Choosing a wedding destination begins with imagining how you want to celebrate. An oceanfront ceremony with your closest people calls for a different setting from a week of island adventures or a reception with the energy of a big city. The destination shapes everything from the mood of each function to how guests spend their time between celebrations.
Across Shangri-La’s properties in Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Istanbul and New Delhi, couples can explore distinctly different settings while planning around the traditions, food and hospitality that matter to their families. Bringing these possibilities together is Bandhan by Shangri-La, which helps couples navigate the details of an Indian wedding in their chosen destination.
In conversation with Manifest, Yashwini Naik, Global Sales Director, Shangri-La Group, discusses finding the right setting, balancing scale with intimacy and making the destination part of the celebration.
Manifest: How are couples approaching destination weddings today?
Yashwini Naik: There is much more freedom in how couples approach their wedding now. For some, it is an intimate celebration somewhere completely new; for others, it is still the scale and energy of a traditional Indian wedding.
What has become important is that the location works with the way they want to celebrate, rather than the other way around. At Shangri-La, we offer very different surroundings while retaining the familiarity and hospitality that Indian families value.
M: How should a couple decide which destination is right for them?
YN: I would start with the feeling they want from the wedding. If they picture an intimate celebration surrounded by nature and the ocean, Shangri-La Hambantota in Sri Lanka is a wonderful option. The resort is surrounded by tropical gardens and sits on what was once a coconut plantation, with the Indian Ocean as the backdrop.
If the idea is to turn the wedding into a holiday for everyone, Shangri-La Le Touessrok in Mauritius offers a different way to spend time together. The island setting allows couples to combine the wedding with beach time, activities and excursions.
M: What about couples who want something more cosmopolitan?
YN: Istanbul brings a completely different character. Shangri-La Bosphorus is set on the European side of the strait, with views across the water towards the Asian side of the city.
The hotel has a grand aesthetic, with interiors inspired by Dolmabahçe Palace: marble, chandeliers and a three-storey atrium crowned by a natural skylight and a dramatic Bohemian chandelier.
Couples can introduce Indian traditions such as a mehendi celebration, then have a more formal reception overlooking the Bosphorus. It feels international without losing what is important to the couple.
M: Does choosing a destination abroad necessarily mean having a smaller wedding?
YN: Not at all. The scale can vary depending on the destination and what the couple has in mind.
For couples who want a big fat Indian wedding but prefer not to take their entire guest list overseas, Shangri-La Eros New Delhi provides an option closer to home. The Shangri-La Ballroom offers an elegant setting for a larger celebration, while the Ganga, Yamuna, Tapti and Vyas halls can accommodate different functions. For an outdoor setting with a more regal character, the Garden Lawns are a natural choice.
M: How much freedom do couples have to make these celebrations feel personal?
YN: Quite a lot. Indian weddings are wonderfully diverse, so we do not believe in taking a fixed format and applying it everywhere. The celebrations, menus, entertainment and activities can all be adapted to the couple.
That is also the thinking behind Bandhan by Shangri-La, which brings together Shangri-La’s expertise in hospitality with an understanding of the traditions and expectations that matter to Indian couples and their families.
Food, for example, is an important part of the wedding. Couples may want traditional Indian menus for their main celebrations, but also local flavours at a welcome dinner or another event.
M: Is that the appeal of having several destinations to choose from?
YN: Absolutely. Couples want different things: one may want everyone barefoot by the ocean in Sri Lanka; another, an island celebration in Mauritius; another, the glamour and energy of Istanbul. And there are couples who want the scale, familiarity and convenience of Delhi. Our role is to give them those choices and then help bring the details together.
M: Once the destination is chosen, what does Bandhan bring to the experience?
YN: Bandhan is about making the planning journey as seamless as possible while keeping the wedding personal. Indian weddings involve multiple functions, menus, family requirements and guest arrangements, and an international destination adds another layer of planning.
Our teams work closely with couples to understand what matters to them and translate that into the destination they have chosen. The idea is not to recreate an Indian wedding somewhere else. It is to take the traditions and celebrations that are meaningful to the couple and give them a backdrop that makes the occasion feel distinctive.
Indian couples have more choices than ever before, not just of where to get married, but of what they want their wedding to be.