This Multicultural Couple Reimagined Their Turkey Wedding by Forgoing Kanyadaan
Three female priestesses and Tagore’s poetry gave new meaning to their vows…
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.
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.
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.