Darshan & Naiya Mombasa : Two ‘Dil hai Hindustani’ NRI Souls who Became One!

The Beautiful Wedding Story

This is the magical story of the lovely couple Darshan and Naiya, both NRIs residing in Uganda & Kenya respectively, who met at their friend’s wedding in 2014 but parted ways. A second meeting brought them together again where they became friends and stayed friends for a long time. Darshan’s brother even prophesied their wedding! And finally, they both transformed into a couple (much to Darshan & Naiya’s joy), deciding to spend eternity together. Their wedding was held at Nyali Resorts, Mombasa, Kenya.

Naiya, a hotelier from Nairobi and Darshan, an industrialist from Uganda, are both Gujaratis. They have settled in ‘Pardes’ as many Gujaratis call it, with shudh desi hearts, something that shone through all the ceremonies they hosted, be it the sangeet, the mehndi, or the Holi pool party. They combined both Indian and African traditions and rituals in their wedding. 

The wedding festivities kicked off with an African themed party. Balancing their African roots with their Indian heritage, the event had enthralling performances showcased by African dancers. Naiya and Darshan were decked up in traditional African attire, having an absolute blast with friends and family, as they danced the night away. It was a rocking party where all the guests let loose and had the best time! 

After an amazing party on their first day of celebrations, the second day was no less than a festival! What started as a Haldi-applying ceremony, soon saw many more colors thrown in. So much so that Naiya’s attire which was “Rani pink and yellow” had now turned into a colourful canvas. Ankit wore a yellow kurta which by then no one could make out what colour it originally was! It was more like playing Holi than a formal haldi ceremony. The couple and the guests then  reached the pool where the air lit up with an array of colors, as people drenched each other in water and played Holi to their heart’s content. 

True to their party animal spirits, the merriment continued throughout the day. Guests played in the pool enjoying themselves into the evening. This was followed by the Sangeet ceremony, with yet another round of party, but this time a DJ party! Naiya looked stunning in her floor length sequence and zardosi work lehenga. Since she wore such heavy attire she kept the jewellery simple with diamond and kundan choker and jhumkas. Darshan too looked very handsome in his heavily embroidered skin-toned bandhgala sherwani. The decor was majestically done with fairy lights wrapped around the trees. Dance floor was light with lights and a proper Gujrati style decor of “Garba chattris” made up the background. Everyone enjoyed the evening to the fullest.

Finally the D-day arrived and the beautiful couple turned up in color coordinating outfits as they walked down the wedding Mandap. The Palatial look of the Venue, with the attires worn by the guests, gave a major feeling of royalty. Naiya wore a heavy red lehenga which had intricate embroidery of a baraat on the lehenga. It definitely looked very regal with designs such as a groom mounted on an elephant to get his bride and dholis playing dhol. Darshan wore a traditional sherwani with golden and red embroidery work along with a maroon stole which had beautiful golden patchwork.  

With the Varmalas exchanged and vows said, they were officially pronounced man and wife! The Vidai, as Naiya rightly puts it, “should be seen as a happy affair, for although you are moving away from your family, you are also moving towards the life of your dreams, with the person you love” Their group picture after the wedding itself shows how the couple is beaming with happiness! 

Do take a look at the video of this fantastic wedding captured by KnotsbyAMP

Video: https://youtu.be/eNaliX6xCkU