Smitten With This Sunkissed Cross-Culture Destination Wedding In Malta

Malta is popular as a vacation and honeymoon destination, but it makes for such a gorgeous destination wedding venue too! Rishabh and Patricia had their Indo-Spanish wedding in Malta, and we are smitten! They both wanted to celebrate their roots, and included so many different events- each with a separate vibe to it. Their functions included an Indian and a Spanish wedding, and we love how Hiraaya By Aarushi captured the true essence of every event. 

Meet Rishabh and Patricia

Patricia and I come from very different backgrounds. I'm Indian but I grew up in Accra, Ghana. Patricia is Spanish and grew up in Madrid, Spain. We met at Boston University (BU) through a mutual friend. Patricia came to my apartment with our mutual friend, Neha. We bonded over a Vita Coco drink after which I asked her on our first date. We went for a Japanese date to a restaurant called Empire where I ordered a sushi boat for the two of us. I only found out 3 months later that she absolutely hates sushi, but she was to embarrassed to say it on our first date... that was our first and last sushi date. 

We made it a point while at university that every week we had to visit a new restaurant. By the end of university, we had been to over 100 different restaurants in Boston. After BU, Patty moved to London for a job and I moved back to Accra. We did long distance for 3 years, after which Patty moved to Ghana. Shortly after her moving, I proposed and the wedding planning begun! 

Mehendi Welcome Lunch

Welcome Dinner

This was the first function with everyone. It was Ghanaian-themed decor to represent our ties to Ghana. Apart from the beautiful backdrop, there were some amazing fire-shows and some dancers as entertainment. My wife and I also delivered a welcome speech to all the guests who had come to celebrate this occasion with us.

Spanish Wedding

A dream event which was set at the Lower Barakka Gardens, also known as the Saluting Battery. A beautiful setup at a historic artillery battery site. The event started with all the guests coming in to the venue and enjoying the views for the first hour after which they were directed to their seats facing the altar. This was followed with the bridesmaids and groomsmen entering while dancing, then entered Rishabh and his mum, finally followed by Patricia and her dad. The introduction was done in Spanish by Patricia’s dad (Juan) and translated to English by Rishabh’s dad (Sundeep). This was followed by 4 speeches from their closest friends which had everyone’s emotions flying all over the place. The ceremony was officiated by Patricia’s uncle, and the toasts were followed by a cannon firing! No one was expecting this and it was amazing to see their surprised faces.        

Sangeet

Indian Wedding

While the pheras were going on the guests had the opportunity to have some dinner or to take a quick 10-minute massage from a massage parlour that had setup at the event. My Dad (Sundeep) also delivered a very emotional thank you speech where apart from thanking everyone for coming and making the celebration truly special, he sang a song in remembrance of my Daadu (his dad) who passed earlier this year and was really looking forward to being part of the celebrations. He cried, I cried and A LOT more from the crowd cried. He ended the speech on a very happy note with everybody is laughing tears after which everyone went back to change for the after party. 

From The Groom:

We wanted to find a way to create a fusion of our backgrounds in this wedding and we did just that. We chose Malta through a recommendation of our wedding planner, and it could not have been any better. Beautiful outdoor locations and a historic feel, combined with immaculate hospitality. 

Vendor Reviews

Photogapher - Hiraaya by Aayushi 

Hiraaya was amazing and beyond. Right from our initial call, it felt like the right vibe. When we met in Malta, it felt like Hiraaya wasn't a company but a group of friends who were having fun. We took some amazing photoshoots with heavenly backgrounds, and the team took amazing content of our guests. Aayushi was more excited about the shots than we were and that's when we knew we had the perfect team capturing these most special moments. 

What I loved most about the team was they were not intrusive, they did not prioritize their shots over then fun of the wedding. They took content from places where it would not disturb the guests. They didn't make anyone uncomfortable. These are issues we have noticed with other photography teams in the past. They are beyond committed to their work, and they are REALLY good at it. By the end of the week, we'd definitely gained a few more friends :)

Wedding Planner - Rhea Dewan (The Serendipity Co) 

We couldn't recommend Rhea and her team enough. Their planning was immaculate, coordination was great, and they made the event so easy to enjoy for us. This was no easy task, but they made it look like a cakewalk. Rhea is the best, and she's the best at what she does. 

Entertainment 

DJ AJ was our wedding DJ and along with his assistant Maddy, they played at all of our wedding events. They were great at reading the crowd and understanding what we loved. Every time Patricia entered into the room, the Spanish tunes would start getting her and her crowd in the MOOD. We were also a very mixed crowd, so pleasing everyone could not have been easy! We oscillated between Bollywood, Reggaeton and Afrobeats. We also hired VJ Tarang who came in with an awesome hologram visual show for two of the nights which brought out the music beautifully. 

Vendors: Venue: The Westin Dragonara | Photographer - Hiraaya by Aayushi★ 5 | Wedding Planner - Rhea Dewan (The Serendipity Co.★ 4.8 ) | Bridalwear: Pronovias, Spain (Spanish Wedding), Amit Aggarwal★ 5 (Sangeet), Manish Malhotra★ 4.9 (Wedding) | Groomwear: Tarun Tahiliani★ 4.4 (Welcome Dinner), Manish Malhotra★ 4.9 (Spanish & Indian Wedding), Kunal Rawal★ 5 (Sangeet)