Two Cultures, Slowly Uniting In Matrimony

Sumeet Magoon, left, and Salomee Kanaujia marry at the Sheraton in Tysons Corner. At right are his parents, Pritam and Parkash Magoon. (Photos By Carol Guzy -- The Washington Post)

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The fact that Luthra speaks fluent Hindi and Urdu means she can smooth things over with parents who might be uneasy with the changes.

The most common modifications include the creation of an aisle for the bride to walk down followed by bridesmaids. "You'd never see that in India," Luthra said.

Perhaps most radical, however, is the growing use of whites and ivories in the decorations.

"In Indian culture, white signifies mourning," she said. "It used to be such a taboo for weddings. But now so many brides are demanding it."

Priti Loungani-Malhotra, 32, a dressmaker based in Arlington County, has even designed a white version of the classic Indian wedding gown, with a mermaid-shaped lengha, or skirt, that would do Vera Wang proud.

For the moment, though, she's not getting many takers.

"My fiance's family is more conservative, and I want to respect that," explained Bhavna Vaswani, 28, during a recent fitting at Loungani-Malhotra's house.

Still, though Vaswani opted for gold fabric, she did stick with the dress's mermaid shape.

"It reminds me of an American wedding dress," she said. "And I don't know, growing up in Dallas, I guess I somehow always pictured myself getting married in an American dress."

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