After hosting a traditional Hindu wedding in Chennai in November 2024, Molly and Vignesh took a very different approach for their American celebration. The result was a garden wedding built around a nickname they use for each other: silly goose.

Guests received their dress code instructions via a wedding website that summed up the mood perfectly. “The theme of the wedding was silly goofy cutie guys”, they told us. “Things that inspired the wedding are: the Mad Hatter’s tea party in Alice in Wonderland, Bilbo Baggin’s 111th birthday in Lord of the Rings, the garden party at the finale of each season of The Great British Bake Off, Eeyore’s birthday party in Winnie the Pooh, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Swamp Witch episode of Scooby-Doo, Over the Garden Wall and every Studio Ghibli movie. We wanted everyone to have fun and for things to be loud, colourful, and playful.”

Nothing about the celebration followed a conventional wedding script. Molly wore red shoes with a pink-toned Selkie dress. Vignesh chose an emerald green suit with red accents. Guests found themselves carrying hand-painted instruments, filling in crossword puzzles, applying temporary tattoos and henna, and competing for prizes ranging from Most On Theme Guest to Randomly Selected Guest of Honour. They also skipped having a wedding party altogether, conscious of the cost already involved for guests who had travelled a long way to celebrate with them.

The couple got ready together on the morning of the wedding, sharing coffee, fresh chocolate croissants and time with their orange tabby cat Louis before the day began. This was one of their favourite things they did. “We wanted to feel as normal as possible so we got dressed and situated together as we do at home”, Molly explained.

They then arrived to their ceremony together and walked down the aisle with both of parents. “Our mothers are just as important to us as our fathers. We are so blessed to have all four of them in our lives. We chose to honour them by walking down the aisle together.”

The ceremony was led by Molly’s sister and best friend, Ellis. Since the couple had already completed their legal ceremony earlier in the year, they asked the person they felt closest to to guide the celebration. Ellis surprised Vignesh’s family by opening in both English and Hindi before friends and relatives shared poetry readings throughout the ceremony.

One of the most meaningful moments came during what the couple called a “moment of contentment”. Instead of moving straight through the ceremony. “We looked at the smiling faces, the beautiful garden around us, and deeply into each other’s eyes”, Molly said. “Like taking a mental snapshot, we wanted to appreciate this time and remember it forever.”

After handwritten vows, ring exchanges and a handfasting ceremony with Molly’s parents presenting the cord came a big celebration in the garden. Every guest found a hand-painted instrument waiting on their chair. Some were thrifted children’s instruments decorated with animals, bugs and cartoons and others were handmade noisemakers crafted from ribbons, bells and dowels. As Stayin’ Alive played, the newlyweds led everyone through the gardens, across a bridge and towards the reception.

They did a lot of DIY – not to save money, but because they wanted to make the day their own. Molly and her family spent months creating fabric banners, hand-painting signs, making table décor from thrifted finds and building props. Her father constructed a kissing booth from spare wood and the couple painted ceramic dinner plates. Their guest book consisted of postcards collected throughout their relationship, which guests filled with messages before posting them into a small mailbox. One of the most talked-about creations was a wedding zine placed at every seat. Inside were greetings, a prayer, a custom crossword puzzle, photo bingo and even a family gumbo recipe.

Then came one of those moments nobody could have planned. During golden hour portraits, a flock of geese appeared near the couple – the perfect serendipitous moment considering the wedding theme.

“We wish more people recognised that not everyone is tethered to norms”, they concluded. “From our experience, we found that some people think of non-traditional weddings as less than – that reflecting our personalities meant that things were less serious. We believe things can be silly and still concrete. Our decision to throw a non-traditional wedding does not negate our immense love for each other – to us, it strengthens and reinforces it. We implore people to keep an open mind and to let the love shine through. There is a lot of pressure to do things a certain way to appease your guests. Although your guests are so important, the wedding is about you the couple. Your guests should love and celebrate you the way that you are. Guests’ expectations and judgements bleeding into the planning process of someone else’s special day needs to change.”