RED IS THE COLOUR OF LOVE—KATRINA AND MARK’S CELTIC-INDIAN FUSION WEDDING
Katrina and Mark are living proof that the best things are worth waiting for. They met for the first time while they were in Australia in their twenties, before going their separate ways. Fast forward years later, they reconnected on social media and well… the rest is history.
They had their wedding outside in the sunshine in the temple in the garden of the Hydro Hotel in Eastbourne, East Sussex, overlooking the sea. Because of Covid-19, the marriage took place in front of the temple structure. A string quartet were there as well, providing a classic, timeless and elegant musical backdrop to the wedding.
Bright colours and a red wedding dress were chosen to reflect the bride’s personality, long before she found out that red is also sometimes worn at Indian marriages. Red is considered an auspicious colour in Indian weddings, as it symbolises new beginnings, passion, and prosperity. Red also represents the Hindu goddess Durga, who represents new beginnings and feminine power.
The bridesmaids dresses and the bride’s sari was also chosen to reflect her Indian heritage and the flowers were a glorious mix of Celtic and Indian inspired flowers. Katrina also wore a necklace of gold- coloured Shamrocks, the national symbol of Ireland to represent their Celtic roots.
Every detail was carefully thought about to make their wedding unique to them both and to celebrate not just their marriage, but of those present who had already tied the knot with a marriage board displaying wedding photos of the married guests, as well as wedding photos of the bride and groom’s parents and grandparents. Outside there was also a moon and star sculpture adding a celestial touch to the day.
After the ceremony the couple went down to the beach in their red open-top convertible and had couple photos taken on the beach, before returning to The Hydro Hotel for the wedding breakfast and joining their guests who had been sipping champagne on the lawn in the sunshine. The wedding cake was also a riot of colour, with red berries and bright flowers with cream.
Katrina changed into a white polka dot halterneck rock and roll dress to be able to dance more easily for their first dance to the ballad, ‘A Pocketful of Rainbows’ by Elvis Presley.
I loved the emotion of their speeches, celebrating the memory of loved ones who were no longer with them and the deeply touching anecdotes of the couple and how they met. As the best man summed them up, ’Katrina and Mark were just meant to be…’
A kiss for the newly wedded couple on Eastbourne beach, after getting married outside in the garden at Hydro Hotel, in a temple overlooking the ocean.
“Two Celtic families coming together… the proud Irish Reillys and the noble Scottish origins of the Simpsons…”
A marriage board celebrated the marriages of all those already married, past and present and…
the bride and groom dancing to ‘A Pocketful of Rainbows’ by Elvis Presley for their first dance.
The Suppliers
