Christina and Andrew’s love story began in the sixth grade, with every single class together and a bus mix-up that sparked the first of many playful exchanges. Years later, after navigating seven years of long-distance and building a life together across state lines, the couple returned to a place full of family history for their wedding—the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The Chesapeake in Corolla offered the perfect setting for their vision: a week-long destination celebration blending their cultures in a heartfelt Hindu-American fusion.
From a beachfront Hindu ceremony to a classic American wedding reception, every detail honored their backgrounds and their shared history. Guests enjoyed not only the wedding itself but also a full week of festivities—scavenger hunts, “wedding Olympics,” and a golf tournament—turning the celebration into an unforgettable experience for all. With personal touches like custom “Welcome to OBX” watercolor postcard seating charts, an interactive honeymoon suggestion map, and a hashtag-inspired sticker station, their day was as creative as it was meaningful.
“The most important part of our wedding was placing sindoor on each other’s foreheads under the privacy of a silk scarf—an intimate moment for just the two of us despite so many loved ones being nearby.”
How did you two meet? What were your first impressions of one another?
We met on our first day of sixth grade when we had every single class together. Christina’s first impression of Andrew was that he was a big-hearted goofball with a big personality to match. Andrew’s first impression of Christina was that she was sassy, a bit of a know-it-all, but extremely cute and a bit flirtatious.
A few weeks later, Andrew got on the wrong after-school bus and refused to listen to Christina when she told him he was on the wrong bus. When the bus driver eventually proved Christina right, she sent Andrew a snarky “I told you so” text, and the rest is history.
Tell us a funny story relating to your wedding day or relationship!
At some point during our cocktail hour we started to notice an unidentified man roaming around our wedding. This was pretty surprising considering we got married in a private beach house on a remote 4×4 stretch of beach.
We later came to find out that our original saxophone player had to canceled last minute and that our DJ had found a quick last-minute replacement, hence the random man at our wedding. He was super talented, but before he had the sax in his hands, he was just a random guy in a Chicago Browns jacket. We still don’t know his name to this day.
Describe a hurdle you had to overcome in your relationship or during your wedding planning.
We struggled and preserved through seven years of long-distance. Christina spent her entire higher education in upstate New York at Cornell University while Andrew attended UNC–Chapel Hill and then started his career in Raleigh. There were countless FaceTime dates, surprise food deliveries, and “see you soon” hugs.
On top of managing a romantic relationship, we also planned much of our wedding apart from each other and far from our vendor-team.
Any special ways you incorporated your family or family history into your wedding day?
The location itself held a great deal of importance to Christina’s family. The Kennedy family vacationed on the Outer Banks of North Carolina for decades prior to the wedding. In fact, in April 2021, Andrew proposed to Christina in front of the exact house they used to rent down in Hatteras.
The concept of the Hindu-American fusion ceremony was largely influenced by Andrew’s heritage and the rich culture within he was raised.
What part of your wedding day was/is most important to you?
The most important part of our wedding was the moment we were officially married in our Hindu ceremony. This moment includes us placing sindoor on each others’ foreheads under the privacy of a silk scarf (this could not be viewed by anyone else). It created an intimate moment for just the two of us despite so many loved ones being nearby.
Honoring our Culture: Keeping tradition at the center of our wedding was truly the inspiration behind our special day. Andrew and I both have a strong connection to our cultures, which is where the idea of a fusion ceremony came about. Believe it or not, a lot of our inspiration came from a YouTube video I stumbled across when I searched, “American Indian Fusion Wedding.” Seeing that wedding video was a lightbulb moment for us – it was as if the ideas we were trying to articulate came to life! Representation is so important, and we hope that our wedding photos will inspire others who are hoping to plan a fusion wedding of their own.
What was your favorite part about planning your wedding?
We did a lot of DIY projects to add personalized touches. One of our favorites was when we created a seating chart with custom-designed “Welcome to OBX” post cards corresponding to the table names. For example, there was a Wild Horse table, where the postcard illustrated a water color painting of, you guessed it, wild horses. Each guest received a post card with a personal handwritten message thanking them for all their love and support.
Additionally, we created an interactive map for our guests to pin honeymoon suggestions into after seeing where we had already traveled.
Also, we created a design to go along with our hashtag #twopeasinapersaud and made stickers for guests to take home.
The Wedding Week: It’s traditional for an Indian wedding to be a week-long affair. Originally, we were considering hosting two separate celebrations: one typical American wedding in New York, and an Indian wedding later in the year. When we stumbled across The Chesapeake, Andrew and I knew it was special. Because The Chesapeake is an event home that you rent for a full week, it ended up being the perfect place for us to create the multi-cultural wedding celebration we had dreamed of. We coordinated the classic American wedding festivities, along with other fun events for our family and friends. We hosted a scavenger hunt on Tuesday, what we called the “Wedding Olympics’ on Wednesday, and a golf tournament on Thursday. When the weekend came, we hosted the most beautiful traditional Indian wedding ceremony on the beach. It couldn’t have been more perfect!
If you had one piece of advice for other couples, what would it be?
BIGGEST PIECE OF ADVICE FOR PLANNING: Do what you want to do. Don’t listen to your parents / family / friends when they’re telling you how much easier it would be if you did something a certain way or that things would look better if done a different way. It is YOUR wedding. Do what you WANT to do. If Christina and I listened to all of the people who were telling us a long distance wedding was not a considerate decision for guests, we would’ve gotten married in NY and not had the dream wedding that we did.
BIGGEST PIECE OF ADVICE FOR DAY OF: the day, week, months go by much faster than anyone could prepare you for. Spend time with your partner on the day of. Don’t leave their side. Input times into your timeline to be with each other in private. In our experience, these tips don’t help the day go by any slower; however, they do help you remember almost all of the aspects of the day after the fact.
What is the most honest thing you can say about love?
It’s hard, but it’s worth it.
Venue: The Chesapeake / @thechesapeake
Photography: Kasey Powell Weddings / @kaseypowellphoto
Planners: Southern Hospitality / @southernhospitalityobx
Hair & Makeup: Salty Hair Salon / @saltyhairsalon
Catering: Scratch Kitchen / @scratchkitchenobx
Florals & Rentals: I Do OBX / @idoobxweddingsandevents
Rentals: Metro Rental OBX / @metro_rental
Cake: Sweet Ness OBX / @sweetcoastcakes
Videography: Hearts Home Films / @heartshomefilms
DJ: SOULone / @soulone_band
Transportation: Event Empire Rentals
American Wedding Dress: Castle Couture / @castlecouturebridal
Indian Wedding Dress: Nazranaa / @nazranaanj
Tux: Marty’s Formal Wear, Inc. / @martysformalwear
Publisher at The White Wren and Bajan Wed, Award Winning Photography + Videographer at Live View Studios, Dad, 80s music lover, crunchy health advocate
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