‘Our Kodava wedding had music, dancing and some good-natured mischief’

They say anything can play cupid between two people. In this case, it was their hometown. For Rhea Subbaiah and Nikhil Bidapa, Bengaluru was the common thread that brought them together. Though both grew up in cities, their roots lay in the same place that would eventually become the backdrop to their friendship, love story, and finally, their marriage.

Rhea is a well-known face on the fashion modelling circuit—having walked for designers like Manish Malhotra, Tarun Tahiliani and Anamika Khanna—had all eyes on her for her big day with Nikhil, an Human Resources Policy Advisor LTIMindtree. Their beautiful nuptials got fashion stylist and consultant Prasad Bidapa to hail them as: “The Perfect Kodava Bridal Couple,” as he welcomed Rhea into the family. With the bride and groom admittedly being true to their roots, you can be sure their two-day wedding was an amalgamation of colour, camaraderie and yes, some leg pulling, too! They go back a little to unwind the details on their recent big day with Manifest.

He popped the question, Bollywood style

Their love story seems to have been quietly weaving its threads long before either of them realised it. From familiar family roots to a shared geography, those little ties that bind were already in the frame, waiting for the picture to come together.

Rhea reveals, “Nikhil and I have technically known each other for most of our lives. Our maternal grandfathers served together in the Navy, our mothers grew up together in Bombay, and eventually both our families found their way to Bengaluru.”

It was later in college when they got to know each other. Nikhil became best friends with her neighbour and closest friend, so their paths crossed constantly. They became friends, chilling over books, fitness routines and hanging out with their gang, and over time the bond grew stronger. In November 2024, after Rhea moved back to Bangalore from Delhi (where she was working for the country’s top designers), they met for dinner as friends. As they caught up over anecdotes and old stories, laughing their way through it all, they both felt the shift. Their friendship, which anyway had them share a fun synergy, seemed to be easing into another phase, and neither could be less happy.

But things were more formal when he asked her the question a year later. She recalls, “During Diwali 2025, we were attending a Bollywood-themed costume party. I was dressed as Sushmita Sen from ‘Main Hoon Na’ and Nikhil arrived as Alauddin Khilji from ‘Padmaavat’, which should have been my first clue that he was planning something dramatic!” She didn’t get that cue, and he whipped up the question with everyone around. “In the middle of the celebrations, our friends suddenly played ‘Mujhse Shaadi Karogi’. To my complete surprise, Nikhil got down on one knee and proposed in front of everyone. It was unexpected, joyful and dramatic, especially considering I'm the Hindi movie fan in the relationship and Nikhil is not. Seeing him embrace a full Bollywood moment for my sake made it even more special and I said yes, as all our friends cheered us,” she adds.

Blessings and bonhomie

It was important for the two of them to have the elders bless their decision and the union. With both having Kodava roots, the venue was a given. “This was actually one of the easiest decisions we made. Nikhil and I wanted a place that felt familiar, comfortable and meaningful to both our families, and the Kodava Samaj in Bangalore ticked every box. More than anything, it felt like home. I guess the place you grow up connected to is always special...it's about nostalgia, charm, familiarity, and a sense of belonging. While the wedding wasn't held in our hometown of Coorg, the Kodava Samaj allowed us to bring a piece of home to Bangalore,” she explains.

Over the course of two days, the wedding saw 1,600 guests in attendance. She says, "Being part of a close-knit Kodava community, where everyone knows everyone, it's rare to find a Kodava wedding with fewer than 1,000 guests. Having grown up and lived in cities, both Nikhil and I have also built a large circle of friends beyond the community, so we knew our celebration would be a sizable one. The venue therefore had to be able to comfortably accommodate a large gathering while still feeling warm and personal."

The Kodava Samaj offered a spacious setting with dedicated areas for our various wedding rituals, a large bar and social space where guests could gather and mingle, multiple dining counters to cater to both vegetarian and non-vegetarian preferences, and enough room for the traditional Kodava band and dancing, which is an important part of the celebrations.

Kodava attire meets beautiful heirlooms

Next up, was something most couples-to-be and families will concur as exhausting—the wedding wardrobe journey. But they started with a simple approach—simply wanting the outfits to feel timeless and true. Informs the model, “We spent time researching old photographs, speaking to family members and sourcing beautiful heirloom pieces." It didn’t take long to finalise the look as she adds, “Surprisingly, finding my wedding sarees was one of the easier parts of the planning process. A family trip to Kanchipuram led me to both of my wedding silks - a pink and gold saree and a classic maroon one; once I saw them, I knew they were the ones."

The real effort went into all the details. Once they had the palette in place, they paired their looks with a mix of family jewellery and then went to look for special traditional pieces. She states, “My mother travelled, sourced jewellery, coordinated custom pieces and somehow kept track of every tiny element. The hand-embroidered Vasthra and Muskoli took the longest, but seeing everything come together made it worthwhile."

For Nikhil's look, they wanted to recreate a more classic colour palette, which meant sourcing different fabrics and combining them to get exactly the right shade of maroon.The finishing touch was the jewellery, with heirloom pieces from different branches of the family coming together to complete the look, something that carried a lot of sentimental value to the couple. She elaborates, “Yes, this meant everything to us. The Kaalpilli (foot ornament), Pommaley (coral and gold bead chain) and Thodung (silver girdle), all treasured pieces from Nikhil's family and has been passed down through five generations, which made wearing it incredibly special. Having these heirlooms as part of the wedding felt like carrying a little piece of family history with us as we started our own chapter. Safe to say, our mothers deserve most of the credit for how well we looked!”‘

The ceremonies were the liveliest part of it

The celebrations were spread over two days, with each ceremony holding unique meaning from the Oorukodava ceremony to the wedding itself, and the Ganga Pooja. Rhea shares two moments that will stay with her forever. She informs, “The Oorukodava ceremony comes with one rule: the bride and groom aren't really supposed to meet which is slightly ironic when you're both at the same venue. We followed the rule... for most of the evening. Towards the end of the day, Nikhil somehow managed to appear with flowers and a tiramisu, courtesy of a very determined ‘delivery boy’. We managed to steal a little time together before the wedding, making for a sweet and unexpected end to a day filled with excitement. Looking back, it's one of my favourite memories from the celebrations.”

The ceremony also rang in smiles, warmth and fun and one where she fit up to a challenge, superbly! She adds how one of her favourite moments was the Ganga Pooja ceremony after the wedding rituals, a celebration filled with music, dancing and plenty of good-natured mischief. The ceremony is traditionally seen as a test of the bride's endurance and how well she'll fit into her new family. So, of course, family members do their best to make things difficult by trying to stop the bride from reaching her destination, which adds up to entertainment for everyone involved. "What made it truly special was seeing everyone join in. Friends and family danced together, and even guests experiencing it for the first time jumped right into the celebrations. It was impossible not to get swept up in the fun. As for me, I had to remain standing for two hours and guess what? I apparently passed the test with flying colours,” she grins and continues, “This was undoubtedly one of the liveliest parts of the celebrations. To be honest, we didn't really need an after-party. Between the traditional music, dancing and endless catching up with friends and family, every event was a celebration in itself. By the end of it, everyone had danced so much that an after-party seemed completely unnecessary.”

Tradition whets the appetite

Both Nikhil and Rhea are self-confessed food lovers and when they sat down to plan the menu, it had to have the dishes packed with nostalgia and taste. She affirms: “We are definitely foodies and love exploring different cuisines, but when it came to the wedding menu, we knew exactly what we wanted—giving our guests a taste of the food we grew up with and love.” It featured traditional Kodava cuisine, with Pandi Barthad (pork dish) taking centre stage in a variety of dishes. “Since it was mango season, we also included seasonal favourites such as Kaad Mangey Curry (wild mango curry) and Mangey Pudgee (a delicately-flavoured mango yoghurt dish). Bambele fry (bamboo shoot) and Chakkey Barthad (raw jackfruit fry) preparations rounded out the menu. Many of our guests were trying Kodava food for the first time, and it was nice to see them enjoy flavours that are so familiar to us,” she adds.

It was a melange of vibrant hues, cheer, chatter with plenty of music and dancing with a Kodava band. “Judging by the number of people on the dance floor and how reluctant they were to leave...we'd say everyone had a great time,” states the couple.
At the end of it all, what was precious to them was having the family witness the nuptials and partake in each step together. Rhea underlines how seeking the blessings of the elders is something they both have grown up with, making it even more meaningful to have on the wedding day. “One of our favourite moments was going around together and receiving the blessings of our family members. What many of our guests found unique was that our wedding didn't involve priests. Instead, we sought the guidance and blessings of our ancestors and the elders present, which made the ceremony feel very personal and intimate,” says the new bride as she sums up, “Looking back, it feels like we were always meant to find our way to each other.”