My Indian destination wedding in Thailand: 30 hotel floors, 24-hour foot massages for 700 guests, waterfall bars – and a Batmobile
Driven by celebrity trends, social media and amenities, couples from India and Hong Kong are taking over Thai hotels and resorts to host lavish celebrations with exotic flourishes
Fairy tale weddings are proving a dream come true for Thailand’s tourism chiefs, with the country looking to capitalise on lucrative Indian destination weddings in the coming decade.
The average cost of an Indian wedding in Thailand is 10 million baht, or US$330,000. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has conducted promotional campaigns in recent years to capture this desirable, high-spending segment.
Thailand is a good choice for Indian wedding celebrations, including proximity to India, availability of direct flights, visa-on-arrival for Indian passport holders, overall cost-effectiveness, and the availability of resorts and hotels that can accommodate high numbers of guests.
These are just some of the reasons that Hongkongers Mira Mahtani, née Uttamchandani, and Ravine Mahtani chose to wed in Bangkok in February 2018. The much-anticipated “RaRa” wedding featured 10 events over four-and-a-half days. Highlights included the groom entering in a Batmobile driven by Batman (requiring an entire Bangkok street to be closed for 20 minutes), 360-degree LED visuals in the ballroom, waterfall bars, a 3D-motion butterfly installation and light-up trainers gifted to every guest.
“Doing a destination wedding was always something we knew we wanted,” says Mira. “When people take time off work to come celebrate your wedding, no one has to wake up to work, or commute to get to the party – it’s all one lift ride away. The energy, warmth and love are felt among the crowd.”
The couple had initially sought a beachside resort, but chose the 1,200-room Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen's Park for its large ballroom and ability to hold all 700 guests, most of whom flew in from Hong Kong and the US. “We chose to have our guests all in one tower, so we had around 20-30 floors and 350 rooms dedicated to us,” says Mahtani. “We also took up the lobby coffee shop and created a 24-hour lounge that served food and foot massages all day.”
Faced with a lack of ocean views, the happy pair teamed up with Rahul Idnani, director and founder of Hong Kong-based bespoke events company Elite Entertainment, to orchestrate a 360-degree LED screen displaying immersive beach scenes in the ballroom.