Every Bridal Look Was A Statement At This Gorgeous Kovalam Destination Wedding!

Ananya and Rohil’s wedding at The Leela Raviz, Kovalam was all kinds of dreamy! Think ocean views, heritage charm, and a bride who turned every look into a story. From her handcrafted crochet Mehendi outfit co-created with women artisans in Rajasthan, to playful Haldi details like knee-length crochet gajras and silver-pinned braids, and finally, that timeless red saree for her wedding day, Ananya’s style was the perfect mix of personal, offbeat, and heirloom-worthy. Every outfit felt intentional, rooted in craft, and oh-so-stunning against the coastal backdrop! The team at Shutterbug Film Company★ 5 managed to capture this one beautifully!

Meet Ananya and Rohil

"We met in school in 9th grade and were best friends growing up. We started dating when we were 16 and have been together ever since. We've done life together - from school, to college, our first jobs, finding purpose at work and now we'e so happy that we get to build a home together!", the bride tells us.

Mehendi

Chooda Brunch

Haldi

Sangeet

Wedding

After Party

From The Bride

Our wedding took place on February 16, 2025. Having grown up together, we’ve built a strong sense of community over the years — we're both deeply close to our families and share a large, tight-knit circle of friends. So for us, the wedding wasn’t just about celebrating our love, but also about honoring the people who have been such a meaningful part of our journey. That’s why we chose a destination wedding — we wanted to create a shared experience where everyone could come together and celebrate over two days.

Our vision was to bring warmth and love into every moment and we were able to do that because of the care and intention that everyone poured into the planning process. My father inlaw for instance has very strong attention to detail and he turned around the venue for the sangeet to add grandeur and magic. The whole celebration felt personal, joyful, and full of meaning — exactly what we had hoped for.

Bridal Outfits

We co-created my mehendi outfit with a women's artisan collective that specialises in crochet. From the design, to sourcing to execution, everything was done by my mum, me and the women artisan group. the piece took over 300+ hours to craft. Another favourite look of mine was my chooda saree and knee length handcrafted crochet gajras in my hair with beautiful silver hair pins. You can see photos of this in the album shared below. The gajras were also cocreated with the women artians and so was my phoolon ka chaadar.

Decor

Aesthetically, the decor vision came together as a collaborative labor of love between me, my mom, and my mother-in-law. One of the most special elements was weaving in parts of Kalaa, the brand and women’s artisan collective that was founded by my mum and I, which specialises in crochet. It was important to me as a bride to carry the blessings of our sisterhood into every moment. My phoolon ka chaadar was entirely handcrafted by 40 Kalaa women, and I carried a matching crochet bouquet down the aisle. I wore a dupatta made by our artisans, and for the Haldi and Chooda, we incorporated handmade crochet gajras and a large lily flower for my hair — perfect for the coastal setting.

About The WedMeGood App

I checked reviews on the WedMeGood website before finalising the property. It helped me identify vendors who'd worked in the property before and this became our shortlist. 

Vendor Reviews

Venue: The Leela Raviz, Kovalam

We got married at The Leela Raviz, Kovalam — a truly magical venue that blends the comfort and service of a luxury hotel chain with the charm of a heritage property. What makes it stand out is its breathtaking cliffside location — you wake up to the sound of waves crashing and sweeping views of the Arabian Sea. One of our wedding ceremonies was set against this stunning backdrop, and it honestly felt like a dream. Even now, when I think of our wedding, I can still hear the ocean.

Kovalam was a beautiful brainwave by my in-laws. They had visited The Leela Raviz two years ago and absolutely fell in love with the cliffside property. The views, the historic charm from the old Travancore palace, and the sound of the ocean in the background made it the perfect place for us. Getting married on the beach was a dream for both of us, and the setting felt completely ethereal.

Makeup Artist: Niki 

Niki was recommended by one of my closest friends who’d worked closely with her in Mumbai. At first, it felt like an unconventional choice since Niki primarily works in editorial — but that turned out to be her superpower. Bridal was effortless for her. From our very first call, she completely got my vibe. We didn’t even do a trial — she just knew, and I felt like the best version of myself on my wedding day, which was what mattered most to me. She also created distinct looks for each event, but the one she did for the wedding day was my absolute favourite.

Vendors: Venue: The Leela Raviz, Kovalam | Makeup Artist: Niki | Photography: Shutterbug Film Company★ 5 | Bridal Outfits: Sabyasachi Mukherjee★ 4.9 with Sabyasachi statement chain belt (Wedding),  Handcrafted lehenga which was entirely co-created by bride, her mother and Kalaa Sakhi sisterhood (@thekalaastore)