At Khush, we invest a lot of time, research and effort for every issue, every photo shoot, and every story we curate. To ensure each of them is outstanding and one-of-a-kind, we put together a unique mood board. Whether that reflects a new-age wedding, a timeless affair, maximalism, minimalism, sustainable style or a safari chic aesthetic, our underlying theme is always love. In the spirit of #LoveIsLove and Pride Month, we are looking at some of the sweetest same-sex weddings from recent years that tugged our heartstrings. From a larger-than-life Indian celebration in Rajasthan to a heartwarming elopement in San Fransisco, these weddings run the gamut.
Daniel Bauer and Tyrone Braganza’s wedding in Frankfurt and Goa
Having worked his magic on A-listers like Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif, makeup artist Daniel Bauer is no stranger in the celebrity circles. The German creative who is now based in Mumbai met his now-husband and HR consultant from Goan heritage Tyrone Braganza at a bar in Mumbai. Sparks flew and the couple got into a long-term relationship. In 2019, the duo tied the knot in Frankfurt, Germany, before a big Indian bash took place in Goa. “We got married on July 4, 2019 (Town Hall) and then July 6, 2019 in church in Frankfurt, Germany,” Daneil shared with us, who planned the nuptials in his hometown. Tyrone planned the Indian celebrations, held at the seafront property. Bay 15 in Goa. January 3, 2020 kicked off the celebrations, with a mehndi and haldi.
The couple beautifully infused their Indian-German cultures for the two wedding ceremonies. “For the church wedding, we did a few German traditions like cutting the log, releasing the doves, cutting a heart shape on a white banner and passing through. The Indian wedding on January 4 started with a baraat. We also had a varmala ceremony followed by pheras.” Blush colours were chosen for the theme to match the beach wedding vibe. The grooms wore sherwanis designed by Falguni Shane Peacock. A sangeet party after the ceremony concluded the celebrations.
Keshav Suri and Cyril Feuillebois’ wedding in Goa
When it comes to big fat same-sex weddings, Cyril Feuillebois and Keshav Suri’s nuptials in Goa tops the chart. A well-known name in the Indian hospitality industry, Keshav tied the knot with his longtime partner and French beauty entrepreneur, Cyril Feuillebois in December 2018. The couple met at a party in the 24/7 Bar at Keshav’s hotel, The Lalit, New Delhi. In December 2017 during a trip to Paris, Cyril proposed to Keshav. The duo got married in a civil ceremony on their tenth anniversary of the day they met, on June 8 at the local mairie in Paris.
After the civil ceremony, the duo hosted a lavish wedding celebration at Keshav’s family-owned luxury resort, The LaLiT Golf & Spa Resort Goa. From the welcome pool party, the ‘80s Bollywood drag party to the ring exchange ceremony, the wedding is what dreams are made of. Adding to it were the custom made outfits by Shantnu & Nikhil. Their wedding hashtag, #Kitcyphrenia went viral on social media for all the right reasons.
Bhavin Sachania and Paul Hunt’s wedding in Spain
Like most modern couples, Bhavin Sachania and Paul Hunt met the good new-age old fashioned way—on a dating app in 2015. “We moved in together 6 months later, 18 months later we had our little puppy Oscar (our first born) and the following year we moved into our house,” reveal the couple. Three years into the relationship in August 2018, Bhavin proposed to Paul in Ibiza. “I went for a classic platinum band from Cartier’s Love collection with a very discreet diamond. We had discussed that when we get married, it would be a destination wedding. Since I was going to propose, I had booked viewings for a couple of potential wedding venues in Ibiza,” shared Bhavin.
The wedding date got rescheduled several times due to the pandemic. After a civil ceremony in October 2020, their multi-cultural wedding celebrations kicked off in June 2022. First in line was pithi and mehndi, followed by Indian wedding and reception. “We hosted welcome drinks at the Iberostar Hotel, where the majority of guests were staying at.” The wedding vision was “a relaxed day full of sunshine, plenty of food and lots of dancing but mostly we wanted a fusion celebrating both cultures.” The venue was the La Roca Rara villa, which was the perfect setting for that intimate Indian ceremony and house party vibe for reception. Casa de Los Bates in Motril was the venue for the English wedding. Complementing sherwanis from Venisons, lots of dancing, great food, and memories ended the celebrations.
Aditya Madiraju and Amit Shah’s wedding in New York
Aditya Madiraju and Amit Shah were introduced to each other through a mutual friend in 2016. With similar life goals, creative backgrounds [Amit is a choreographer and Aditya is a beauty content creator] and interests, they hit it off instantly. A year in the relationship, “we realised, we loved each other, and came out to our parents.” The couple decided to seal the deal with a civil ceremony in New York City Hall in January 2019. But given their support and excitement from friends and families to celebrate their union, the couple decided to have a larger Indianised celebration, which also coincided with a visit to the U.S. that Madiraju’s parents, who live in India, had already planned.
On July 18, they kicked off their wedding celebrations with an intimate al fresco mehndi party at their home. The backyard was decked up tonnes of marigolds and lights. The big day was on the subsequent day at the beautiful BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in New Jersey. “In the midst of planning, we didn’t realize that having a same-sex wedding at a temple would be groundbreaking.” The grooms wowed in complementing outfits from designer Anita Dongre. A sangeet-style, cocktail party at Pondicheri NYC, an industrial chic all-day café serving Indian cuisine, completed the festivities. For the occasion, they chose matching looks from Andaz Design. With a gorgeous wedding wardrobe, heartfelt ceremony and sweetest moments, it’s no wonder then that Aditya and Amit’s wedding went viral.
Rahul Luthra and Sameep Ved’s civil ceremony in San Francisco
Rahul Luthra, head designer at RaAbta by Rahul, and Sameep Ved, marketing head at the celebrity-loved jewellery brand and podcaster, were truly brought together by fate. “We met almost 9 years back at a staycation planned by our common friends,” reveals Rahul. It wasn’t love at first sight as the duo admits, but they sparked an instant connection the same evening. “The proposal came much much later after multiple meetings and confusion. But given our unshakable bond, it deemed natural to take the step of being together. It has almost been a decade, and we are still getting to know each other,” says Sameep.
With unwavering love and support from loved ones, the pair went on to plan the biggest day of their lives. “Our walk down to the aisle was a whirlwind of planning and emotion. Rahul, who had planned a trip to the US, decided to seize the chance to exchange vows,” says Sameep. They chose to tie the knot with a civil ceremony at San Francisco City Hall. An intimate haldi and mehndi was planned before the big day unfolded. “When we exchanged our vows and said ‘I Do’, the moment was very emotional for both of us, we forgot everything around us. Tears of happiness rolled down our eyes,” they reveal. Their Regency Era vision came to life with the gorgeous backdrop, their wardrobe and wedding bands. Rahul and Sameep wore complementing navy-blue tailcoats. “We accessorised with one of the finely handcrafted Lion Brooches and crown-shaped custom wedding bands from House of RaAbta.” The celebrations concluded with a lavish dinner party with the loved ones who witnessed the magical matrimony.
Romit Deb and Walter Badillo’s wedding in Spain
Soho-based Romit Deb and Walter Badillo tied the knot in the beautiful capital of Spain’s Andalusia region, Seville. The couple opted for exquisite creations by Sabyasachi. Romit chose a classic black sherwani with gold buttons. He rounded off the look with a white churidar pants, embroidered shawl and shoes.
Walter wore a lavishly embroidered one in black and gold. Everything, from the grooms’ wedding couture to venue left everyone swooning.
Ayesha Nageshwaran and Katja Hahnloser-Nageshwaran’s wedding in Zürich, Delhi and Jaisalmer
What could be a more perfect love story than childhood friends turned lovers. That’s exactly what happened with Delhi-based entrepreneur Ayesha Nageshwaran and fashion boutique owner Katja Hahnloser-Nageshwaran from Zürich. With their parents being close friends, the couple would go on annual vacations together. After Ayesha joined her family business, she would travel to Europe often. It was during one of these trips to Zürich when their friendship turned into a serious relationship. Two years into a long distance relationship, Ayesha proposed to Katja in Jaisalmer.
The couple tied the knot in a civil ceremony at the local municipality in Zürich. For their post-wedding celebrations, Ayesha and Katja circled back to Jaisalmer, choosing Suryagarh as the venue. Friends and family travelled from across the world for the three-day affair that started with a sangeet on November 1, 2019. The evening saw several dance performances, speeches and laughter. Katja wore a Sabyasachi lehenga, while Ayesha opted for a Rohit Gandhi + Rahul Khanna tux. After a boho-chic mehndi was a haldi ceremony. The main wedding ceremony was held later that same day. Katja wore a custom ivory and gold Shantanu & Nikhil lehenga and Ayesha wore an achkan by Raghavendra Rathore. Based on the tradition of saat pheras, they solemnized the relationship by making seven promises to each other.
Anisha and Christie’s wedding in Essex
Anisha and Christie’s got married in a beautiful ceremony at the Barns at Lodge Farm, a gorgeous venue replete with rural charm just outside London. The couple chose a modern take on the traditional Hindu wedding ceremony, led by the UK’s first female Hindu priest, Chandra Vyas. The deconstructed mandap, decked up with tonnes of flowers, was brought to life by Starry Eyed Weddings. The duo sealed the deal in saat pheras but removed any patriarchal elements that didn’t represent them and their relationship.
They then exchanged vows with a civil legal ceremony in the barn itself. It really is quite something – and then on to fun times, food, speeches and lots of dancing.
Christy Marie and Christina’s wedding in Lake Como
Christy Marie and Christina tied the knot in Italy and exchange their vows in front of one the most romantic lakes in the world, Lake Como. “We always knew we wanted to get married, so decided to elope to Lake Como. We went against all odds of our South Asian culture, pushed boundaries to make our wedding come to life.” Christy and Christina chose to solidify their commitment towards each other at the iconic Villa del Balbianello. Fun fact: Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh got married at the same venue.
The brides both wore sindoori red lehengas for their big day. Wedding By Joy was brought on board for the makeup, while Paris-based wedding photographer Linh & Duc captured every moment.
