F5 Executes Cross-Cultural ‘Keralafornia’ Wedding in Kovalam

by  EVENTFAQS Bureau Weddings | April 5, 2016 | News

F5 Weddings

F5 Weddings recently managed a ‘Keralafornian’ wedding of startup company Lookup’s founder Deepak Ravindran and Shilpa, a global technology attorney from California. After a romantic Venetian proposal and a Californian engagement, it was a Kerala wedding for this couple, which took place at The Leela at Kovalam.

Ajay Modgil, CEO, F5 Weddings said, “F5 Weddings expertise was called upon for their nuance of creativity and professionalism. So we officially pronounced this wedding title as ‘Keralafornia’. I was personally involved throughout the event, where we had to bring out the essence of the two cultures in this fusion wedding. Shilpa was expecting guests from around the globe and Deepak has his parents and family settled in India. Our objective was to cater to both sorts of guests.”

The venue was selected based on the fact that the client wanted a surreal beach wedding in the south. The Leela at Kovalam met this criterion and was also appropriate given its proximity to the airport.

A dedicated desk titled ‘Keralafornia’ was set up to welcome the guests. Welcome kits were given and well-selected goodies were placed in the rooms along with a quirky caricatured itinerary card providing details of the venue and event flow.

The opening ceremony was a faceoff between Team Bride aka ‘Real CA’ and Team Groom aka ‘Cheetah United’ in a footfall match at the soccer field of The Leela. The match kickstarted with the bride singing the Indian National Anthem. This was followed by a dinner party.

A Pool Mehendi party was held the next day, with the décor featuring fusion artwork, neon drapes, canopies and a colourful DJ console amidst vibrantly coloured windmill decor. The dress code was chic resort wear to steer guests towards the pool alongside. The event commenced with a small Ganesh Pooja post which the DJ took over.

The Sangeet was a ‘Bollywood- ishtyle’ dance fest with royal red dominating the decor and a huge ‘Love’ sign that got everyone’s attention. There were plenty of outstanding performances by the bride, groom, their family and friends.

The wedding day gave the guests an unforgettable outdoor Malayali wedding experience. Nandita from F5 Weddings remarked, “Since a lot guests were coming to Kerala for the first time, we thought of giving them a visual treat of the traditions of the state.”

The groom arrived on an elephant with ‘panchvadyam’ (Kerala’s traditional orchestra comprising of 5 instruments).The groom’s family was in for a surprise with the bride’s entire family dressed in traditional Kerala attire. The smell of jasmine and the sight of white Kasavu sarees against the serene backdrop of Kovalam Beach all came together to make the event a dream cross-cultural destination wedding. The ceremony was followed by a sit down Sadhya lunch, Kerala’s traditional style banquet served on banana leaves.

The evening witnessed a romantic beach reception. A huge cut-out of ‘D & S’ was placed aesthetically, and an isle of paper lanterns led to a stunning stage. There was a cute corner created with a guestbook and twine for guests to write funny messages for the couple. It was a dreamy sight when the couple walked down the aisle and the guests welcomed the couple with sparkles. The reception featured a surprise dedication to the groom, speeches by friends and family and the cake cutting. Celebrations continued till the wee hours of the morning, led by a rocking performance by Mohit Lalwani.

True to the brief, this Keralafornia wedding was a memorable affair. A thrilled Shilpa said, “We would highly recommend F5 Weddings and team to anyone. Ajay and his team are truly professional dream makers. We thank them for making our dream destination wedding a reality!”

Vendors whose services were used for this wedding include choreographer Charles Ma, Mohit Lalwani and team providing Music/Band entertainment for the reception night, DJ Sidd, Seema Mane (hair) and Varsha Gidwani (makeup).