This wedding in Spain turned an amphitheatre into a blooming garden

Some weddings unfold like events, and then some feel like films, complete with mood, monsoon and music that stick with you long after. For Khushboo Mittal and Anish Dalal’s wedding in Spain, Marbella became the backdrop to a love story that had already spanned years and cities: from Chicago to Los Angeles, from college acquaintances to confidants.

Mittal and Dalal both grew up in the Chicago area, just half an hour apart, but never crossed paths until college at the University of Illinois. Mittal, a private equity investor who sits on the boards of companies such as Tory Burch and Rent the Runway, and Anish Dalal, founder of Sapphire Studios and a Forbes 30 Under 30 entrepreneur, had no idea their paths would cross again six years after graduation.

Both had moved to Los Angeles for work when a dinner plan with friends unexpectedly turned into their first date. “Everyone else cancelled at the last minute, leaving just the two of us,” says Mittal. “What was meant to be an hour-long catch-up turned into a six-hour conversation. We didn’t even realise we were the last people left at the restaurant.”

Dalal admits he had a crush on her back in college. “She always had such clarity about what she wanted and how she wanted to make an impact,” he says. “I’m a curious, playful person and she was thoughtful and composed. It felt like the perfect balance.” Mittal was drawn to what she calls his calm, childlike energy. “He has this charisma that makes life feel easy,” she says. “They really don’t make humans like him anymore.”

When he decided to propose, Dalal planned a trip to Amangiri for their second anniversary. His mother, however, immediately pointed out that the date was inauspicious. “Shradh was starting the next day, which she said was the worst possible time,” he recalls. But with the resort booked months in advance, he decided to improvise. At 11.45pm, still in their pyjamas, he took Mittal out to the balcony of their suite and asked her to marry him. “We danced right there under the moonlight,” she says.

When it came to the wedding, they wanted a destination that felt both ancient and alive. They found it in Marbella at the Anantara Villa Padierna Palace, a palatial resort. “We wanted somewhere that was off-the-beaten path, culturally rich and had something for everyone, from beaches and mountains to great food and nightlife,” says Mittal. “When we saw the Roman Amphitheatre, we knew it was the one.”