- Avarna Jain,
Chairperson RPSG Lifestyle Media
This Multicultural Couple Reimagined Their Turkey Wedding by Forgoing Kanyadaan
Three female priestesses and Tagore’s poetry gave new meaning to their vows…
Ombre by Harsheen Jammu
When Krishna and Omar decided to get married in Istanbul, they knew their wedding had to reflect more than just culture and tradition. It had to hold their story. The Gujarati bride and the Bengali–Puerto Rican groom met in Washington, DC, and share a life filled with art, travel, and rituals they’ve created for themselves, from cooking together to hosting friends over music and cocktails. Their wedding would be no different.
Instead of leaning on customs like kanyadaan or the bidaai, they chose to centre their own values. At the mandap, it was Krishna’s mother’s dupatta that tied the knot. Omar slipped on a jade ring in honour of his grandfather. And when it came time for the ceremony, three female priestesses from Kolkata recited verses by Rabindranath Tagore as a tribute to Omar’s Bengali roots and to Gitanjali, the book of poetry that first bonded the couple in their early days of courtship.
Image Courtesy: Ombre by HJ
Family heirlooms threaded through the celebration. At the Puja, Krishna wore her mother’s sari, a treasured heirloom from her parents’ own wedding.
But the most whimsical details came from their love story. In a twist of fate, Omar’s custom belt, made for the wedding, made a surprise debut weeks earlier on Diljit Dosanjh at the Met Gala carpet. The coincidence felt uncanny as Diljit had been the couple’s first concert together, and it was his song Lover that played as they entered their reception at Istanbul’s storied Pera Palace.
Image Courtesy: Ombre by HJ
The Haldi became a “Desi-Rican” street festival, complete with Puerto Rican flavours, empanada chaat, and umbrellas strung like carnival confetti. The Sangeet turned into a Turkish-Arab night, with Bedouin tents and Arab funk, anchored by a custom Assassin’s Creed dance floor logo. It was Krishna’s surprise for Omar since he has been a fan since childhood, and it was created by the original designer and inscribed with their names in Arabic.
The reception at Pera Palace shimmered with old-world glamour. The night ended the way their love story began with laughter, dancing, and a touch of mischief. After a silent disco, they spilt into the streets of Istanbul in matching Gucci sneakers and dancing until sunrise.
Where we give you a fast-paced look into everything you should wish list when you start to think about marriage. What to buy and how to dress, along with modern mithai and the homegrown fragrance makers to bookmark. Make special note of the feature on alta.
It has everything you need to make your wedding special. From the big comeback of red and pink in bridal wear to how the cool kids are wearing corsets to the celebration, there is only one way to get ready for a wedding —with enjoyment.
This section is a building block, a step to a better life. A place where we have all the answers. Or at least the beginning of a great conversation.
This needs very little description. It has travel with a special focus on incredible India, and a collection of wedding albums, sourced randomly, but collected with abundance because happiness has no limits.
