Pride month might be quieter this year than it normally is in terms of celebrations, but the conversation of the community and its supporters is reverberating throughout the world. As same-sex marriages become more commonplace thanks to the effort put in by the community and its allies, we look back at some of the beautiful, exciting celebrations we've covered in the past. Whether you’re getting married and looking for pins for your mood board or simply here for the romance, the joyful nuptials ahead will make you smile. From twinning outfits to meaningfully-executed traditions, the gallery has it all.
When Keshav Suri and Cyril Feuillebois hosted a drag-themed sangeet
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Indian hospitality tycoon, Keshav Suri, and his French entrepreneur partner, Cyril Feuillebois, executed two weddings, a civil ceremony in Paris to seal the deal and another lavish multi-event affair in Goa at the Lalit Golf & Spa Resort Goa. “I wanted it to be the gayest wedding ever,” Suri told us. The obvious extension to the inclusive vision was the '80s Bollywood drag night on December 1, 2018. “It was one of the most memorable moments of my life. Everyone was a sport as they dressed to the theme—some even in full drag representing the '80s,” he revealed. The evening included performances by friends and family—followed by acts by KittySu's Maya - The Drag Queen and Rani KoHeNur. Suri danced with his mother to “Kaisi Paheli Zindagani” from Parineeta (2005). “This night was our way of questioning the shackles of gender that bind us. It was a way to tell the society all is fine. The world hasn't come to an end. Everyone experienced and was a part of something groundbreaking,” added Suri.
When Aditya Madiraju and Amit Shah’s garland ceremony took over our Instagram feeds
New Jersey-based choreographer Amit Shah tied the knot with long-time beau and social media influencer Aditya Madiraju in a typical Indian wedding, with a fun-filled mehandi, temple ceremony and a sangeet party. After a civil ceremony in January 2019, "We wanted a proper Indian wedding. It was a modest ceremony with just our friends and family. We did a puja, garland exchange and pheras," Madiraju told us. "We didn’t realise the impact a simple wedding at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir would have on people around the world looking for hope. There is no secret to acceptance, tolerance, or happiness. You just have to find the right partner to take the step with. Let the truth of your love speak for itself,” said Shah about their choice to go down the traditional route for their ceremony.
When Ayesha Nageshwaran and Katja Hahnloser-Nageshwaran celebrated decades of love with their invitation
Childhood-friends-turned-life-partners New Delhi-based entrepreneur, Ayesha Nageshwaran and her Switzerland-born partner, Katja Hahnloser-Nageshwaran made sure to honour their relationship trajectory with a personalised wedding held across Zürich, Delhi and Rajasthan in November 2019. Take for example their wedding venue, Suryagarh Jaisalmer, which was carefully chosen to mark the couple’s first official date. “We ensured our wedding and all its components was not only a celebration of the two of us, but also our families and the coming together of our two cultures. Our invites were no different. Nadine Rasumowsky, a Swiss illustrator and Katja’s school friend, created beautiful renditions of real photographs that have been taken over three decades, while one of my closest friends Naasha Mehta designed the invitations. The reception image, in particular, is close to our hearts as our dog Noé is in it. It was taken shortly after our civil ceremony in Zürich, and we wanted to include her in our Indian celebrations in some way even though she couldn’t make the trip,” Nageshwaran told us.
When Amit Patel and Martin Fulton’s jubilant baraat took over the Wall Street
In October 2018, New York-based haematology oncologist Amit Patel married entrepreneur Martin Fulton in a beautiful cross-cultural wedding that blended Patel’s Hindu background with Fulton’s Catholic tenets. Much like most Indian weddings, their ceremony kicked off with a vibrant baraat. Dressed in custom Tarun Tahiliani sherwanis, the grooms took over the financial district of the city, each riding an extravagantly decorated white horse. “The street was filled with music, dancing, laughter and love. Tourists and other bystanders took photos and videos to post them on social media. The baraat was something that nobody had ever seen before. In the surrounding buildings, people were hanging out of the windows to catch a glimpse of the procession; it was pure magic,” the couple told us.
When Robert Meeder and Piotr Kopertowski wore matching Rahul Mishra kurtas to exchange vows
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After tying the knot in New Zealand, professor and CEO of Academy of Design, Sri Lanka Robert Meeder and Polish model-turned-visual artist and fashion designer Piotr Kopertowski hosted a three-day celebration in Talpe for their friends and family. “It was truly a special day, a gathering that we christened ‘A Celebration of Love’,” Meeder disclosed. The couple made sure to keep the wedding celebration as authentic and local as possible. This extended to their twinning Rahul Mishra chikankari kurta sets worn for the main ceremony in August 2019 instead of classic tuxedos. “It wasn’t a difficult decision to make. Rahul and his team were so supportive throughout the whole process. We had just two fittings and it was done,” Kopertowski revealed.
When Daniel Bauer and Tyrone Braganza made traditional ceremonies a part of their wedding
When Bollywood makeup artist and hairstylist Daniel Bauer got married to his partner, Tyrone Braganza, he gave us an all-access pass to his nuptials in a beautiful 20th century historic church in Hanau, Germany. The couple took part in a lot of different traditions to celebrate their union. “After the wedding, we attempted to cut a log of wood as a couple. According to an old German custom, it represents the first obstacle that the couple must overcome in their marriage,” said Braganza. As for the post-ceremony rituals, Braganza elaborated, “The end of the ceremony had traditions like releasing the doves and cutting a heart shape on a white table cloth and passing through.”
Also read:
LGBTQ+ lives in lockdown: The issues facing queer youth
How one gay Vogue editor paved the way for LGBTQ+ in the roaring 1920s
