Rakesh Chavda & Geetu Jethwani

15-17 January 2023
Pullman Pattaya Hotel G

On the golden sands of Pattaya, overlooking the Gulf of Thailand, Rakesh Chavda and Geetu Jethwani tied the knot in a series of intimate and heartfelt events, surrounded by their nearest and dearest. With the help of Niramti Creations, the ceremonies brought together elements from both couples’ dream weddings: from Rakesh’s ideal of a sunny, beach wedding, great company, and a horse to ride in on; to Geetu’s walk down the aisle with “Din Shagna Da” playing in the background, and her entrance on a boat. Geetu shares more about the vibrant celebrations.

You both hail from different continents – Rakesh from the UK and Geetu from Singapore and India. Why did you both choose Thailand as your dream wedding destination?

We searched the entire globe for destinations which are easy for our families to get to, like Sri Lanka, Italy, Greece, and even Oman! We did our civil wedding in the UK, so we thought Asia would be a good option for the wedding, and after some Google-mapping, we found Thailand and fell in love! To other couples looking for a venue – dream big and do your wedding in Thailand! They have so much to offer and the sky is the limit, or the sea! In honour of our host country, we included Thai dancers to welcome our guests, and Geetu entered in a beautiful Thai longboat.

Which bridal designers did you pick and why?

I sourced most of my outfits from bridal exhibitions in Mumbai, but I must mention that my outfits stood out because of the amazing makeup by the best makeup artist, Kanchan! I was a very picky bride to deal with, but she dealt with me admirably.

What were your wedding event themes, and which ones did you enjoy the most?

We wanted flexibility. Our themes were generic: ‘beach vibes’ for the welcome dinner; ‘summer delight’ for the mehendi, ‘grand elegance’ for the sangeet, ‘royal traditional’ for the wedding, and ‘black tie’ for the reception. The latter was the best and most fun party, as our emcee really kicked it off well, but we had favourite moments from all the functions, such as when Rakesh surprised me by jumping in and dancing with all my friends from Singapore! We also had a surprise dance off competition at the reception, and the crowd loved it! 

Weddings are a great font of creativity – what was the most creative element in yours?

We served personalised drinks named after us: the Chavda libre and the Geets and tonic; that was a favourite element! And my boat entrance was a surprise to everyone else except Raks!

If you had to re-do your wedding, what would you do differently?

We loved it so much that Raks told me he wanted to do it again year after year! So I don’t think we’d want to change anything, especially our amazing planning team, Niramit Creations!

Wedding Makers
Wedding Planner: Niramit Creations
Venue: Pullman Pattaya Hotel G

3 days of festivities – 5 events – 150 guests