Before agreeing to a first date with Vaibhav Rawal, Shukti Sahni spent several months talking to him on Hinge—and calling every friend, neighbour and cousin she could recruit to conduct a background check. When Rawal turned up 15 minutes late to their local London pub, she registered an immediate red flag. Guinness and flowing conversation eventually worked in his favour.
Sahni first noticed his beard and Yeezys, though more consequentially, the two discovered a shared dislike of the usual romantic choreography: flowers, candlelit dinners and dates that felt as though someone else had written the instructions. Their relationship became serious through the less cinematic evidence of everyday life: she cooked him jeera aloo after inadvertently giving him COVID; he taught himself to make the Italian food she had grown up eating. Sahni had never been convinced by marriage, but she says life with Rawal made the prospect feel natural.
Rawal initially intended to propose during a trip across Peru, Chile and Brazil, but the itinerary had to be cancelled when Sahni became unwell and was advised against travelling through rough terrain. As soon as she was able to travel again, he put together a second plan within two weeks, taking her to the Four Seasons Resort Seychelles at Desroches Island.
A supposed turtle-watching expedition ended on a secluded beach, where Sahni removed her blindfold to find Rawal waiting with a ring and a handwritten poem. The red roses and champagne were precisely the sort of romantic clichés they ordinarily avoided. This time, she made an exception.
Finding a venue required rather more stamina, and the couple explored possibilities across eight countries, considering Lake Como, Kenya, Portugal and Mauritius before looking at Bodrum, Goa, Udaipur, the Andaman Islands and Thailand. They wanted water, warm weather and a property large enough to accommodate approximately 150 people without transporting guests between locations. Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay, recommended by the team that had helped Rawal with the proposal in Seychelles, met those requirements.
With Bali VIP Wedding overseeing planning on the ground, the couple began organising a celebration that made relatively little distinction between guests and participants. They had another firm rule: no one would be invited unless Sahni or Rawal had seen them within the previous two years–the final guest list numbered 145. Rather than accommodate distant obligations, they wanted to spend the wedding with people who remained part of their daily lives.
A month before the wedding in Bali, Sahni and Rawal legally registered their marriage on April 8 at the Old Town Hall in Marylebone, London. As an atheist, Sahni wanted the legal ceremony to precede the religious celebration. She wore a white cotton Norma Kamali gown with Valentino heels and a diamond pendant made by reworking her late grandmother’s bangles. Rawal’s black tuxedo was tailored by Sahni’s uncle from Zegna fabric.
The Bali celebrations began on May 6 with a mehendi and welcome lunch at the Four Seasons. The theme, “Soft Spring in the ’90s”, brought together pastel green décor, instant noodles and bracelet-making. It was also the first time all of Sahni’s father’s siblings had gathered in the same room since their father passed away 11 years earlier.
