An Indian wedding is not a single event but a sequence of them, each with its own meaning, its own music and its own dress.
In Italy, it also becomes a journey for a hundred, two hundred or four hundred guests. We plan both: the rituals as your families expect them, and the logistics that allow everyone to enjoy them without a thought for how they were achieved.
Customs vary from one region and one family to the next; what follows is a common sequence for a Hindu wedding, which we adapt to yours.
Before anything else, a prayer to Ganesha, the remover of obstacles, usually held privately with the immediate family and the pandit.
In Italy — a quiet room or garden, the puja samagri prepared in advance, and the pandit's travel arranged.
The bride's hands and feet are adorned with henna in intricate designs, in which tradition often hides the groom's name for him to find. An afternoon of music, colour and conversation among the women of both families, and increasingly the men.
In Italy — a shaded garden or terrace, low seating and cushions, and henna artists experienced in bridal work.
A paste of turmeric is applied to the couple by their families, as a blessing and for radiance on the days to come. Informal, joyful and gloriously yellow.
In Italy — an outdoor space close to the rooms, showers within reach, and marigolds ordered well in advance, for they are not an Italian flower.
An evening of music and dance, often with performances that both families have rehearsed for months, and rarely without a friendly rivalry.
In Italy — stage, sound and lighting, dhol players and DJs, and the noise permits and curfews that each comune applies.
The groom arrives with his family and friends, traditionally on a white horse and to the sound of the dhol, and the procession ends with the milni, the formal meeting of the two families.
In Italy — a horse accustomed to music and crowds, authorisation for the route, and timing kept in step with the muhurat.
Beneath the mandap and before the sacred fire, the couple performs the kanyadaan, the pheras around Agni and the saptapadi, the seven steps and seven vows, at the auspicious hour the pandit has chosen.
In Italy — the mandap designed and built, authorisation for the fire, sound that reaches every guest, and a day built around the muhurat rather than the other way round.
The bride takes leave of her family: the most tender moment of the celebration, and seldom a dry eye among the guests.
In Italy — a decorated car or, on the coast, a boat waiting at the jetty.
A last evening for everyone, often in a more Western register, with dinner, speeches and dancing until late.
In Italy — a villa terrace, a private beach, or a garden lit entirely by candles.
Four laavan are sung as the couple walks around the Guru Granth Sahib. We work with a Gurdwara committee for the respectful transport of the Saroop, the presence of granthi and raagis, and the preparation of langar.
Ceremonies led by a Jain priest, with menus that exclude root vegetables and, where families wish, meals timed to be served before sunset.
Indian and Italian, Indian and British, Hindu and Christian: two ceremonies within a single day, or one that honours both, with an order of service every guest can follow.
Indian cuisine in Campania and Tuscany: vegetarian, Jain and halal menus prepared by Indian chefs, served alongside Italian ones.
Venues that permit a sacred fire, music late into the evening and a horse at the gate — fewer than one might suppose, and known to us.
Travel for large delegations: hotel allocations, transfers, and letters of invitation to support guests' Schengen visa applications.
Hair and make-up artists experienced in South Asian bridal looks and in the weight of bridal jewellery.
Wardrobe logistics: steaming, safekeeping and dressing rooms for several changes of outfit each day.
A printed and digital guide for guests, explaining each ceremony and its dress code.
Historic estates and open land near the temples of Paestum, with room for several hundred guests and for every ceremony to have a setting of its own.
Terraces and villas suited to smaller weddings, or to a single ceremony within a celebration held across more than one region.
Villas and castles among the Chianti hills, where several of the best-known Indian weddings in Italy have been celebrated.
Yes. For a Hindu wedding we work with a pandit chosen with your family, and prepare the mandap, the sacred fire and the materials each ritual requires. For an Anand Karaj we arrange for the Guru Granth Sahib to be brought and installed with the respect it is due, and for a granthi and ragis to lead the ceremony. Jain, Christian, civil and intercultural ceremonies are planned with the same attention.
Yes, with planning. The coast's roads are narrow and busy in high season, so the procession is usually held within the grounds of the venue or along a route agreed with the municipality, with the dhol, the dancing and, where permitted, a decorated horse or a vintage car. In Cilento and Tuscany the estates offer more room.
A celebration of several days is easiest when one venue can host each event in a different space: a garden for the mehendi, a terrace or ballroom for the sangeet, a lawn for the ceremony. We propose venues on the Amalfi Coast, in Cilento and in Tuscany that can do so, and check sound limits and evening curfews before anything is confirmed.
In most cases, yes. The havan is agreed in advance with the venue, with attention to the materials used and to fire safety, and we confirm the arrangement in writing before any contract is signed.
Yes. We arrange Indian chefs, or Italian kitchens experienced in Indian cuisine, and plan vegetarian, Jain and regional menus with your family. Italian dishes may be served alongside, if you wish: many families enjoy a menu that reflects both worlds.
That depends on your nationality and on how the marriage is registered. Many couples complete the legal formalities at home, or hold a short civil ceremony, and celebrate the religious ceremony in Italy. We advise you on the options at the very beginning, so that the ceremony you want and the marriage you need are both in order.
On the Amalfi Coast celebrations are generally more intimate, and larger parties are spread across several hotels. Cilento and Tuscany have historic estates and resorts with room for several hundred guests in one place. Tell us your numbers and we will tell you, honestly, which settings can receive them well.
Tell us about your families, your traditions and the days you imagine. We will listen first.
Enquire