Intimate Buddhist Ceremony in Los Angeles | Taylor and Sewwandi
DETAILS
March 10th, 2018
Sarathchandra Buddhist Center
Wedding
Sewwandi & Taylor
When it comes to interfaith weddings, both cultures can shine together! At Sewwandi and Taylor’s celebration, Sri Lankan Buddhist and Christian traditions came together for a joyful union at Rancho Cordillera del Norte and Sarathchandra Buddhist Center.
This story starts with a right swipe on Bumble––except it’s not the couple, it’s me and Sewwandi! Shortly after I moved to LA, I was looking to connect with awesome, ambitious women and thought I’d give Bumble BFF a try. Sewwandi popped up on my phone, I swiped right, and here we are today!
2 years later, I’m so grateful to not only call her a friend, but to have had the opportunity to play a part in not one, but two days spent celebrating a love story 15 years in the making.
A Grade School Crush Grows Up
Sewwandi and Taylor met on the very first day of 6th grade. For Sewwandi, it was puppy love at first sight, but it took years of friendship through middle school, high school, and college before the sparks finally took off. In 2016, Sewwandi moved back home and these two have been inseparable ever since.
Whether they’re deep in thought-provoking conversation, nerding out over complex scientific exploration, or embracing their silly sides, these two never stop indulging their intellectual curiosity. I am constantly amazed by their passion for discovery––and for each other.
Fun fact: Sewwandi worked at the school they attended during those awkward middle school years!
An Interfaith Celebration at Sarathchandra Buddhist Center
When it came to their wedding day, it was an all hands on deck affair. Sewwandi’s mother pitched in big-time, and parents and family friends volunteered to each take on a piece of the planning. In the end, it came together flawlessly, and, while Sewwandi and Taylor come from different religious backgrounds, they made sure their wedding day was inclusive and full of love and representation for everyone present.
Their first celebration was an intimate ceremony designed to honor both Sewwandi and Taylor’s spiritual upbringings. With Sewwandi dressed in the most stunning coral and gold traditional Sri Lankan attire, the two families came together at the Sarathchandra Buddhist Center, the temple where Sewwandi grew up attending Sunday School. Officiated by Pastor Cannon, Taylor’s youth pastor, this union was sentimental, joyful, and peppered with nods to their respective traditions.
Perhaps one of the most moving moments was when Pastor Cannon tied Taylor and Sewwandi’s hands together in a unity cloth while the chants of Buddhist monks rang out around them. Both of the families came up to give their blessings––I’m not sure there was a dry eye in the audience as we watched two families, cultures, and religions come together to celebrate a couple so full of love.
Three Months Later...
Of course, no wedding is complete without a party, and 3 months after their intimate ceremony, Sewwandi and Taylor’s families gathered at Rancho Cordillera del Norte to celebrate the start of their journey as husband and wife. Click here to check out Part 2 of their celebrations!
