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Civil Wedding Ceremony and Hindu Traditions at Elmore Court

Photography by Taylor Hughes Photography
Beth and Ravi truly had the best of both worlds, starting their day with a jaan, Hindu ceremony and Gujarati Thali lunch followed by a traditional English civil wedding ceremony and candlelit reception. They had two incredible outfits and made full use of all the grounds and rooms at Elmore Court giving each part of their day a different look and feel. And there isn't one moment, where they or their guests aren't full of joy. Just perfect.
Indian wedding jewellery and henna hand art for civil wedding ceremony
Bride in traditional Indian wedding dress and and bridal accessories
Grooms Hindu wedding ceremony entry on a white horse
Traditional Indian Dhol drummers
Elmore Court Indian and English fusion wedding
Indian wedding guests dancing outside Elmore Court
Indian groom's entry/jann on a white horse
Groom in traditional Indian wedding dress
Hindu wedding ceremony at Elmore Court with civil wedding ceremony later on
Indian groom in turban
Hindu wedding ceremony bridal entrance in Indian sari
Hindu wedding ceremony under a mandap followed by a civil wedding ceremony
Wedding guests praying at Elmore Court Hindu wedding ceremony
Bride's father shaking the grooms hand at Hindu wedding ceremony
Mother of the bride at the Hindu ceremony
Hindu ceremony at Elmore Court followed by civil wedding ceremony
Gillyflower Hindu wedding ceremony and civil wedding ceremony in the main house
Hindu and English fusion wedding at Elmore Court
Bride and bridesmaids in colourful Indian sari's for Hindu and  civil wedding ceremony
Groom and groomsmen in traditional Indian dress
Bride and Groom wedding portrait for Hindu and civil wedding ceremony
Portrait of Bride and Groom in traditional Indian dress
Bride in green and gold sari
Groom in red and gold Indian wedding suit
Bride with Indian bangles and gold hand chain.

What Made Our Day Unique

A few of our friends had fusion weddings but often they were over multiple days. We wanted to have one spectacular day in which both cultures were equally represented. We had a jaan, Hindu ceremony and Gujarati Thali lunch followed by a traditional English civil ceremony and sit down reception. We had a lot of really personal elements. Ravi wore the same Sherwani that his Dad wore at his wedding and our wedding bands were made from his Grandma's gold and diamonds. The Mandap was built by my dad which was also really special for us.

Beth & Ravi

Civil Wedding Ceremony

For those of you that aren't sure a civil wedding ceremony is a marriage without any religious context. Which is ideal for Beth and Ravi as they were able to express themselves perfectly during their Hindu ceremony and the civil ceremony honouring both their heritage's and family traditions. They took full advantage of Elmore Courts lovely grounds, holding the Hindu wedding in the Gillflower and the civil ceremony in the main house, And of course had two wonderful outfits for each part of their day.

Inspiration & Styling

We really wanted the day to be simple and elegant. The venue was so beautiful that less was definitely more. A lot of Indian weddings can be very heavy on the decoration with hugely elaborate mandaps, but Ravi and I are really laid back and wanted the day to reflect that. We also knew that the civil ceremony would be happening later in the day so we liked that we could light lots of candles. Ravi's favourite moments was his entrance on the horse. I wasn't meant to be there, but I managed to get a great view from a window in the house. It was a brilliant way to start the day with all the guests dancing around him to the drummers. My favourite moment was the speeches. That's often the most personal bit of the wedding and each speech had the entire room laughing.

Beth & Ravi

Groomsmen getting ready at Elmore Court for civil wedding ceremony
Groom in three-piece wedding suit at civil wedding ceremony
Bride in Maggie Sottero Kelsey  dress
Wedding dress with low back and lace detail
Bridesmaids in blush pink dresses with green bouquets
Father of the bride first look
Civil wedding ceremony bridal entrance in fitted dress
Elmore Court civil wedding ceremony in the main house
Bride and groom kissing at civil wedding ceremony
Confetti exit at Elmore Court civil wedding ceremony
Bride and groom kissing at the end of the confetti moment
Bride and groom portrait outside Elmore Court wedding venue
Bride in Maggie Sottero Kelset wedding dress with lace edge long train
Bride and groom portrait in Elmore court gardens
Groom embracing his bride in Elmore Court gardens
Hindu and Civil wedding ceremonies at Elmore Court venue in Gloucestershire
Groom in three-piece suit and bride in Maggie Sottero wedding dress
Candle lit reception at Elmore Court Gillyflower
Elegant taper candles in gold candle sticks
Alternative cheese tower wedding cake
Bride and groom entering the wedding reception
Father of the bride wedding speech at Elmore Court
Wedding guests listening attentively at wedding speeches
Bride at groom first dance at Elmore court
Elmore Court wedding venue at night

After enjoying a dessert with their wedding breakfast, Beth and Ravi opted for a cheese tower wedding cake. A top tip from them is - It freezes! So, they have been able to enjoy cheese for months after their wedding date. If you're considering having a cheese tower instead of a wedding cake, read our five top tips for creating your own.


Real WeddingCountry HouseCivil CeremonyHindu£30k - £35k