.

Inquiries for 2026–2027 are open — reach out here to start the conversation.

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