The third East India edition of Shaadi by Marriott Bonvoy had glitz, glamour and a glut of celebrity showstoppers. The curated wedding showcase, which first began in New Delhi in 2017, highlights all the best elements of a big, fat desi wedding, particularly the eye-catching fashion and exquisite culinary fare.
This year, the event was held on August 7 at Fairfield by Marriott Kolkata’s Ozone Convention Centre. Besides Kolkata designer Pallavi Poddar’s bridal showcase, the show also featured a luxury menswear line-up by Ratul and Kommal Sood’s label, Burlingtons of Calcutta. Celebrity drape artist Dolly Jain, who has draped bridal saris for A-listers like Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt, conducted a sari-draping workshop and Arti Nayar held a bridal beauty masterclass.
Poddar’s bridal couture line Saaz has a focus on traditional designs
The one-of-a-kind customised wedding show looked to curate a fairytale soiree, replete with food and music. The buffet at Empress Hall staged a selection of specialities across Bengali, Rajasthani, Marathi, Awadhi, Mexican, Italian, Japanese and Thai cuisines. Some highlights included Curried Rosemary Lamb, Togarashi Roll, Chingri Malaikari, Bhapa Bekti Gandharaj, Surkhi Zafrani Paneer and Hand-rolled Praline Truffles, to name a few.
A pale pink ensemble, tailor-made for daytime engagements
“It was an absolute delight to bring Shaadi by Marriott Bonvoy back to the City of Joy, Kolkata. The hotel’s team of wedding specialists planned this extravaganza with finesse and successfully brought all aspects of a dream wedding together under one roof. With the addition of Ozone Convention Centre, Fairfield by Marriott Kolkata aims to build further upon its renowned culinary expertise and establish itself as the preferred celebration venue in the upcoming wedding season,” said Abhishek Sachdev, hotel manager, Fairfield by Marriott Kolkata.
Actor Darshana Banik wore a twilight-hued lehenga with immaculate zardosi work
Monarch Hall, the venue of the fashion soirée, sported a palatial theme, with exotic flowers strewn upon the ramp. Empress Hall resembled a starry, wedding garden complete with a mandap, a reception stage with intricate floral arrangements, while the Regent Terrace featured some vintage wooden décor, a rustic jute shamiana and unique photo booths.
The runway show
The runway show, which was curated by Dolly Jain, was sectioned into three distinct segments — engagement, sangeet and wedding, along with a special segment on Poddar’s saris.
Poddar revealed a few hours before the show that her collection has a focus on diverse palettes. “The bridal couture collection is called Saaz, which means melody. We’ve used a lot of different colours this time, along with a variety of silhouettes, from traditional and modern to experimental,” she shared.
Muted tones stole the show at the fashion showcase
The designer revealed that she had prioritised shades in rust and mustard for her new line. In fact, her lehengas also explored some nuanced colour-blocking and contrast play. Ratul Sood’s menswear line explored some sharp cuts and versatile tones.
A model wears an unusual earth-toned lehenga with extraordinary zari work
Tanishq displayed an exquisite range of jewellery from its Rivaah wedding collection. We spotted some shimmery sequin saris and dazzling lehengas paired with some ornate gold jewellery.
A model wears a dramatic midnight-hued sari with gold jewellery
Actor Richa Sharma was one of the showstoppers and walked the ramp in a demure, pink lehenga, which had some elegant embroidery and a contemporary finish.
Richa wears a blush pink lehenga by Poddar
Poddar’s saris were draped by Jain and balanced traditional design elements with modern solid-hued designs. The ornate double draping also accentuated the intricate detailing and zari work in Poddar’s line of festive saris.
Poddar’s saris were draped by Dolly Jain for the event
Nusrat Jahan turned heads in her exquisite red zardosi lehenga, which had some old-world threadwork and extravagant embellishments, along with an elegant ghera.
Nusrat walks the ramp in a scarlet Pallavi Poddar bridal lehenga
Poddar’s bridal collection boasted a range of traditionalist lehengas featuring dramatic hand embellishments and resplendent, classic cholis, all in varying shades red.
The show ended on a high as the designers and showstoppers, including Dolly, Nusrat, Pallavi and Arti, walked the stage together and posed for the shutterbugs.