Top of The Town Virginia–A Couple’s Pick for Their Multicultural Wedding Day

It’s an excellent solution to the problem of wedding days passing by too quickly: split it into multi-day events. For this couple’s fusion wedding, spreading their events over a multi-day experience was the best plan! Their Indian and Jewish wedding traditions blended well as these two joined their lives together. See how their cultures mixed at this Top of the Town Virginia wedding.

Bride and Groom sitting on floor at multicultural wedding ceremony.

Bride and Groom standing at alter at multicultural wedding ceremony.

A Multi-Day Wedding That That Focuses on Tradition

Kiran and Caleb’s multicultural wedding was steeped in Indian wedding traditions. These practices generally occur over the course of a few days with many types of celebrations honoring both families. It was amazing photographing their family and friends connecting at this pre-wedding celebration:

Bride in traditional indian outfit dancing .

Bride and Groom smiling at each other in traditional indian garments.

Bride laughing with friends at pre wedding celebration.

PRE-WEDDING: The Sangeet

Bride in Indian attire dancing with family at pre wedding celebration.

The Sangeet usually occurs 2-3 days before the wedding and can last from a few hours to an entire night. At the Sangeet, women from both families sing traditional songs and dance to celebrate the couple. The word “sangeet” is Sanskrit for “sung together.”

The event allows both sides of the family to mingle and bond before the wedding giving the couple and their families a light-hearted break from the preparations. It also includes a casual shared meal and an open dance floor to anyone who wants to join! It was through these extra interactions with family and friends that I was able to get to know Kiran and Caleb so much more. It’s this intimacy that allows for the best moments to be captured!

Family sitting on floor laughing and talking with one another.

Large family sitting on floor laughing and talking with one another.

PRE-RECEPTION: Couple’s Session

Instead of just catching the views from their rooftop wedding venue at Top of the Town Virginia, the couple opted to also enjoy the sites themselves. Before their reception, we took our time for bridal portraits around the Thomas Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC. They enjoyed finding some shaded spots on this warmer summer wedding day.

Close up as Groom kisses Bride under a veil.

Wide shot of Bride and Groom at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial.

Upclose of Indian bride in traditonal wedding dress.

Upclose of Indian groom in traditonal wedding attire.

Following their bridal photo shoot, they did a wedding outfit refresh with Kiran changing into a wedding reception dress and Caleb switching into a tux. This costume change took a little longer than expected so we did end up extending our time. I always check in with my couples towards the end of their coverage time and I’m happy to stay a little longer than originally planned. The following are other Indian wedding ceremony traditions included in their intercultural marriage celebration:

Bridal Henna for the bride, her mom, and the bride’s friends.

Womens hands covered in traditional bridal henna tattoo.

The Baraat: the groom’s processional on the wedding day that involves music, dancing, and a grand arrival that for Caleb included driving up in a white Mclaren.

Groom smiling as he arrives to wedding venue.

Caleb bidding with Kiran’s family before cutting a ribbon to enter the ceremony space.

Groom greeted by family at the front of the wedding venue.

Lunch after the ceremony.

The Vidaai: bride’s family pushes the car to send the couple off.

Family pushes the bride and grooms white Mclaren getaway car as they drive away.

Top of the Town Virginia: A Wedding Venue With a View

Top of the Town Virginia Wedding purple table decor.

Top of the Town Virginia is one of the best wedding venues with a view in the DC Metro Area showcasing the DC monuments and the Potomac River. Located in the Rosslyn section of Arlington, Virginia, it’s accessible by car or the nearby Metro station and includes parking.

The exterior of the building isn’t attractive, so I would recommend limiting on-site photos to indoors or outdoors solely on the rooftop. The rooftop terrace is beautiful for sunset photos but can also be very harsh without shade. Like these two did with their Jefferson Memorial bridal photoshoot, you can catch additional couple’s, family or bridal party pictures off-site.

Rooftop cocktail hour at Top of The Town Virginia.

This Virginia wedding venue with its panoramic views offers an amazing atmosphere for couples like Kiran and Caleb to adapt. I loved their color choices and wedding reception decorations, particularly the wrap added to the dance floor!

Top of the Town Virginia Wedding reception.

Top of the Town Virginia Wedding table florals and decor.

Top of the Town Virginia Wedding table floral center pieces.

Top of the Town Virginia Wedding mirror seating chart.

Top of the Town Virginia Wedding reception dance floor with white velvet couch.

Top of the Town Virginia Best Features

Hosts up to 180 standing, 150 seated with a dance floor, also works for ceremonies, engagement parties, and rehearsal dinners. The space fills up quickly, so I recommend sticking with the lower end of its capacity.
Not all inclusive, but they provide an approved vendor list.
12-foot high windows, marble foyer and hallway, dedicated express elevator, chandeliers, Chiavari chairs and a variety of table sizes.
Extras available for rental: uplighting, lounge furniture, LED cocktail tables.

When Two Cultures Become One at Top of the Town Virginia

Bride and groom dancing on floral dance floor at Top of the Town Virginia Wedding Venue.

Bride and groom cut wedding cake at Top of the Town Virginia Wedding venue.

In addition to the bride’s Hindu wedding traditions, the groom’s Jewish wedding traditions were also melded into the day. Towards the end of their welcome speech, Caleb’s parents honored the tradition of glass breaking at a Jewish wedding. Witnessing all of these incredible traditions from the prewedding to the Top of the Town Virginia reception was so sweet.

Bride crouched on floor with heart shaped glasses on.

Bride and groom smile with neon wedding sign.

Bride and groom dancing at Top of the Town Virginia Wedding Venue.

We amplified this blend of cultural traditions through the couple’s chosen wedding photography package add-ons. These additions included film photography in 35mm and vintage polaroids. The couple still desired all of the standard digital coverage including traditional wedding photos with family.

Kiran and Caleb’s big goal for their wedding photos was to remember the moments. The way that wedding film photography ties together the nostalgia of an experience producing different feelings than those resulting from digital photographs. As their wedding photographer, I was free to craft artistic moments through this variation in digital, 35mm film, and Polaroids. It created an amazing mix of color, feelings, and an approach to their gallery as pieces of art, not just snapshots of moments.