Indian Fusion Wedding on the Mediterranean Coast at Château De Castellaras

Melissa Baran
March 4, 2019
Categories: Real Weddings, The Blog, Traditional Elegance

Sita and Edward, you are gorgeous. Your smiles are magnetic and I can only imagine that every single person who celebrated your wedding day with you felt the incredible love that seems to beam from within your souls. From our own virtual experience of this day planned by Lavender and Rose, the view isn’t too shabby—thanks to Caught the Light for getting just the right angles, all the glowing grins and every beautiful moment of this sweet union.

From Lavender and Rose… Sita and Edward’s Indian fusion wedding took place at a hilltop Château on the French Riviera overlooking the Mediterranean coastline. The first time we met the couple we were extremely excited about working with them to create a wedding that represented both of their cultures combined with their love of the South of France.

The wedding day began with a Baraat procession during which the groom arrived into the Château courtyard accompanied by his sister lead by an Indian Dhol drummer. The Baraat represents the joining of the bride and groom’s families and is always a very festive moment in a Hindu ceremony. Instead of arriving on an elephant or a white horse which is often the tradition, Edward the groom wanted to use a classic French car, so a vintage Citroen Traction was chosen for the occasion.

Accompanied by a sitar & tabla duo, the maid of honour and bridesmaids processed into the ceremony area holding intense instead of bouquets. The bride Sita looked absolutely stunning in her gorgeous beaded gown by famous Indian designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee Sita flew out to India with her mother to source her ceremony gown and dramatic ball gown reception dress. Edward worked with London-based designers for his bespoke ceremony and reception attire.

Out team had a lot of fun sourcing all of the accessories necessary for the Hindu ceremony, from puffed rice, honey, fruits and milk to fire wood, bamboo sticks, coins and floral garlands.

The almond green, blush and gold colour palette was present from the ceremony through to the dinner décor and of course the gorgeous outfits worn by the bridal party. With Italian floral designer Mariella Aprosio, we designed an elegant Mandap structure for the ceremony with cascading flowers and greenery with the full intention of moving away from the habitual gold and red colours typically used for Hindu ceremonies.

The ceremony programmes featured a quote from the novel “Tender is the Night”, one of the most celebrated works of Scott Fitzgerald, inspired by the time he spent on the Côte d’Azur during the Roaring Twenties. The invitations, menus and escort card display featured a 20s style peacock motif, as an ode both to this glamorous era during which the French Riviera gained massive popularity and also as a reminder of Sita’s Indian heritage.

Almond green table linens, 20s inspired crystal accessories and tableware were selected to create the atmosphere of a sumptuous garden party with at the centre the “pièce maîtresse”… the top table with white pergola structure and hanging crystal chandeliers.

Upon entering dinner, Sita and Edward’s first dance was executed with grace and skill to the sounds of “Stars Fell On Alabama” performed by the wedding band Lizzy & The Gentlemen. After a 5 course French gastronomic menu, the guests moved to the Château courtyard for the afterparty where they enjoyed a variety of gin-based cocktails inspired by the bride and groom’s favourite gin bars in London.

Sita and Ed were an absolute joy to work with, we have kept in touch since the wedding and have been to London to see them where we enjoyed a delicious Indian meal together in one of the couple’s favourite restaurants Chutney Mary. We hope to see them back in the South of France this summer for their 1 year anniversary.