Destination Weddings
Phuket, Thailand · 2023
The wedding
#Nirvana
The Wedding Fiesta of Sasikala and Britto was hosted at the tropical paradise in Thailand, Phuket, known for its mesmerizing aqua blue waters, white sand beaches, glorious mountain views and heart-warming Thai smiles! The Rainmaker team flew to Phuket to channelize all effort towards planning this massive celebration. After a number of venue recce, two ultra-luxury 5-star resorts were finalized for all accommodations and wedding events; Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket and Hyatt Regency Phuket Resort, two exquisite havens overlooking the breaking sounds of the waves on the famed Phuket beaches.
A crew of over 90 members comprising of the Rainmaker team, photographers, videographers, artists, makeup artists, pandits, and chefs from all over India flew to Phuket to get set to WOW the guests and the families alike.
6 events
Open an event to see what it was, what we did, and every photograph from it.
01Welcome DinnerThe first evening of the wedding celebrations bore witness to a welcome dinner at both hotels that favored an austere meet and greet for the family and friends. It was a formal sit-down dinner that served mouth-watering authentic Thai food like chicken satay, grilled duck in red curry, crab meat with fried rice, BBQ squids, Australian beef sirloin, Thai style salad, water chestnut dumpling, mango sticky rice, pumpkin custard, etc.27 photographs→
02Daawat e MehendiThe next day, the lawns at Dusit Thani set the stage for the North Indian and Thai fusion Mehendi ceremony. The venue was highlighted with colourful Thai parasols, paper flowers, and satin drapes. Guests, especially those from other countries, dressed in sherwanis, bandgalas, lehengas and designer sarees, following the North Indian dress code. Sasikala and Britto were brought to the venue amidst Serng Kratip Khoa performers – North Eastern Thai long drum musicians and dancers. While the bride was showered with love by her family and friends through the Mehendi ceremony, the groom was teased by smearing Haldi all over him. The event wound off with vivacious dance moves by the guests to perky Bollywood music by Kerala’s very own DJ Ryan & DJ Shamil.14 photographs→
03Why This Kolaveri Nite (Sangeet)That evening, the pool side of Hyatt Regency hosted the South Indian – dappankuthu Sangeet night. The blinders, alphabeams along with a graphical LED wall set in motion a spectacular display of lights and wowness. The guests were dressed in specially imported Sri Lankan lungis, sunshades and half sarees and they let themselves loose to the dappankuthu music. The comperes, Poojitha Menon and Rohini Idiculla zinged up the shindig throwing a competitive aura between the couple’s friends and family. A Thai tuk-tuk brought the couple to the stage welcomed by guests waving colored long balloons through the venue. Both Sasikala and Britto and their friends danced to choreographed numbers that they had been practicing for months. Exciting dance offs were triggered by both the sides that kept the night going. Mermaids made a surprise entry to the Sangeet as they swam and danced to a few South Indian numbers in the swimming pool; and took photos with the families. The showstoppers of the night, the ever entertaining and invigorating Thaikkudam Bridge, swept the crowd off their feet with power packed performances of their evergreen and original chartbusters. The menu for this event was creatively designed to suit all taste buds, the first of its kind of any Kerala wedding. The highlights of the menu were live mini stations with spring rolls, pastas, char-grilled mini burgers, home smoked salmon, prawn and vegetable tempura, baked salt crust seabass, traditional and gourmet pizzas, lavish spread of BBQs, kaffirlime crème brulee, pineapple puff, artisan Italian getao and Strawberry flambé.
Sangeet was just a start to an unforgettable after party that went on till 4 AM. A special performance was staged by Sooraj Santhosh & Varun Sunil of Masala Coffee, Siddarth Menon and Viaan of Thaikkudam Bridge along with Mr. Kaladharan who sang and danced to some nostalgic numbers. The DJs replicated the tempo and set the floor on fire.20 photographs→
04Traditional Kerala WeddingA wedding mandap decorated with banana leaves and a floral Ganesha was set up inside the Hyatt Regency Ballroom for the traditional Kerala wedding. Poojari Sreejith was flown in from Kerala to preside over this auspicious ceremony. Family and friends dressed in the traditional Kerala mundu and sarees sat together to witness the traditional thaalikettu ceremony. Sasikala was gorgeously bedecked in platinum jewellery from TBZ.
For a first time in Phuket, Kerala’s biggest chef, Noushad, was roped in to create the traditional sadhya on the wedding day. Noushad’s team faced a huge challenge in sourcing the vegetables and original masala flavours of Kerala. 30 different dishes were prepared for the sadhya under the supervision of Chef Noushad, with the help of the kitchen staff and Chef Alessandro of Hyatt Regency Phuket. Many foreign guests, intrigued by this kind of food experience, enjoyed the course and taste of the authentic Kerala wedding sadhya. Subsequent to 2 rounds of sadhya, a highly competitive vadamvali was held between the couple’s friends.13 photographs→
05Thai VowsThe beautiful white beach of Dusit Thani vouched to be the perfect venue to host the Thai Water Ceremony – the traditional Thai wedding. Britto dressed in a tuxedo flown in from Austria and Sasikala in a designer gown with crystal embellishments, looked gorgeous as a couple. They were guided to the wedding venue by Lanna Parade with Sabad Chai Drum performers, a celebratory dance in Thailand. Lush blue-green waters of the Indian Ocean served as the perfect backdrop for the breathtaking pink Cherry Blossom mandap festooned with swirling twigs full of flowers. The walkway to this charismatic mandap was nothing less than magical with vintage carved drums holding dreamy floral arrangements of white and pink hydrangeas, orchid and phalaenopsis. A monk blessing ceremony, by 5 monks was conducted with the couple adhering to the traditional Thai rituals. After the blessing ceremony, the couple’s parents initiated the water ceremony by garlanding the couple, binding the couple through a sacred thread and by pouring the sacred water from the conch shell over their hands.33 photographs→
06Sakura Ball ReceptionAn ethereal-themed contemporary ambiance was set for the reception that radiated the essence of romance with a profusion of orchids and hydrangeas. Thousands of blooms lit up the stunning canopy embellished with florally decorated bird cages and a majestic chandelier. Opulent larger-than-life florally decked centerpieces, an equally magnificent head table, and rich floral walls added to the richness of this ambiance.
The officially wed couple made a grand entrance to their wedding reception with their bridesmaids and groomsmen dancing to the tunes of Sooraj ki baahon mein. The dress code for this evening was Western suits, gowns, and national attire. The national attire worn by many foreign guests were intriguing. The evening was emotional with speeches from the couple’s friends and families taking them through their childhood days to the very recent past. A specially planned surprise dance dub video was showcased by Keshav Pictures that wowed the guests and the couple alike and brought back delightful memories of all the events.
The perfect finale to the wedding celebrations was the specially orchestrated ensemble by the celebrated musician Stephan Devassy, playback singer Haricharan, Bollywood’s ‘Soprano’ Natalie Di Luccio, lead guitarist Durwin D’Souza, the bass superhero Josy John, percussionists Arun Kumar & Jobin Thomas and Ghatam player Giridhar Uduppa.
The guests also witnessed and enjoyed the launch of Stephan’s new orchestration of symphony with viola, violin, and cello. BBQ was the specially designed menu for this event. The highlights were smoked tuna, beef carpaccio, citrus cured salmon, sushi bar, chermoula crusted lamb cutlets, tofu and vegetable skewers, steaks, pavlova with lemon curs and berries, and banana pop bar.20 photographs→