Real Columbus Wedding: Natasha Hede and Sebastiano Porcu
Dual ceremonies honored the bride’s and groom’s heritages at Jorgensen Farms.
May 30, 2021 | Natasha Hede and Sebastiano Porcu watered a small potted tradescantia zebrina during their civil ceremony on May 30, 2021. It had been clipped and propagated from a larger plant, which once belonged to the couple’s friends in Cleveland. But now these small sprigs had made their way from Philadelphia, where Hede and Porcu live, to Columbus, riding shotgun in their car’s cupholder.
“In the pictures, I will admit it looks a little bare,” Hede says. “But now it’s gigantic. It’s not an uncommon plant, but it’s a very happy little plant that grows really easily.”
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The clipping was one of many small touches at the wedding that integrated the couple’s loved ones. To them, the weekend was all about involving and engaging their communities.
The couple knew they wanted to represent both their cultures—Hede is Indian and Porcu is Italian—and themselves as individuals on their big day, so they hosted same-day Hindu and civil ceremonies. But more importantly, they wanted to ensure everyone, regardless of their culture, would feel they were part of the event.
The Friday before the wedding, Hede had a traditional bridal shower with the women in her community. Her parents hosted a welcome party at their home in Blacklick the following day with singing and dancing.
The couple’s wedding at Jorgensen Farms Oak Grove began in the late afternoon with a Hindu ceremony, for which both bride and groom wore traditional Indian wedding garments. After this first ceremony, guests were served light refreshments while the wedding party took photos and changed—the bride into a white gown and the groom into a tuxedo—for the civil ceremony, during which they exchanged vows and rings.
“Essentially I got married twice—that’s kind of neat, right?” Hede says.
Sharing with and engaging their guests was one of the most important parts of the wedding for the couple. Friends and family stepped up to help with tasks big and small, from designing the stationery and baking the cake to picking up flower garlands.
“One thing I’m very happy that we were able to do is get people involved,” Porcu says. “For us, community is very important.”
During the wedding, the couple placed their wedding bands in a box and passed them around to guests to hold and say a prayer over or give their well wishes—yet another opportunity to involve everyone around them.
“That’s something that we carry with us every single day,” Porcu says.
Vendors
Ceremony, reception and caterer: Jorgensen Farms Oak Grove
Florist: Prema Designs
Cake and invitations: DIY by family and friends
Ceremony music: Hans Utter and colleagues
Reception music: DJ Mavi (Cincinnati)
Photographer: Theory Image
Videographer: Benjamin Todd, BTPhotography
Invitations: Designed by bride’s cousin
Other stationery: Etsy shop VisuallyVee
Accommodations: Courtyard by Marriot Columbus New Albany
Bride’s attire: Lehenga from Ensemble by Ritu with accessories from India and family friends; Ti Adora wedding gown and a veil from B. Loved Bridal Boutique with accessories from Anthropologie; Badgley Mischka shoes
Bride’s hair and makeup: Glamour Beauty Care
Groom’s attire: Sherwani from Koudr’e by Anushka; suit from Indochino with accessories from The Tie Bar
Rings: Feiner’s Ltd. (Philadelphia)
Bridesmaids’ attire: Azazie gowns
Groomsmen’s attire: Own suits
This story first appeared in the spring/summer 2022 issue of Columbus Weddings, published in December 2021.