A Six-Day Korean and Indian Wedding at The Rockleigh in New Jersey

Jennifer Lee and Dr. Sachin Jain planned six days of celebrations that made room for both Korean and Indian traditions, giving family and friends from different backgrounds ways to share in the festivities. Their wedding at The Rockleigh in New Jersey welcomed 400 guests for the Hindu ceremony, followed by a vegetarian dinner blending Korean and Indian food. The celebration’s shape offers a useful example of how distinct customs can sit alongside one another across a multi-day gathering.

A bond built through hard moments

Lee, a color and material designer at Skechers, and Jain, chief executive of SCAN Health Plan, first met in May 2021 after matching on Hinge. They met at Alibi Room in Los Angeles and found common ground in everyday pleasures, including Costco and the television series “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” They also connected over their immigrant backgrounds. “We’re from different cultures,” Jain said, “But we both bonded over our experiences as immigrants.”

They took time to get to know each other. Three months into dating, Lee was in a car accident while driving home in Los Angeles in August 2021. Her car was badly damaged, and she was shaken. Jain helped her through the next few days and with getting another car. The experience showed them how much they had come to rely on one another.

Weeks later, Jain had an accident of his own, and Lee became a source of support far from his family. The day after his accident, the couple kept a planned trip to Cancún, Mexico. For Jain’s birthday, Lee arranged a Cameo greeting from Mr. T, his childhood hero, wishing him a happy birthday and recovery. The gestures, shaped by difficult circumstances, helped deepen their relationship.

A beach proposal and a shared planning effort

Jain proposed during a February 2023 trip to Hawaii. He suggested a beach photo session for their 2023 holiday card, and Lee agreed, thinking it would be a fun way to mark the trip. While they posed, he knelt and brought out a ring he had chosen with help from his brother, Roopam Jain, a jeweler. Lee recalled that her first thought was to ask whether Jain had dropped something and to worry about his suit. After the surprise registered, she said, “Time stopped, and I blacked out.”

They celebrated with dinner at Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, then called friends and family with the news. Once engaged, they had five months to plan the wedding. Their friends and relatives joined the work of organizing six days of events, with family involvement helping bring the celebration together.

Clothing made the cultural mix visible: guests and the couple wore Indian kurta-pajamas and lehengas as well as Korean hanboks. Lee and Jain each wore about 10 outfits over the festivities, including custom pieces brought from around the world. The families also found easy points of connection around food, including Italian gelato, Indian kulfi and shaved ice. Knotting Bells, whose team traveled from India, photographed and filmed the celebrations.

Traditions, performances and a shared table

The festivities began with a Korean Paebaek tea ceremony at The Rockleigh. Elders offered advice and blessings as the couple wore hanboks and took part in the ceremony’s traditions. It gave relatives and guests an early moment to gather across family and language differences.

The Indian Sangeet followed with elaborate decor, music and friendly dance performances. Relatives from both sides took the stage: Lee’s family danced to Psy’s “Gangnam Style,” while her friends performed to N Sync’s “It’s Gonna Be Me.” Jain added a personal surprise, playing Michael Bublé’s “Home” on piano with his friend and nephew singing.

The next day’s Haldi brought everyone outdoors in yellow. Friends and family showered the couple with haldi and flower petals, while marigolds supplied a bright citrus backdrop. Each event had its own customs and mood, while participation from both families kept the days connected.

For the Hindu wedding, Lee wore a red bridal lehenga by Sabyasachi Mukherjee, and Jain wore an ivory sherwani. They exchanged vows before 400 guests against a floral setting, then moved into cocktail hour and a reception dinner. Chef Vipul Gupta of Moghul Catering prepared an entirely vegetarian menu combining Korean and Indian flavors. Blue Avenue Groove played as guests filled the dance floor.

Lunch, games and a smaller ceremony in California

The day after the wedding, Jain’s brother Narpat Jain and his wife, Archana Jain, hosted lunch with a pizza truck and a dosa station. The newlyweds played traditional Indian wedding games, including a search for a ring in a bowl of milk and flowers. The meal offered another relaxed gathering after the main ceremony and reception.

About two weeks later, Lee and Jain were legally married in the backyard of their friend and neighbor Kristen Byrdsong in Playa del Rey, Los Angeles. Byrdsong, a superior court judge, wore her robe and wrote a speech; she and her husband opened Dom Pérignon for the couple. Jain described the celebrations as “a complete blur,” but said their hope was for the families to come together as one. Their experience, he said, brought “so much obvious connection and love.”

Wedding team

The Rockleigh hosted the wedding, with Urvashi Mishra as planner and Elegant Affairs handling decor. Vipul Gupta prepared the reception dinner; Sabyasachi Mukherjee designed the bride’s outfit. Blue Avenue Groove performed, DJ Sunny Entertainment provided DJ services, and Knotting Bells handled photography and videography.