Ishita & Ben

Western friends were excited by the exuberance of an Indian ceremony, while their Indian guests were curious to experience a Western chapel wedding firsthand. For the couple, it was a rare moment where both worlds met.

Bali had long been a recurring place in their story. It was the destination of Ishita’s first childhood holiday, and later, the setting for the couple’s first trip together.

Years on, they found themselves back on the island when Ben proposed during an aquarium dinner in Nusa Dua. Slightly overwhelmed by the moment, he forgot to open the ring box before asking the question. Ishita, fresh from a spa appointment in Ubud with her hair still wet, found the imperfect timing endearingly fitting. “I always imagined I’d look a certain way,” she said. “But it felt very us.”

Convenience played its part, too. With guests flying in from Dubai, Bahrain, India, Singapore, and Australia (where the couple live), Bali as the perfect meeting point. They browsed venues online and had their planners walk through the shortlist.

Tirtha stood out almost immediately. “They felt like specialists,” Ishita said. Everything was handled in-house, sparing them the usual swirl of decisions across multiple vendors.

From the start, they were guided through a clear, edited set of options. Even the easily forgotten details were accounted for, backup plans existed before anyone needed them, down to the silliest details like spare socks for groomsmen who would somehow misplace their own. The process felt structured without being rigid. “You can just tell they know what they’re doing.”

The Indian ceremony was held in the Glass House, which had been transformed into a saturated, almost cinematic space. Ribbons of saffron, fuchsia, and marigold fabric draped from the ceiling in long, deliberate folds, punctuated by hanging garlands that swayed slightly with the breeze from the surrounding greenery. Rows of clear chairs kept the room visually light, letting the color story do the work. It was festive and fun.

The evening brought a shift into what Ishita described as “Indian glam” — sequins and shine.

Friends new to Indian attire embraced the occasion, wearing traditional dress or personal variations, contributing to the exciting atmosphere of the evening.

The chapel wedding the following day shifted the tone entirely. Clean, modern lines. Simple cocktail dresses. A Balinese gamelan and choir that added texture without dominating. Flower girls in traditional attire walked ahead of Ishita.

Ben—who insisted he was too composed to cry—was proved wrong within seconds when Ishita walked down the aisle. The speeches also became one of his favorite moments: “Just hearing the wonderful things people think about her, about us,” he said.

The evening continued with a family speeches, followed by the father–daughter dance. Her father expected their planned selection, only to realize the track playing was a song Ishita had written especially for that moment.