A mandap on the soft sands of a beach, bedecked in seasonal blooms. Bejewelled lehengas meet summery dresses, as shoes make way for sandals or even barefoot ceremonies, and families make memories against the backdrop of an azure sky and an turquoise sea.

For decades, Goa has been the destination of choice for beach weddings, as it offers the susegad vibe, a variety of locations and five-star resorts. When the pandemic hit the Big Fat Indian Wedding in 2020, the east coast has slowly emerged as a viable alternative to Goa, during the wedding season in 2021-22, with resorts and small venues across East Coast Road in Chennai, and Mamallapuram, going the extra mile, to provide services and scenes that rival any location, across the country.

According to The Confederation of All India Traders, over 32 lakh weddings were solemnised between November 14 and December 14, 2022, with the wedding market earning close to ₹3.75 lakh crore in this period, in contrast with two and a half million weddings generating ₹3 lakh crore the year before.

But before the wedding, the proposal has now become an event in itself and venues across East Coast Road, Chennai are capitalising on it. VGP Marine Kingdom offers a unique experience. The couple is accompanied by an experienced scuba diver, into a large cerulean tank, and while the proposal is underway underwater, another diver pops in with a customised banner. “We have had over 200 proposals over the past year, both underwater and with the large pool as a backdrop. It costs over ̥̥̥ ₹25,000 for a one-hour experience underwater with an instructor, but it has emerged as a popular way to propose,” says Shalini A, who handles guest requests at the marine centre on East Coast Road.

The Leela Palace, Chennai by The A-Cube Project
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Special Arrangement

While underwater proposals may not be every couple’s idea of romance, the waves and sand definitely make for a pretty picture, while popping the question. Surf Turf, the beachfront property in Kovalam, that serves surfers with lessons, has a popular restaurant, as well as accommodation, and has emerged as a hot favourite for more intimate ceremonies. Arun Vasu, founder of Surf Turf, says the wedding scene has definitely undergone a sea change post- pandemic. “Earlier we had small events and parties at the restaurant, but 2021 was one of our best years. Since very few restaurants were open, and offered outdoor space near the coast, we hosted couples who proposed by the beach, as well as catering to small weddings with 25-30 guests, as pandemic restrictions were still in place, and hosts veered on the side of caution.” 

Chennai-based The A-Cube Project helmed by Ambika Gupta, specialises in wedding design and creating niche events across India and overseas. Gupta opines, “I think Chennai serves as a unique wedding destination as people are saturated with the ‘Goa wedding’. During COVID-19 we also saw lots of smaller, beachfront properties making a mark with smaller weddings, since the East coast is still largely unexplored in this segment.” 

Wedding decor at Radisson Blue Temple Bay resort. 
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Special Arrangement

For those looking at beach adjacent venues, without the sand between their toes, Green Meadows in Palavakkam, has offered its lawns to families for both day weddings, proposals and evening functions. Riju CV, banquet sales manager at the property says, “While many venues across the city offer air-conditioned halls, our lawns offer an outdoor expanse. We also host outstation guests with 19 rooms, which most families find convenient. We have access to the public beach down the road, and that coupled with our bouquet of vendor services, helps set the perfect ambience for the wedding party.”

For couples looking to add culture to the mix, DakshinaChitra Living Heritage Museum offers its premises for wedding photoshoots and a sprawling outdoor space surrounded by heritage houses steeped in tradition. “Through 2021 we had smaller weddings of up to a hundred guests. Now we are back to hosting 300 to 400 people per event, and our air-conditioned rooms are a bonus to outstation parties. We also rent our space for wedding shoots, which have boosted our revenues, and given a local flavour to memories made at DakshinaChitra,” states Sharath Nambiar, museum director.

For families looking for venues that can accommodate their guests over multiple dates and ceremonies, Radisson Blu Resort Temple Bay, in Mamallapuram, is a hot favourite. Ameet Raj Kundu, cluster commercial head, Radisson Hotel Group, is buoyant about weddings on the coast. “With restrictions lifted now, we have seen our numbers jump to 2019 levels if not higher. “

The main criteria while choosing a venue for a destination wedding is proximity to an airport, affordable pricing and a willingness to work with couples on their concept wedding themes. Chennai offers the former and latter.” The resort will host WV connect, Asia’s largest B2B (business to business) wedding summit in April 2023, coalescing interests and investment, with over 50 national and  international wedding service providers in attendance, “A tour of Chennai for the attendees will generate interest in the city for the wedding season,” adds Kundu.

A still from a destination wedding in Chennai
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Special Arrangement

Ambika Gupta says connectivity plays a big role in selecting wedding venues. “We have seen a lot of Kolkata weddings come to Chennai because of the flight routes, and it will emerge as a preferred destination for both intimate and big weddings, especially with the development and tourism initiatives we are seeing on the East coast.”

Capturing moments to make memories, is an important aspect of a wedding. Mathangi Srinivasamurti of Weddings and Marigolds Studio, a wedding design firm, has partnered with Anji (born in Germany, of South Indian descent) and Pete Martin (American with experience living and working in Chennai) of PoTok’s World Photography to bring decades of exposure in the wedding space in India and the US to create a new aesthetic for the Chennai wedding experience. Anji and Pete add, “Our personal history and experience photographing South Indian marriage events mean we are knowledgeable about the traditions and rituals that are so important to couples and their families. The colours, sounds, food, ways in which the family is honoured and emphasised, everything brings out the best in us and our work.” 

Mathangi says the outdoor wedding preference due to the pandemic has continued to bring both NRI couples and locals to Chennai to create beautiful destination weddings, “Couples especially from the US love to celebrate in India because of the colour and the grandeur of our weddings.”

As Chennai has just witnessed a packed wedding season, its ascendance as a wedding venue is a harbinger of good things to come. “As new properties like Kaldan Samudhra Palace dot the coastline and older ones like Taj Fisherman’s Cove renovate their properties, the Leela in the city offers a luxurious ocean view advantage as well. There will be a market for both intimate weddings and the big fat Indian wedding , aided by flight connectivity and good infrastructure along the coast,” concludes Ambike Gupta, for whom the busiest season of the year has ended on a high note.

Anji and Pete Martin, Potok’s World Photography
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Special Arrangement