Just as expected, it ended up being the most grandiose Indian destination wedding of the year. The wedding of Indian socialites Kajal Fabiani and Gaurav Assomull left even the most avid high-society wedding watchers speechless. Held from March 18 – 21st and organised by boutique wedding planning company Monte-Carlo Weddings and India’s own Percept D’Mark, it was the biggest destination wedding ever to hit the Principality of Monaco.

The couple and their families invited 600 guests from India and around the world to this 4-day event. Monaco, known around the world for its glamour and jet-set lifestyle and annual Formula 1 Grand Prix race, was the natural choice for the lavish festivities, which were held in various locations throughout the Principality.

All of the guests stayed at the prestigious Hotel de Paris and the Hotel Hermitage, two belle-époque hotels known for the architecture and world-class service and part of the Monte-Carlo SBM group of top-notch hotels and venues.

The Mehndi party, an important part of any Indian wedding party, was held in none other than the Salle Belle Epoque of the Hotel Hermitage. The room proved to be the perfect venue for such a grandiose occasion, as the red and gold decorations married perfectly with the ornate setting.

A beautiful jhoola was flown in for the occasion and was the focal point of the festivities. Mehndi artists were on hand to paint the hands of the female guests, and Indian chefs had been flown in to prepare delicious dishes for the guests.

Another important part of any Indian wedding is of course the Sangeet party. It was held at the Salle Empire of the Hotel de Paris, a grandiose venue if ever there was one.

In order to accommodate all the guests a special extension was built onto the terrace of this belle époque room. A buffet dinner was served by French Chef Franck Cerutti and his team, who integrated a team of Indian chefs, brought in to serve traditional Indian dishes alongside the European fare usually served at top-notch weddings.

Choreographers helped orchestrate the evening’s entertainment and the lavish decor certainly created a unique blend of Indian glamour and Monegasque refinement.

The evening’s entertainment came straight from India, and the party did not finish before 6 am, when guests went go to bed and geared up for the wedding ceremonies the day after.

On Monday, 21st March guests were treated to the Baraat Ceremony. The groom, Gaurav Assomull, left Casino Square on a white horse and lead a procession up Avenue des Beaux Arts, home to Cartier, Yves Saint Laurent, Céline, Bvlgari and Louis Vuitton.

In order to facilitate this procession traffic was rerouted and police officers from the Principality directed not only cars and onlookers, but the hundreds of guests who were following the groom on the horse. All of this took place amidst singing, clapping and dancing. The procession ended at the Hotel Hermitage, where he picked up his bride, Kajal Fabiani.

Another Indian tradition was included in the festivities: an elephant in Indian headdresses was there to wow the guests and passers-by. It was the very first time locals had ever seen an elephant on Casino Square, and it caused quite a stir: photos of the elephant in front of the famous Casino and Hotel de Paris were captured by photographers and made headlines the world over.

The wedding ceremony was held in none other than the famous Salle Garnier of the Opera de Monte-Carlo. This historic room has played host to many a celebration in the past, but none with included a mandap, that is for certain!

Wedding planning was handled by Frank Damgaard of Monte-Carlo Weddings. This company, boasting a solid reputation as the French Riviera’s premier full-service wedding planning company, had never been entrusted with a 4-day Indian wedding.

Frank Damgaard certainly has learned a lot from the experience, and he explains: “This was our very first mega-wedding and we are very pleased that it came off so well. The Fabiani and Assomull families are very well known in India and are considered trend-setters in international circles, so it is especially rewarding for me and my company to have pulled it off. I hope that this will be the first of many.”

Frank added: “One thing is for certain: the Indian wedding planning company Percept D’Mark  was instrumental in both the planning process and in the smooth unfolding of the wedding itself. Their experience in handling large-scale events and weddings as well as their ability to handle the needs of 600 VIPs really was a key factor in our success. The synergy between our teams made it easy to solve any challenges which had to be overcome along the way. I can certainly see why they were chosen for this task!”