Weligama Bay Marriott - A Sun-kissed Destination Wedding On The Beaches Of Sri Lanka

Santosh had always dreamt of a beautiful, serene wedding by the beach. When she grew up and fell in love, her dream actually came true. 

Hailing from Bangalore, Santosh's parents introduced her to the dashing Kishan from Chennai, and the couple fell in love. After a year-long courtship, Santosh and Kishan were wed in an elegant destination wedding on the sun-kissed beaches of Sri Lanka. 

The wedding comprised three days of festivities. A curated guest list of 300 guests was flown into Sri Lanka for the wedding party hosted at the stunning Weligama Bay Marriott. 

This stunning beach-facing property in Weligama, Sri Lanka, was the perfect venue for a romantic wedding, and some soul-stirring destination wedding photography! 

Click here for our Marwari Wedding Guide.

Exploring The Streets Of Galle 

Day 1 was a fun, relaxed day dedicated entirely to the couple, who were keen to explore the streets of Galle, Sri Lanka. We got to shadow them in a subtle way, capturing candid moments of the couple as they indulged in simple everyday activities - sharing an intimate lunch, walking the streets of Galle, and soaking in each others' company.

Both Santosh and Kishan were sure that candid wedding photography was the way to go, and that set the tone for us to capture some moving wedding memories through the next two days. 

A Modern-Day Mehendi Ceremony 

In the evening, a Mehendi event was hosted on the glamorous rooftop of the Weligama Bay Marriott. The event had a relaxed vibe, with the couple and family, engaging with guests as they nestled their drinks, and smoked some flavoured hookah to spice things up. 

As the night grew young, the DJ pumped up the base, and guests began moving and grooving on the dance floor. The dance party was followed by a live performance by a beloved family member. 

The Big, Big Surprise By The Pool

Day 2 was a big blow-up pool party with music and party games like Jenga. We managed to get some great shots, as the couple and the guests had tons of fun. 

But the best surprise was yet to come!

The unsuspecting bridal couple got to experience a real treat as their parents, and senior members of the family burst into a flash mob dedicated to the couple at the pool party! 

A Magical Day

Day 3, the most important day, started off auspiciously with a puja for the bride and groom, held separately. It was the perfect day for some immersive Indian wedding photography as each moment unfolded! 

As the bride got ready for her special day, we captured some stunning visuals of her looking absolutely radiant in her exquisite lehenga. As her mother helped her get ready, we were able to take candid pictures of the care with which her mother decked her daughter for the special moment.

We also captured shots of the groom as his brother helped him get ready for the big day. 

The intricate wedding invitation was designed by none other than the bride, and we managed to capture some wonderful shots of that as well!

Vintage Chic 

The wedding was hosted in a traditional Sindhi-style ceremony. The dashing groom arrived along with the baraat in a vintage car. He was carried off to the mandap by the bride's uncles and was welcomed warmly by the bride's parents. 

The stunning bride dressed in a red and gold lehenga arrived in a white vintage car. The red and gold, juxtaposed against the white, was a sight to behold. What followed was a traditional phoolon ki chadar entry, with Santosh's brothers carrying her on the chaddar along with her parents and sister by her side. 

A Visual Treat In The Making 

The wedding photography for Santosh and Kishan's was exciting for so many reasons. The bride's family was perfectly colour-coordinated, just as the bride planned and that added a great visual aesthetic to the ceremony! 

Many beautiful moments unravelled during the ceremony, as we captured the essence of traditional rituals like the Kanyaadan, pheras, and the wearing of sindhoor and mangalsutra. 

The reception was a warm, lively affair with activities like the bridal cake cutting, the quintessential shoe game and some amazing performances. The couple raised a toast, and this was followed by several affectionate, and good-humoured speeches by friends and family. 

As the emotionally-charged vidhai concluded, family members dotted the bridal path holding sparkles, and the bridal couple sped off into the sunset in their vintage car, the start of the rest of their lives together!  

Scroll down to see the complete wedding!

Indana Palace, Jodhpur - A Destination Marwari Wedding Across Two Palaces

Nothing is more inspiring than a young couple committing to each other and starting a new journey of love, with excitement, joy and hope. These sentiments epitomised the wedding of Gargi and Raghav, a young, well-travelled, debonair couple who tied the knot in a vibrant destination wedding with a global flavour.  

Click here for our Marwari Wedding Guide.

This stunning Jodhpur Marwari wedding was hosted in two of the most beautiful venues in the city. The groom's party hosted their ceremonies at the Indana Palace, while the bride's pre-wedding rituals as well as the wedding, were hosted at the glamorous Ajit Bhawan, Jodhpur.   

Click here for our Destination Wedding Locations in India Guide.

A Photographer's Delight 

Every ceremony and celebration was a burst of colour, style, movement and energy. The wedding photography took on a magical life of its own, set across the backdrop of the two majestic Jodhpur venues - the Indana Palace and Ajit Bhavan. We especially loved shooting portraits of the young, contemporary bride and groom, who radiated love, serenity, joy and hope for the journey ahead.

A Burst Of Colour & Energy 

The pre-wedding functions kicked off with a lot of buzz - a fun pool party where everyone let their hair down. Of course, no pool party is complete without guests jumping into the pool, which they did with a lot of excitement and flair! 

The guests also got to be part of a Holi soiree where they indulged in the quintessential festival of colours, music, dance and of course, water sprays!

The bride's traditional haldi ceremony was a vibrant colour-coordinated burst of yellow, which added a spark to the wedding photographs! 

The traditional Mehendi ceremony saw traditional folk dancers making guests really nostalgic. On the occasion, the bride looked absolutely stunning in her mother's up-cycled wedding dress, which married vintage style with a contemporary twist. 

The Bride Lights Up The Dance Floor! 

The bride lit up the dance floor with some killer moves, and soon, she was joined by her mom for a smashing mother-daughter jamboree on the dance floor! Once the Haldi ceremony concluded, Gargi's maama (uncle) lifted her and brought her for the pooja, as is custom. 

Celebrations At The Sangeet 

The traditional Sangeet was a contemporary affair, hosted in the evening at the beautifully lit courtyard of the Indana palace. The couple came together and set the dance floor on fire, together, with a high energy performance! Another novelty of the occasion was an inverted cake, made with a lot of love by Raghav's cousin.  

An International Affair

Guests travelled from across the globe to be at Gargi and Raghav's wedding, and they especially loved putting mehendi on their hands as part of this beautiful ritual. The ceremony also had a live bangle-making kiosk, where friends and family could get a funky mix of traditional bangles to spice up their looks.

The Wedding Ceremony

The pièce de résistance was the wedding ceremony, which was hosted in the traditional Marwari style. The groom arrived with the baarat on a horse! As he neared Ajit Bhawan, the bride's brothers carried him off on their shoulders into the venue. This generated a lot of excitement among the guests! Gargi's mom performed a welcome aarti, and affectionately pulled Raghav's nose, a Marwari custom.   

A New Journey Begins! 

The fun part came soon, with the sisters and friends of the bride hiding the groom's shoes and demanding a tiny ransom for the reveal! After a fun-filled, and moving wedding ceremony, the bridal couple and their families shared an emotional moment during the vidhai, before departing for their new life in a glamourous vintage car.  

Capturing Candid Moments Of Love 

The entire wedding was a thoughtfully curated boutique affair, mixing Marwari wedding tradition with a contemporary, global spin. Traditional Indian wedding photography tends to have a canned look, but this modern bridal couple opted for candid wedding photography, and every frame of the wedding was a delight to shoot and behold. We wish them love and luck on their new journey!

Scroll down to see more pictures from this beautiful wedding :)

The Bangalore Palace: Bhavana Rameshkumar and Charan's Wedding Royale

Weddings transport us to new places and moods. The romance in the air is so evident that everyone present is just engulfed by the warm vibes. We experienced this magic at Bhavana Rameshkumar and Charan's Wedding, a journey that began with the couple's engagement and culminated in a wedding ceremony and grand celebration at the Royal Bangalore Palace.

The stunning bride Bhavana Rameshkumar (More on her Instagram Profile and blog) hails from Bangalore and the suave groom Charan is from Chikmagalur in Karnataka.  Keep an eye out for charming pictures of Bhavana Rameshkumar’s father and her sister Shruthi Rameshkumar.

Click here for our complete Kannada Wedding Guide.

A Match Like No Other

The engagement ceremony, hosted at the beautiful Ganapathi temple in Sadashivnagar, was a traditional and tasteful affair, rich in its colour scheme that set the perfect mood for the start of a new journey.  

Bhavana Rameshkumar was an embodiment of beauty and serenity, while Charan looked regal in his traditional attire. Through the engagement ceremony,  Charan and Bhavana would steal silent glances at each other, ready to embrace their journey of love and commitment to each other. Charan got down on his knee and put a ring on Bhavana's finger, and the bride planted a kiss on his cheek. 

A Special Furry Guest

Towards the end of the ceremony, an unlikely guest joined in - Bhavana's beloved canine confidently posed for pictures. 

Needless to say, he smiled adorably for the cameras, and instantly became the star of the moment!   

Celebrating Under The Stars

The engagement ceremony was followed by a celebration in the beautiful open-air lawns at The White Petals, Palace Ground on a moonlit night. There was cake-cutting, drinks, dancing and a whole lot of fun. 

Charan looked dapper in a black tux, while Bhavana looked absolutely stunning in a ensemble by Anushree Reddy, with subtle western silhouettes. 

An Intimate Ceremony 

The wedding ceremony was hosted in the Kannadiga style, at the grand Bangalore Palace. Located in Inner Bangalore, the palace is known for its architectural and historical significance and was the perfect venue for a tasteful marriage celebration.

Charan was escorted in warmly by Bhavana Rameshkumar's father and mother. The auspicious thali ceremony took place, and when the thali was tied, all the guests cheered with joy. 

The other traditional ceremonies like the Saptapati and Arundhati were also hosted. The bridal couple stepped out briefly for some of the ceremonies, which were both playful and fun. The Kanyadaan, a defining moment in a bride's life, was an emotional experience and brought tears to Bhavana's eyes, as well as that of her parents. 

A Grand Celebration

The guest list for the wedding was a power-packed one and included celebrities like Kannada cinema actor, producer Puneeth Rajkumar. Former chief minister SM Krishna also attended the wedding. 

Built in the 1800s, the Bangalore Palace was an apt venue for Bhavana Rameshkumar and Charan's wedding. The yellow ballroom, with its vintage arching chandeliers, pictures and paintings, was the perfect backdrop for a stunning post wedding-shoot. 

A Picture-Perfect Wedding

The formidable-looking regal exteriors of the Palace, built in the Tudor revival architecture-style, made for some candid wedding pictures. The bride and groom were naturals in front of the camera, and their love, respect and commitment to each other spoke volumes in the photographs. 

We wish the happy couple love, luck and joy in their new journey together!