Dreamy Destination Wedding In Colombo With Two Ceremonies!

It's a tale of two countries - Srilanka and India. Tina from Bangalore married Kumara from Srilanka in a slick beach wedding with two religious ceremonies - a Hindu wedding and a Christian white wedding. So picturesque and so pretty, the couple chose hotspot, Galle Face Hotel for the do and boy, was it beautiful. Photographers 1plus1 Studio★ 5  made sure the beach venue and the photogenic couple were captured perfectly! 

Meet Tina and Kumara 

 "We had common friends, but actually got to know each other when on a trip to Sri Lanka with my friends Deepika and Kirtana. On our last day in Colombo, Kumara (who is from Sri Lanka) came to see us and show us around (on request from Deepika’s then-fiancé (and now husband) Damu). We kept in touch and hit it off immediately. Polar opposites in almost every way, I think we complemented each other in the best way too. The Yin to my Yang! When on a New Year’s trip to Sri Lanka, the following year, Kumara proposed at the Jetwing Lighthouse Hotel in Galle" explains Tina. 

 The Christian Wedding

 The Indian Wedding 

From The Bride: 

 "Kumara and I both wanted a summer, beach wedding. I had already fallen in love with Sri Lanka by then and thought a destination wedding in Colombo would be perfect and easily accessible for our guests (1-hour flight from Bangalore, and visa on arrival). Though seemingly hectic, we also wanted a 1-day wedding - incorporating both our cultures: a church ceremony in the morning and a Hindu/Thali ceremony and reception in the evening.   

Our invitations were custom made by our wedding planner - a beautiful white-hued invite in gold and pink with our thumbprints imprinted in the shape of a heart. We also had itineraries of the same design detailing the chain of events for the wedding day. These were placed in the guests’ rooms along with a welcome box of Srilankan-curated goodies.

The Church wedding details:

We choose light shades for the church wedding with elements of ivory, gold, pastel pink and mauve. I chose my wedding dress from a lovely wedding boutique in Dubai called the ‘The Bridal Showroom’. I loved the dress’ unconventional color – ivory with golden inner lining and handcrafted golden embellishments, with a medium long trail.

Bridal Bouquet(s): I had a lovely rose bouquet in ivory. I had specified the bouquets for my bridesmaids: pink roses with baby breath, which came out as envisioned by Umangi+team. We didn’t go overboard with the church décor overall and decided to keep it simple so we could focus more on the decor for the evening function. Our getaway car was special – a vintage Mercedes - the same car used by Kumara’s parents when they got married.

The jewelry I wore with the dress were all vintage from my grandmother’s collection -  (the same diamond set made and customized by my grandfather for my grandmother on their 25th wedding anniversary).

Hindy Ceremony/Evening reception 

For our reception, we wanted to do away with the conventional ballroom celebration and instead have a set up completely outdoors. Galle Face Hotel was an easy choice. It is a beautiful heritage property that made the perfect location for our wedding. It’s also one of the only hotels facing the ocean in Colombo city.

Ceremony: Hindu ceremony/exchange of thalis took place at the Mandap by the ocean at sunset, and the registration took place in the courtyard at 7 p.m.

Mandap: facing the ocean, beautifully and simple decor with roses and a big jasmine chandelier. Tiffany chairs were arranged for guests on the lawn.

Table set-up: We worked with the planner on mock setups before deciding on mauve and pastel pink color schemes, copper table accessories and candle lighting. 

Food: We worked with Galle Face hotel to create a customized menu. Wanted to have a unique spread with multi-cuisine dishes and as many live stations as possible. We also wanted the dessert to be fun and decided on a chocolate fountain, ice cream station, and Sri Lankan delicacies. 

Wedding Cake: We had wedding cake packed up in ivory boxes and tied in ribbon, placed on the tables as giveaways for the guests. 

Entertainment: Kumara’s dad came up with a cultural show post the wedding ceremony which was a big hit with the guests. Sri Lankan cultural dancers, fire breathers, lady drummers…

After party: Most hotels have time restrictions of 11p.m. (and so did Galle Face Hotel) We had the after party set up post 11 p.m.at the Re.pub.lk, a lovely resto-bar in the Dutch Hospital area close by to the Galle Face Hotel.  

 Vendors: Venue: St Theresa Church (Wedding); Galle Face Hotel (Wedding + Reception), Re.pub.lk (After Party) Wedding Planner and Coordinator: Weddings by Sonali Transportation & Travel coordination and hotel bookings: Travel World, Sri Lanka Decor: Flowers by Umanga Chandrasiri  (Poru Weddings) Bride's Outfits: Wedding Gown by Justin Alexander Couture; Lehenga by Payal Singhal★ 5 Accessories: Shoes by Oscar de la Renta Groom's Outfits: Custom-made suits from The Envoy, Sri Lanka Makeup: Dil Sapukotanage Photographer: 1plus1 Studio★ 5 Live Band: Rock this Country Videographer: The Wedding Diary, Sri Lanka