Meera & Simon: Two cultures, two countries, one true love...
May 23, 2009 :: Hilton London, London Ontario
Photography by HRM Photography (www.hrmphotography.com)
Story by TheWeddingRing.ca
Meera and Simon Harris met at the University of Cambridge in England while studying medicine and, in the Fall of 2006, began dating. Meera says that Simon was always the life of the party. “It was easy to see why everyone loved being around him...” She says he has a kind and caring nature, charismatic personality and endless humour... “Of course, his striking British accent was the icing on my cake!”
Despite Simon’s confident, talkative nature, he says that Meera was the one person who could leave him speechless. “I love her spirit and passion. She knows how to love without limits and give her heart without condition. She is my best friend and the person I long to be with every moment... If she was in the room, I would smile and not know why and have to be with her.”
Simon whisked Meera away for a surprise weekend at a luxurious spa in London, England. One evening, Simon took Meera to dinner at The Latimer. She remembers champagne being poured and Simon suddenly moving around the table to kneel down in front of her. “The maître d’ himself was carrying a silver platter with the signature Tiffany blue box wrapped in a white ribbon...” Simon asked an excited and emotional Meera to marry him. “I was so shaken up, I could barely untie the ribbon on the box.” She said yes to a beautiful Tiffany solitaire diamond ring and to a lifetime with the man she loved.
Since Meera is of East Indian (Gujarati) heritage and Simon has a Jewish and Italian background, the couple did a lot of reading and research. They decided to respect family traiditions and merge their cultures, choosing a traditional Hindu wedding that incorporated spiritual aspects from the Jewish religion.
Invitations were sent out inviting guests to their Spring wedding. Meera says they chose May 23, 2009 because the sun was shining and the weather wasn’t too hot. “...and I wanted our colours to match the season.”
The invitations (created by a designer and printer from India) were bold, vibrant and 
modern in style, containing hints of Indian tradition and the couple’s signature monogram. The stationery set the style for the day to come, using a base colour of Meera’s favourite Tiffany blue in addition to the rose and gold of the wedding colours.
An Indian bride usually adorns herself with extravagant jewellery and elaborate accessories and Meera was no exception. She bought most of her wedding jewellery in Dubai and England. Some pieces were traditional (such as the tikka for the wedding ceremony, a chain clipped into the hair with a pendant that dangles on the forehead). Matching jewelled necklaces, rings and a variety of bracelets were all worn as part of a traditional bridal trousseau. “One of the most important jewellery items was the mangalsutra or ‘thread of good will’, which was placed around my neck by Simon during the wedding ceremony,” explains Meera. “It’s a chain of gold with black beads to signify our union of marriage... [and] represents the love offered by my husband. The black beads are thought to protect against evil.”
Meera’s hands and feet were covered in intricate mehndi designs (traditional Indian henna) from her mehndi night prior to the wedding where women from both her side of the family and Simon’s celebrate together. “The mehndi artwork signifies the strength of love in a marriage, and so I made an effort to keep it on as long as possible in order to create a deeper burgundy colour,” Meera told us.Simon wore a traditional sherwani (tunic suit) in gold and deep red. It was embellished with embroidery work, jewels and a red scarf, custom made by a tailor in India and finished off with matching gold Indian shoes.
The ceremony began at 10:30 am at Hilton London (www.londonontario.hilton.com). Many of Meera’s family and friends live in the London Ontario area since she grew up there and Simon’s came from England so the location was perfect and the on-site hotel was convenient. The couple loved the grand ballroom with its magnificent chandeliers and updated décor. “Most importantly, they were able to accommodate our many guests (almost 300 in total),” the couple adds.
The mandap/chuppa (canopy at the altar) was designed by Simon and Meera to represent both the Hindu and Jewish aspects of this feature. “It was a large structure with four pillars draped with cream linens and decorated with bright red roses and white orchid garlands for the ceremony.” It was transformed for the evening with pink orchids, roses and calla lilies. The ceremony aisle was also decorated with willow branches, orchids and calla lilies, and the floor was decorated with flower petals for Meera to walk on. All of the flowers and décor were done by Patzees Floral Scapes.
For the bharat (groom’s procession), Simon, his family and friends joined him by dancing through the streets with a loud drum (dhol) and music. “Everyone had a great time taking part and they made a fantastic entrance.” He was received by Meera’s family and escorted to the mandap where he then smashed a clay pot with his foot, much like the Jewish tradition of smashing a glass. Meera was escorted down the aisle by her brother. When she reached the mandap, she and Simon exchanged flower garlands, which signifies the acceptance of each other as life partners. Then, a sacred fire was lit (havan) under the mandap as a symbol of purity and a kindling of new love between them as a couple. “My veil was then tied to Simon’s scarf symbolising our union, and we circled the sacred fire four times, taking vows of mutual acceptance and loyalty,” explains Meera.
After this, Simon and Meera took seven steps forward together (saptapadi), each step 
symbolizing their travel through life together. The couple wrote and recited their own vows, after which Simon placed the sacred sindoor (red powder) on Meera’s head, signifying that she was now married - and Mrs. Harris!
For the reception, Meera changed into a more modern and trendy lengha that she had made by Sona’s Couture in London, England. A two piece, corset-style strapless gown with a teal top and embroidered skirt in lavender, turquoise and silver. The lengha was completely covered in crystals, handiwork from India and diamantes - a happily received gift from the groom. She added a hint of Britain into her evening outfit with a large turquoise headpiece made in England and accented with flowers and ribbon. For the reception, Simon and men on both sides of the family changed into tuxedos, all rented from Collins Formal Wear (www.collinsformalwear.com).
Donations were made to The Willow Foundation - a UK based charity that aids young adults who are terminally ill - in addition to traditional favours. Guests also went home with hand-tied, personalized favour boxes in cream and pink filled with candied almonds.
For their first dance, Meera and Simon danced to “The Blower’s Daughter” by Damien Rice, which Meera’s brother, Mishaal, sang for them.
A majority of Meera and Simon’s wedding plans were done from England as they didn’t arrive in Ontario until one month before the nuptial events, so Meera says that her mom helped plan a lot while they were still out of town. But now, the couple resides in Toronto where their love story will continue for many more years.
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