Disha Shah and Rushi Shah – Krabi, Thailand

Rushi, a Doctor, pursuing general surgery in New York, and Disha, a Real Estate Developer from Mumbai, knew each other since the time they were children; their parents are friends and they also studied in the same high school. But their interactions later on, were limited to Facebook. “One day, I just happened to message him, and from then on, we hit it off really well”, says Disha. While they chatted a lot, both of them weren’t sure if they wanted to get married. “He was preoccupied with his long hours of studying and impending residency, and I was sure I would not move out of Mumbai. But our relationship helped us change our perceptions and before we knew it, we were in love. What followed was fun and what I’d call ‘filmy’. A few months later, Rushi came down to Mumbai and went down on one knee. I obviously said ‘yes’!”

Wedding Venue

It is a funny story of why we chose to have a beach wedding. Rushi is a sunshine California boy who loves beaches. I am an indoor person who feels incomplete without heels. I proudly declared ‘I hate beaches’ the first time we spoke, which he touted as a ‘deal breaker’. But he was still motivated to talk to me, he would joke. And ironically, I agreed to a beach wedding as soon as we got engaged.

The destinations we considered were Goa, Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia and Hua Hin, Phuket, Khao Lak in Thailand. Initially we were sure we should only choose a destination to which there are direct flights from Mumbai- so most likely we thought it would be Goa and Hua Hin. But then my parents went on a ten day recee to see the locations in Thailand and Malaysia- they loved Shangri-La, Kota Kinabalu as well as Krabi. They felt Krabi had the most authentic ‘beach feel’ so we decided on it. Also, we wanted a destination that overlooked the beach and had a good sunset. My overtly romantic husband (then, fiance) wanted to marry me in this fairytale setting where the sun goes down as we take our vows. More than me, my parents and in-laws got on board with the idea. Since Krabi is in the west, it was an ideal choice.

For the venue, we chose Sofitel, Krabi as our parents were really happy with the warmth and welcome extended to them, and it majorly played into the decision.

Wedding Events

After seven pre-wedding functions in Mumbai, we had a a three-day wedding extravaganza in Krabi.

After the guests arrived on the first morning, we had a small welcome followed by lunch. In the evening, we had the Mehndi on the lawns with live singers, Thai bamboo dancers and wrestlers and booths setup with different activities. The decor was in bright shades of green and yellow. This was followed by a ‘Casino and Masquerade’ theme night, where all our family and friends danced till late into the night.

The next day, we had a cricket match between the girls side and the boys side. Many of our friends are into sports, so they were delighted to be a part of this. We then had a beach party in the afternoon, where we chartered yachts to transport guests to Hong Island. There, we had planned recreational activities and relaxation areas for our guests.

Later in the evening, it was Sangeet time! Performances by friends and family and acts by professional entertainers went on until early morning.

Next morning, we had our Haldi ceremony and a pool and foam party, after which we had our wedding ceremony during sunset. We created a Lotus mandap on the pool overlooking the beach. Post the wedding, we had our final party, which was entirely planned and decorated using UV lights.

Wedding Planning

We hired Neha and Darshan Shroff from Momente Wedding Planners. They are our family friends and we wanted someone we would be comfortable with. They put in endless hours into planning every minute detail of the wedding and it showed! Since my family and Rushi’s families were so involved in all the preparations, many ideas, opinions and counter-opinions would keep coming up. But Neha was extremely patient during this all, and she really worked hard to incorporate all our ideas and suggestions, and she deserves full credit for this.

During the wedding, me and Rushi were quite stress-free and I am happy both of us danced a lot!

Advice for to-be-weds

– When figuring out your ‘look’ for every function keep two things in mind- a budget and try to keep a different look for every function. If you can and are lucky to be selected, be a part of WeddingSutra on Location. I enjoyed the experience and the rehearsal helped me get a feel of what big day dressing would be like. 

– Meet everyone from your wedding team in advance– and decide to work with those you are comfortable with. My parents and our Wedding Planners arranged for a meeting with different vendors and artists. And I am glad we chose to work with those I enjoyed the interaction with, and not necessarily those who have the reputation of being ‘the best’.

– At the wedding, you will end up spending a lot of time with your wedding photographers. We were happy we chose Knotinfocus- the team is very professional and fun to work with.

To host any event celebration at Sofitel Krabi, you can send an email toindianweddings@sofitelphokeethrakrabi.com

Photos courtesy- Knotinfocus

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