This couple’s wedding in Cannes unfolded at a seaside château with couture lehengas and golden-hour vows
When a common friend suggested that Sarina Vaswani and Lavine Hemlani connect for work – have given their history shared in the empowerment and education of young people – either of the expected romance. What started as an introductory cat quickly turned into long conversations on their passion for creating an impact in Africa. Vaswani, who heads a real estate company based on the United Arab Emirates and founded an NGO in Nigeria dedicated to the arts and education, and Hemlani, which leads a company that takes advantage of AI for financial sustainability, quickly found itself to be linked to art, travel, adventure and culture. “It was so unexpected,” recalls Vaswani. “After long distance months, we finally met in Dubai – the place we now call at home – and everything has been naturally. Since then, it has been a whirlwind to discover the quirks of the other, dotted with love and laughter.”
Regarding the choice of a wedding destination, Italy and Spain have dominated their list. Lake Como was particularly significant, because that was where Hemlani offered at sunset in a garden by the lake. “It was intimate, romantic and completely we,” she said. But a trip to Cannes moved their plans. At Château de la Croix des Gardes – an area surrounded by gardens maintained with a panoramic view of the Mediterranean – they instantly known that they had found their place. “We have always planned to get married by the sea, and the French Riviera was like the perfect blend of glamor and intimacy,” said the bride about their wedding in Cannes.
Their planners, Aditya Motwane of Motwane Entertainment and Weddings and Nitin Mathur of the wedding square, were responsible for improving rather than crushing the natural beauty of the parameters. The castle was designed with a minimalist decor and white flowers, while other events have taken separate personalities: a Sngeet of inspiration Sheesh Mahal, a Bohemian style Mehendi and traditional Sindhi rituals like Ghari Pooja. The guests received personalized baskets with Lenôtre treats, crosswords inspired by the love story and the wedding favors of the couple who included personalized portraits. “The idea was to keep all intentional but rooted in our history,” explains Vaswani.
For the welcome dinner, organized at the Chic Beach Club of the Carlton hotel, they chose to amplier the evening with jazz and live decor that echoed the relaxed coastal glamor in tones of white and Mediterranean blue. The bride opted for an Oscar dress of the rented embellished with the neutral head twinned with rubies and declaration diamonds to accentuate the look. The Mehendi was a vibrant chic bohemian chic on page online, a beach club on the Croisette de Cannes, while the celebration of Sangeet had a sumptuous evening in a private French villa with a design and a setting inspired by Sheesh Mahal.
