Destination India

The first edition of Royal Rendezvous at Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur, was a gorgeous extravaganza of the luxury and beauty India has to offer to couples looking for a wedding like no other.

- Shahana Yasmin

Summer is a time for destination weddings. Whether we’re scrolling through social media on our phones or browsing through a magazine, destination weddings always seem to feature international locales. Where are the clear, blue waters of an Indian sea, or the breathtaking palaces of Rajasthan? These very questions were going through the minds of wedding planners Prerana Agarwal Saxena and Annushree Agarwal, the minds behind Theme Weavers Designs, as well. “While attending wedding conferences abroad, we noticed that while the big, fat Indian wedding was spoken about often, India as a destination wasn’t. Individual couples may think about it sometimes, but not planners as much. So Prerana and I thought, why not reclaim India as a destination? Our country is very culturally rich and we have so many palaces—so is there any dearth of luxury destinations that we can take up?” informs Agarwal. Prerana Agarwal Saxena points out that the larger-than-life weddings India is known for were only talked about when a planner headed to Malta, Italy, or a European destination, while the weddings that took place within the country were hardly being noticed—up until Priyanka Chopra’s wedding! “Prerana and I wanted to show planners that what India has to offer is absolutely unparalleled luxury. Since we’re both from Jodhpur, when we conceptualised ‘Royal Rendezvous’ to show planners what India could offer them, we decided it would be the right place to start, and Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace loved the idea!” she added.

Royal Rendezvous had an extensive guest list, with around 30 international wedding planners and 12 Indian planners, with some of India