This wedding in Chennai brought Tamil and Bengali rituals together by the oceanside

Product designer and researcher Sneha Arvind and research scientist Shamak Dutta share a love story that has been 11 years in the making. It began with stolen glances in a school corridor in Muscat, Oman, followed by secret Google Talk chats, and culminated in a design-led wedding in Chennai that brought together her Tamil roots and his Bengali heritage.

Both grew up in Muscat and met at school: Dutta, the popular Head Boy and Arvind, the shy junior. While Arvind admired Dutta from afar, convinced he had no idea she existed, Dutta sent her a friend request in the early days of social media, setting off a connection that endured. Over the next decade, the couple navigated long distance across continents, from North America to Europe and Asia. Through it all, Arvind carried a private wish she once made on her grandparents’ terrace during Varalaksmi Nombu, that she would one day marry him. Earlier this year, that wish was fulfilled.

Planning the wedding meant learning how to work together under pressure. With Arvind’s background in design and Dutta’s analytical approach, responsibilities fell into place intuitively. “With my background in design, I acted as the Creative Director,” says Arvind, “scouting partners (décor teams, photographers, artists, venues), who treated the wedding as a conceptual project rather than a template, and were willing to experiment.” She continues, “Shamak anchored my vision with structure and deadlines. He was in the spreadsheets, keeping track of timelines, decisions and, most importantly, keeping me sane throughout the process.” Over seven months, they shaped a celebration that reflected not just where they come from but how they think.

The wedding functions took place in Chennai, Arvind’s hometown, at Ritam, Taj Fisherman’s Cove Resort and Spa, and The Beach by Madras Square. “We chose a venue by the ocean not just for the view,” says Dutta, “but because the sea is central to our story, from growing up in coastal Muscat to snorkelling and freediving together as a couple. We wanted the Bay of Bengal to be the backdrop of our union, mirroring the coastal memories that have defined us.”

After careful thought, the couple decided on a celebration that would be a marriage of their culture and upbringing, while also embracing the duality of wanting an intimate affair, but not wanting to exclude extended family and friends. “We kept the Soirée, Haldi and Cocktail Night intentionally intimate. These were our ‘sanctuary’ events, designed for meaningful conversation and reconnection with our inner circle,” says Arvind. “Then, for the Sangeet and Wedding, we threw the doors open. We treated these as the ‘macro’ celebrations, inviting our parents’ wider circles to join the joy. This hybrid approach gave us the best of both worlds: the warmth of a private gathering and the communal energy of a traditional Indian celebration.”