I am originally from the Middle East, and I know how hard it is to find a wedding venue that gets my culture, traditions, and most importantly, food. Whether you’re Indian, African, European or Asian, I know you face those challenges, too. A multi-cultural wedding requires extra work, from décor to food to specialty items. Venues that are willing to accommodate these special requests with custom--and not set--menus and décor are rare.
Until SKY Armory came along, that is!
SKY Armory is a two-year-old venue, but our President Nicole Samolis, CSEP, brings 20 years of wedding planning experience to the table. She has planned many multi-cultural celebrations, especially Indian weddings. Whether you’re looking for a creative mandap, or a venue for your Pithi or Mehndi celebrations, we have the right event team to help you plan and design a celebration that reflects your traditions. We like to call SKY Armory a blank canvas, because it truly is. Our ballrooms can become anything you desire, we can transform our space with a vibrant array of colorful linens, drapery, lights, and chandeliers to become and reflect every bride’s unique style, personality and heritage.
It’s also rare to find a venue that would be willing and able to sit down with you and create a custom menu that reflects where you come from. Our culinary team has knowledge and experience in global cuisine. Our Executive Chef is a big part of the planning process; he sits in meetings with couples, getting to know them and then researching their culture, food, and favorite dishes. He puts a lot of time and passion into crafting a menu that gets the couple’s taste buds salivating! And if you come from culinary-rich cultures such as India, oh imagine the journey your menu will take! From Bhindi Bhaji Crocks (stewed okra with tomato and spices) to chicken tikka masala and curried lamb…
Needless to say, food is a big deal at weddings. I can just imagine how everyone in my family would be awe-struck if they went to a family wedding and were served rolled grape leaves for appetizers, Tabbouleh for salad or Kibbeh as the main course. Food is at our very core, and we want the delicacies you and your guests have on your big day be a reflection of your roots; we want the aromas and spices to take you “there,” wherever “there” may be.
This past May, SKY hosted a wedding that was truly a marriage of east and west: a Persian bride and an Italian groom. Tailoring the wedding to these two different cultures was a thrill! It got our chef’s creative juices flowing, creating a menu that highlighted the most traditional dishes from each culture. The mother of the bride even brought authentic Persian ingredients from her home for our chef to make Eggplant Fes En Jun and other traditional dishes. The menu featured delicacies ranging from jeweled rice, Koobideh and chicken kabobs, to Italian staples such as chicken parmesan sliders, ricotta ravioli with charred tomato sauce, chicken riggies and Tiramisu trifle. (See photos on Leila and Michael's photographer's blog post.)
So whether your roots are Indian, Asian, African or European, we can make your wedding truly reflect who you are. From custom menus to décor, this blank canvas can become whatever you dream it to be.
