A Telugu wedding under a Tiffany glass dome

Lekha Yenamala and Rohith Kolluri met on Hinge in Chicago during the Covid-19 pandemic circa March 2021. “I almost cancelled our first date, but my best friend convinced me to go—and I’m so glad she did. We talked for hours over dinner and both felt something special right away,” says Lekha. What began as a lockdown sushi date soon grew into a relationship that moved from late-night playlists to cross-country flights and, eventually, a proposal at one of the most iconic places in Paris: the Tuileries Garden.

Rohith was an investment banker who left his job to launch a matcha company called Acta. He now works at AI-powered search engine company Perplexity. Lekha is an ad tech manager at DirecTV and also works as an event designer and stylist. The two now live in New York. “We are each other’s best friends and the only people who can push each other to be our absolute best selves,” she says.

When the time came to marry, the pair chose a venue just steps from their first date. At the Chicago Cultural Center, once a 19th-century public library, they reimagined the Indian wedding as something deeply personal. The result was a weekend that felt like a reflection of the city that shaped them as a couple.

On the first date…

Lekha: We couldn’t stop talking. The restaurant closed, and everything else in the city was shut because of Covid, so we ended up back at Rohith’s apartment, playing music and dancing around his living room. It wasn’t fancy—just the two of us, a playlist we kept adding to, and the feeling that we’d known each other for years.

Rohith: After that, everything just fell into place. When I later moved to New York for work and came back to visit Lekha in Chicago that summer, we spent every day together. Instead of getting tired of each other, I just wanted more time. Leaving was the worst. That’s when I knew this wasn’t temporary.

“We’re really getting married”

Rohith: I had been planning the proposal for months. I wanted it to feel simple but cinematic. We took a morning walk through the Tuileries Gardens before lunch at a restaurant Lekha had always wanted to try. It was early, quiet, and a little unreal. The whole city felt like it had paused just for us.

Lekha: I kind of sensed it was coming, because we had talked about our future, but I still couldn’t stop smiling when he got down on one knee. My favourite part was when we decided to read our vows to each other privately. It was such a grounding moment before everything began—we laughed, we cried, and we had this realisation of ‘Wow, this is it. We’re really getting married’. It was the perfect way to start the day together.

Chicago was their backdrop

Lekha: We explored countless venues across the US and abroad before realising the perfect place to celebrate was right where our story began—in downtown Chicago.

Rohith: Indian weddings aren’t often set against city skylines, so the idea of making Chicago part of the story felt meaningful. It made the whole weekend feel connected to our story.

Where architecture set the scene for love

Lekha: We knew right away that we didn’t want to overpower the spaces. For the sangeet at the historic Adler Planetarium, the decor leaned into deep sapphire and indigo tones that mirrored the night sky and the lake views just outside the glass walls. For the wedding ceremony at the Chicago Cultural Center, we wanted the design to feel as timeless as the architecture. The Tiffany glass dome inspired the circular mandap placed at the centre of the room, with everyone seated around us. Guests later told us they felt like they were part of the vows rather than just watching from afar.

Rohith: For the reception at the Swissôtel overlooking the Chicago river and Lake Michigan, we decided on a palette of olive, black, and white. Velvet green linens, ghost chairs, sculptural florals, and candlelit tables set against a black marble bar and checkered dance floor created a moody and modern finale to the weekend.

What they wore

Lekha: I travelled to Hyderabad, my second home, where my father accompanied me to every bridal appointment—a memory I’ll always cherish. For my wedding day, I had always envisioned wearing Tarun Tahiliani. After two iterations, I ended up with my dream lehenga: a pearl-embroidered ivory ensemble paired with a trailing veil. For the sangeet, I chose a blue Falguni Shane Peacock lehenga; it shimmered perfectly against the backdrop of the water and the Chicago skyline at the Adler Planetarium. For the reception, I wore a Shantnu & Nikhil silver gown with a sweeping bustle—it felt both powerful and glamorous.

Rohith: I’m usually a jeans-and-polo kind of guy, so the idea of a tuxedo felt intimidating at first. But Lekha convinced me. I wanted looks that felt timeless. The double-breasted tux (from Suitsupply) for the reception ended up being my favourite.

Something old, something new, something Telugu

Lekha: Our loved ones played such an important role in our celebrations, from my jewellery, made by the same Hyderabad jewellers who crafted my mother’s wedding pieces, to Rohith wearing emeralds from her collection.

Rohith: The jeelakarra bellam, where the bride and groom apply a paste of cumin and jaggery to each other’s heads, was something our families really wanted us to include. It’s a core part of a Telugu wedding and symbolises the beginning of a marriage. Keeping that tradition alive made the ceremony feel complete.

Lekha: Music was everything. Our DJ, Amsal Valliani, and tabla player Sid Komaragiri aka KVS Tabla somehow got us without long explanations—they knew exactly how to bridge Indian percussion with disco and house.

Rohith: Even in the chaos of wedding week, we kept our little rituals alive. Every morning, before the madness started, we’d sit with our matcha and talk about the day ahead. It grounded us and reminded us that this was our wedding, not just a series of events.

Words of wisdom

Lekha: Don’t feel pressured to do what everyone else is doing. Start with how you want the day to feel—emotional, calm, fun, whatever it is—and build every decision around that. The visuals will naturally follow.

Rohith: For us, it simply confirmed what we already knew, that no matter the city or the setting, home will always be wherever we’re together.