Pooja and Andrew, Ramada Resort Cochin, Kerala
Pooja and Andrew wanted to host their nuptials in India so that they could introduce their friends to the beautiful culture of Kerala. Peep into their multi-cultural destination wedding at Ramada Resort Cochin.
Hosted in the lush environs of Cochin, Pooja and Andrew’s nuptials witnessed two cultures coming together to celebrate their beautiful union. Check out some of their special memories captured by WeddingSutra favorite, WeddingNama.
How We Met
“Andrew and I are both engineers living in Ottawa, Canada. We met 10 years ago – on the first day of our university orientation. We built a raft together, which sank, but it was the start of a wonderful friendship! Three months later, we started dating and never looked back. When I moved to Boston for two years for my Masters at MIT, he drove eight hours each way every weekend to meet me – the 100,000 miles he drove in two years inspires me never to give up. When I finally graduated, we couldn’t wait to get married.”
Wedding Proposal
“Andrew organized the most amazing summer which saw us traveling through Switzerland and Italy. The day he meant to propose, he ended up in the emergency room with a kidney stone. But that didn’t stop him. With the kidney stone in tow and high on morphine, we made it to Ravello on the Amalfi coast, and he proposed to me on a beautiful terrace on a cliff. He almost dropped the ring off the terrace – which it makes for a beautiful and funny story!”
Wedding Venue
“Our family and friends traveled from all over the world to Kerala for our wedding – I wanted to introduce them to my roots and my culture. I was born in Kerala, and my grandparents live near Cochin. All our friends had been looking forward to our wedding so they could visit India and I couldn’t disappoint them! We picked the Ramada Resort Cochin because of its backwater views, traditional Kerala architecture, and meandering pool. The staff worked hard to keep up with all of us, and were very hospitable, even helping some of our guests wrap their Kerala ‘mundus’ (traditional Malayalam lungi worn around the waist)!”
Wedding Functions
Mehndi
“We started our wedding week with a simple, intimate but unconventional mehndi party where even the men got henna tattoos. The rum coconuts may have helped! Andrew and his groomsmen got our wedding hashtag #PooDrewSayIDo tattooed on their arms. It was important to Andrew and me that we had fun at our wedding and nothing added to the laughter as much as karaoke after this event.”
Pool Bash & Bollywood Dance Party
“On the day before our wedding, Andrew and I had a pre-wedding shoot on the backwaters – WeddingNama did a great job capturing us amidst the beauty of Kerala. In the afternoon, we had a pool bash where all of us goofed around the water. The WeddingNama team was amazingly patient and managed to get such good shots without much help from us! At night, we had a Bollywood dance party. Everybody – Indians, Canadians and Americans alike – rehearsed choreographed Bollywood routines and they turned out amazing. The favorite performance of the night was that of Andrew and his best man, Sam. Sam had cut his feet earlier that day, but no-one would have guessed from the way he danced and lifted Andrew off the floor! Everyone loved the loud, vibrant colors at the party and were dressed to match! I bought my sea green lehenga from Roopkala, Mumbai, and paired it with a royal blue top for the dance party, while Andrew wore a matching outfit from Maanyavar.”
Kerala Wedding
“The typical Kerala wedding ceremony is very simple, and the procession lasts longer than the actual ceremony! So we invited some Kathakali dancers to perform after the ceremony – they introduced the dance form and its principles and then performed an excerpt. It was such a beautiful way to include culture and art in our wedding. Andrew and I dressed in red and white to represent Canada while in traditional Kerala wedding attire. The decor included clay elephants, Kerala flower art, and straw parasols. For the ceremony, I wore a traditional Kerala saree that a little village store in Kerala hand-embroidered and painted to meet my requests.”
Exchange of Vows
“We exchanged our vows by the water at sunset. Aishwarya Suresh sang ‘Young and Beautiful’ by Lana del Ray as the bridal party and I walked in. It was magical, and my dad was officiating the ceremony made it very special. It was a testament to the love that surrounded us that day that everyone cried during our vows – it was mine and Andrew’s uncontrollable sobbing and a Winnie the Pooh quote that did them in. We chose a theme of blue and white for the vows. We had blue doors as our backdrop inspired by a trip to Santorini, Greece, and the sunset provided the best lighting we could ask for. For the exchange of vows, I wore a custom-made dress from Ottawa’s The Handmade Bride, in Canada, where they allowed me to design my dress over multiple fitting sessions and handpick every detail including the lace, a detachable tulle skirt and blue buttons to match my sapphire ring. I paired it with a cathedral veil.”
Reception
“Our reception followed in the courtyard. We wanted to be surrounded by a sea of light bulbs, and our planners made that come true – we had strings of light bulbs over each table. The table centerpieces were a combination of books, roses, urns, DIY wine bottles and photos of places Andrew and I had visited. Other fun elements included a dessert bar, a printed dance floor with our wedding logo and signs handmade by me.”
Advice for Couples
“Remember that a wedding should be a team effort so get all the help you need. Your friends and family just want to see you happy, and they will be happy to be a part of the planning and the event itself. Andrew and I couldn’t have done it without all the help we got – our family and friends were karaoke masters, DIY assemblers, emcees, bartenders… Weddings are about unconditional love – so laugh, cry, sing and dance your hearts out.”
The Wedding Makers
Venue: Ramada Resort Cochin, Kerala
Wedding planner: Pink Kurta Weddings
Dessert Caterer: Donut Factory
Makeup Artist: Shalu George
Entertainment: Singer Aishwarya Suresh
Posters & Stationery: Vistaprint
Brides Outfits: Roop Kala, Mumbai (Bollywood Dance Party), The Handmade Bride, Ottawa, Canada (Exchange of Vows and Reception)
Groom’s Outfits: Manyavar (Bollywood Dance Party), Hugo Boss (Exchange of Vows and Reception)
Photography and Videography: WeddingNama
