WEDDING IDEAS

Priti & Jaouad in New Delhi and Udaipur, India

Priti wore a different dress for every event; her matching shoes were hand-delivered by Parisian designer Christian Louboutin.

The first three of the seven wedding events took place in New Delhi. Then some 500 of the at-times 800 guests hopped a chartered plane for Udaipur for the main event(s).

Priti says, "I really wanted to give Jaouad his dream wedding."

Though they followed Indian wedding customs, Priti and Jaouad put their own sense of style on the weeklong extravaganza.

The pair made sure each event had its own personality. The sangeet (prewedding music party) was blue and purple and had a peacock theme.

The mehndi was fuchsia, the groom‘s favorite color: It took place next to a pool filled with hundreds of hot pink flowers.

Guests reclined on fuchsia-covered beds while intricate designs were drawn on them with henna.

The wedding took place in New Delhi and Udaipur, India. The decision to have their wedding events in these two locations couldn‘t have been easier -- Jaouad had once visited Jagmandir Palace in Udaipur, a city in western India, and dreamed of marrying there; the bride‘s family is from New Delhi.

A thoughtful bride, Priti gave her husband-to-be an unforgettable gift too: a baby elephant, just what he always wanted.

Priti & Jaouad in New Delhi and Udaipur, India

Priti and Jaouad planned a colorful and cultural destination wedding in New Delhi and Udaipur, India

Photos By: Karen Wise

A modern traveling girl meets her Arabian knight -- that’s how Priti Paul describes her whirlwind courtship with Jaouad Kadiri. They met at a birthday party in Marrakech, Morocco. Jaouad spoke little English; she spoke no French. But he managed to convey his passion for India -- and for Priti.

The Bride Priti Paul
The Groom Jaouad Kadiri
The Date March 21

Five weeks later, she was back in Morocco and driving to Tangiers with Jaouad. In the first hour of the trip, he told her he wanted a baby elephant. A little later, he told her that he instead wanted a baby by her. By the end he said, "Forget the baby, I just want you."

-- Kathleen Murray