Phuket got a taste of Kerala when Sasikala married Britto. Around 500 guests from across the globe congregated on the hep island of Thailand to attend the wedding of the Dubai-based businesswoman and the scientist from Austria, who trace their roots to Kerala.
Like most of the Malayali expatriates, Sasikala and Britto homed in on Kerala to get engaged. However, they wanted their wedding to happen in an exotic destination, setting the next trend for the big fat Kerala weddings. Sasikala’s father T.S. Kaladharan did not have to think twice while choosing the destination.
The chairman of the Dubai-based Consolidated Shipping Services Group had already fallen in love with Phuket, during his many business trips. Thailand had long been a favorite destination for wedding planners, with some couples even scuba diving in wedding suits to exchange the vows in the blue waters off Thailand’s famed beaches. Kaladharan and Devika roped in Rainmaker Event Planners to make their daughter’s wedding a grand affair.
The arrangements started soon after the engagement in Trikkunnappuzha near Alappuzha in November.
Everything from the wedding invite - modeled after a diary - from the musical night after the wedding had been planned in detail. A team of wedding planners from Rainmaker hit Phuket to scout for a suitable venue.
Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket and Hyatt Regency Phuket Resort were booked for the wedding and the guests to stay. The guests were gifted a box containing the invite and a card that heralded the programs to expect before and after the wedding as well as a sarong to wear for the musical extravaganza. A website www.sasikalabritto.com was also launched to record all the info related to the wedding.
The eve of the wedding was celebrated with a mehndi function that fused Thai and north Indian styles.
A south Indian musical night followed. While DJs Riyan and Shamil enlivened the ceremony with a string of hit numbers, Sooraj Santhosh and Varun Sunil from the Masala Coffee band joined Siddharth Menon and Vian Fernandes of Thaikkoodam Bridge to enthrall the audience. The revelry lasted all night.
The wedding was a strictly a Malayali affair, with the bride and groom and their guests turning up in traditional Kerala attire. The guests from around the world were treated to Kerala’s own sadya prepared by our own chef Noushad.
A Thai-style wedding ceremony was also presented followed by a Western-style reception. Stephen Devassy, Haricharan, Natalie Di Luccio as well as guitar sensations Darwin D’souza and Josey John enlivened the wedding reception.
Sasikala, who graduated from the Raffles Designs International in Singapore, heads the marketing division of the family’s shipping service business. Her husband Britto is the son of movie producer Satheesh Kuttiyil and Saira.
Guests had come to Phuket from Dubai, Austria, Germany, the United States, South Africa, Kenya, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, China and India, including celebrities such as actors Naren and Jojo and director Martin Prakkatt and producer Liberty Basheer.