Marriage is an undeniably emotional and celebratory affair in one’s life, but to be able to tie a knot with the love of your life is something beyond celebration. Though it may have a long way to go in recognizing same-sex weddings in India, love has surely found all the ways to win in India. On 6 September 2018, the Supreme Court of India ruled in favor of decriminalizing homosexuality which liberated millions of queer Indians. It was a remarkable victory for love and a big triumph for the LGBTQ+ community.
This pride month, we at Shaandaar Events are honoring some truly heartwarming Indian LGBTQ+ weddings. These magical love stories of Indian LGBTQ+ couples will definitely fill you with a burst of love and positivity.
So let's dive into the sea of love and take a look at these lovely and super stunning Indian LGBTQ+ weddings.
Amit Shah & Aditya Madiraju
This lovely NRI couple Amit and Aditya are originally from India and stay in New Jersey. This stylish Gay couple madly in love broke all the barriers and stood forward to tie the knot traditionally and made it clear that Indian LGBTQ+ weddings can be super extravagant and stylish too. Their dreamy wedding ceremony took place at BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, Robbinsville in New Jersey America. The duo slayed in their twinned wedding outfits by the famous Indian designer Anita Dongre. The grooms who proved love is love and were daring enough to love out loud finished off their look with multiple layered ruby necklaces.
Saima & Bianca
For Bianca Maieli and Saima Ahmad, it all started at a poetry reading called ‘Coming out Muslim’ to fall in love and end up marrying each other. Saima & Bianca hit off instantly and became forever since then. This stunning California-based couple casually dated for a year before they were officially dating. Bianca is originally from India and Colombo and Saima hails from Pakistan. Just like their diverse backgrounds, their Indian LGBTQ+ wedding was also a great vivacious affair. This Indo-Pak couple and US-based couple shook all the traditional norms and crossed every boundary for their love. Saima and Bianca’s wedding was a private affair and was held in Bianca’s father’s backyard. Both the brides got their dresses designed by one of the couple’s friends, Bilal Kazimov.
Amit Patel & Martin Fulton
The love story of Amit and Martin started almost twelve years ago in December 2010 when they were introduced by a mutual friend on Facebook. For over four and a half years, the couple shared a long-distance relationship across two cities when Amit lived in New York City and Martin in Michigan. Amit and Martin met only over the weekends when Martin would drive for six hours to see Amit. It was almost eight years since their first meeting when Patel got down on one knee to pop the question to Martin on the Bow Bridge in Manhattan, one of the first places the couple went together. The couple decided to tie the knot in a multicultural wedding, as Amit wanted a big-fat-India Wedding, and Martin wished for an intimate Christian ceremony. On the wedding day, the room was enveloped in love, as the love birds donned custom Tarun Tahiliani Ankara work bundis with simple kurtas and mojris. Their magnificent Indian LGBTQ+ wedding surely left everyone warmhearted.
Ayesha Nageshwaran & Katja Hahnloser
This lesbian couple who were friends for 30 years, proved that Pyaar hi Dosti hai. Meet New Delhi-based entrepreneur Ayesha Nageshwaran and her Switzerland-born wife, Katja Hahnloser-Nageshwaran owner of a fashion boutique in Zürich. On the day they completed one year of togetherness, Ayesha proposed in Jaisalmer, and to make that moment even more special. In their Indian LGBTQ+ wedding in India, the couple broke all the stereotypes surrounding sexual orientation. Held across Jaisalmer, Delhi, and Zurich Ayesha and Katja’s cross-culture marriage blended two different centuries-old traditions with western customs. Their wedding day was a beautiful sunshine-filled afternoon where they took their wedding vows to be together forever in the presence of all their near and dear ones.
Keshav Suri & Cyril
From a charming proposal in Paris to spectacular performances by drag queens in Goa to a reception in New Delhi, this multicultural wedding between the Indian hospitality tycoon and his French entrepreneur beau was an unforgettable one. It took ten years for this dapper duo to become each other’s ever after. Keshav Suri, the executive director of the Lalit Hotels, and Cyril Feuillebois, the founder of Kronokare Cosmetics exchanged their wedding vows in an intimate beach Indian LGBTQ+ wedding in Goa on the 10th anniversary of the day they met. Surrounded by their closest people, well-wishers, and supporters, the couple donned the outfits designed by Shantanu & Nikhil for their special day. Their dreamy Indian LGBTQ+ wedding was the most magical and extravagant affair which truly showed their unbound and unconditional love.
Shannon & Seema
If you think love at first sight is a myth! Well, not in the case of this romantic couple Shannon & Seema. The lesbian couple first met each other at a fitness center and it was love at first sight. Shannon, a fitness instructor, had then turned to a fellow instructor and announced, “I’m going to marry her” and six years later, they tied the knot and are so in love. The couple disregarded society’s rigid rules on sexual orientation and went ahead to solemnize their love for each other. Their Indian LGBTQ+ wedding took place in July 2013, officially making it the first Indian American lesbian marriage in America. The couple hosted a dreamy Indian-style grand wedding ceremony at SmogShoppe in Los Angeles. Their traditional Indian Indian LGBTQ+ wedding ceremony featured many ancient traditions, which included Seema being carried into her wedding on a Doli by her family and friends.
Sanjay & Steven
Sanjay, an innovation consultant, and Steven, an orthopedic surgery resident met online in 2014 over drinks and immediately hit off very well. After dating for two years, Sanjay popped the question on their private lagoon voyage and Steven immediately accepted, and then proceeded to dance uncontrollably in celebration. Then two of them decided to get married after dating for quite a long time. The grooms arrived at their Indian LGBTQ+ wedding ceremony on horseback and were married in a celebration that was a fusion of both Catholic and Indian traditions. The much-in-love couple wanted an easy environment Indian LGBTQ+ wedding where they could spend as much time as possible with their loved ones. For the wedding ceremony, the pair donned traditional Indian sherwanis from Maharani Fashion. Their Indian LGBTQ+ wedding was filled with the warmth of the radiant colors of love during the baraat, and the couple exchanged loving words at the mandap.
Reema Tharani & Priya Arora
Priya Arora is the editor of a podcast channel dedicated to bringing recognition to the LGBT community ‘Queering Desi’. Reema Tharani and Priya Arora found love in each other and had a beautiful 3-day queer Desi destination wedding at Hard Rock Hotel in Cancun. Their desi destination wedding was done as per the Hindu traditions with Mehendi and Haldi ceremony and a day wedding along the sea shore. Their beach Indian LGBTQ+ wedding was definitely an enchanting fairytale. The wedding festivities ended with an elegant reception which the couple hosted for their close relatives and the two gladly started their ‘happily ever after’.
Supriyo Chakraborty & Abhay Dang
The duo, Supriyo Chakraborty and Abhay Dang, got married in a private ceremony, attended by the couple's friends and family. This intimate ceremony was replete with varmala and wedding sherwani. The ceremony saw Bengali and Punjabi wedding rituals as Supriyo, a senior faculty member at a prominent hotel management institute, is from Kolkata, and Abhay, an MNC employee, is from Delhi. The wedding is being dubbed the first Indian LGBTQ+ wedding in Telangana and comes at a time of a growing chorus for legalizing gay weddings.
These were some of the most heart-warming Indian LGBTQ+ weddings which crossed all the stereotypes surrounding sexual orientations and proved that Love Is Love!
