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To celebrate the many new beginnings ahead of us – a new home, a new city, and the start of a new chapter for our family (keep reading to find out the surprising news we found out shortly after!) – we held a traditional housewarming ceremony with our family and friends to bless our new home. The Vastu Puja is a Hindu ritual that is performed to bless a new home. The ceremony ensures that harmony, prosperity, and positive energy flow throughout, while also removing hurdles and negativity from entering.

My vision for this Puja was to incorporate traditional Indian elements with a modern twist. Fresh flowers were essential and for our color scheme, I wanted vibrant shades of pink and orange, mixed with pastels and bright whites. Of course, I used my favorite hack for ordering fresh flowers. Bright rose petals and floating tealights in urlis greeted guests when they arrived and our backdrop was simple yet elegant and inviting. We repurposed a beautiful room divider we had and strung fresh carnations to create beautiful garlands that draped across our Mandala backdrop. Cushions surrounded the puja area where guests could sit for a closer view and fresh flowers in glass globes hung from white trees on either side. It was by no means over the top, but it was perfect for our simple ceremony.

We had light pastries, Indian snacks, and chai served during the morning Puja and a full Gujarati lunch followed. The night before our Vastu, it rained so much that the enclosed tent we had rented and installed in our backyard was completely drenched, as was our lawn. Our plans for an outdoor ceremony and celebration were moved indoors and into our basement, which ended up working out great. For favors, we gifted each guest my favorite fragrance diffusers from Archipelago Botanicals. I designed and made all the gift tags and labels and added ribbon to each one. I am all about gifting favors that guests can use and things that I love myself. I loved all the small details throughout and am so grateful for the helping hands that brought my vision to life. It turned out to be so beautiful and I hope it inspires you for any of your upcoming Pujas or events that you may be planning!

Here’s a little surprising news we discovered after our housewarming ceremony! On the morning of our Puja and in the days leading up to it, I felt incredibly tired and had almost no energy. There were even some days I felt oddly nauseous, but I brushed it off and kept going. Sitting through the Puja was a real challenge, especially since it was quite long – but I made it through. Fast forward a couple of weeks, and we found out we were expecting our first baby! We had no idea! We felt beyond blessed and this news made the ceremony and the day even more meaningful!

You can find more pictures and details on my Pinterest and saved to my Instagram highlights!

Photographer: Spark and Arrow Photography