Vinita Demla and Colt Castner’s wedding (featured in the Spring/Summer 2021 issue of D Weddings) was a multi-day, multi-cultural extravaganza that combined Hindu and Western elements with over-the-top entertainment, from champagne-serving aerialists to an electric violinist. Following the high of their celebration and Costa Rican honeymoon, the couple bought a home, moved in together, and settled into married life—just in time for COVID to bring life as they knew it to a screeching halt. “It’s been challenging,” Vinita says of navigating newlywed life through a pandemic, which prevented the couple from enjoying their usual social activities like going to concerts and festivals. Instead, the pair have spent the last year-plus hunkered down, cooking together, furnishing their home, and building their Instagram-based vintage-furniture resale business, Vintage Envoy. Vinita and Colt fill us in on married life, their biggest wedding stressors, and why a comfortable pair of shoes is always a worthwhile investment.

Had you thought about your wedding day before getting engaged?

Vinita: I knew I wanted it to be fun and have entertainment for the reception. (Cue the electric violinist robot.)

Colt: For sure. I was pretty curious what kind of wedding Vinita would want, with us coming from two very different cultural backgrounds. 

What was the smartest thing you did while planning your wedding?

Vinita: Hired a full-service wedding planner. They dealt with things I didn’t think about, such as getting a permit with the city to close down part of Main Street for the baraat. I had lots of vendors and a planner helped coordinate everyone. 

Colt: Hiring a wedding planner. I can’t imagine how difficult it would be to manage such a large event ourselves. 

What stressed you out the most?

Vinita: The budget and how we kept going over it. 

Colt:The size of the wedding mostly. I’m not really the type of person that likes to be the center of attention.

What was the most fun part of wedding planning?

Vinita: The food and dessert tasting. I am a total foodie!

Colt: The food tasting and selection for the dinner menu.

What was your most worthwhile wedding splurge?

Vinita: My pink ceremony dress. I initially wanted a simple sari but splurged and got a custom-made lehenga instead. 

Colt: Went a little over the top on my ceremony suit, but everything turned out great for our photos. 

What, if anything, would you do differently if you had to do it all over again?

Vinita: I should have sent invitations early with generic information and referred everyone to our website for info and RSVP. I sent them really late since I thought I needed every piece of information on there, but it’s not necessary if there’s a website. 

Colt: I would have bought more comfortable shoes for the baraat and ceremony. I had blisters on my feet for days after the wedding.

What was the most memorable moment from your wedding day?

Vinita: When I walked down the aisle, I started crying. My husband cried too. I had only seen him cry once before.

Colt: Seeing Vinita cry coming down into the ceremony. So much of the planning went into the reception that the ceremony seemed like an afterthought. It ended up being a much more beautiful and emotional moment than I had expected. 

What has surprised you most about married life? How (if at all) does it feel different?

Vinita: Sharing a space with someone all the time was a big change for me. We had never lived with a significant other prior to marriage. Now I feel like wherever he is in the house, I want to be there, too.

Colt: Mostly how natural the transition felt. It didn’t feel like a huge change in the dynamic of our relationship. The biggest difference was just being together all the time. 

If you had one piece of advice for engaged or newly married couples, what would it be?

Vinita: At the end of the day, it’s just one day. Have fun and don’t get caught up in the drama. It’s so easy to lose sight of what the whole point of the day is: to marry and create a life with your partner!

Colt: Try to have realistic expectations of what you think married life will be like with your partner. Healthy relationships take a lot of hard work and dedication.