Kerala turning out to be hot wedding destination for superrich

Kochi: Kerala, with its coconut palm lined beaches, tranquil stretches of backwaters and houseboats is slowly turning out to be a much sought after destination of the super rich, who wish to exchange wedding vows in `God`s Own Country`. Along with palaces and forts of Rajasthan, Goa beaches, Kerala has also been receiving a lot of enquiries for conducting weddings, hotel industry sources say. The state enjoys unique geographical features making it one of the most sought after tourist destinations in Asia. Kerala has been selected by National Geographic Traveller as one of the 50 destinations of a lifetime and one of the 13 paradises in the world. N C Somaiah, General Manager, the Leela Kempinski, Kovalam, says backwaters of Kerala is an exclusive backdrop which is "new and different" and the state should capitalise on this strength and become a hot wedding destination. "We do an average of one wedding every two months. Most requests are received from the UK market and Leela has recently started to aggressively promote high-end weddings at the Leela Kovalam," Somaiah told reporters. The preference for a wedding destination is generally based on whether the guests like to conduct the wedding in a beach, desert, mountains, old fort etc. Once this is ascertained, the location is decided. "Kerala is preferred when beach or backwater becomes the theme of the wedding," he said. Zuri Kumarakom, located on Vembanad lake in Kottayam, has conducted six weddings in the 2009-10 fiscal, mostly of US or UK-based Non Resident Indians whose roots are in Mumbai or Bangalore. Kerala is an alternate destination to Malaysia, Thailand, and Bali and is more affordable, says Sarat Valsraj, Food and Beverage Manager of Zuri Kumarakom. Typical North Indian weddings with three days of celebrations of Sangeet, Mehendi and the wedding reception have been held in a Kerala ambience, he says. Instead of horses, the groom comes to the venue atop an elephant. The elephants are arranged from vendors in Kochi, he said. A wedding complete with all arrangements, including food and rooms for about 150-175 guests would cost between Rs 30 lakh to Rs 40 lakh, Valsraj says. The hotel has received enquiries for four weddings this year when the wedding season would start in October. "Though these weddings, we also showcase our facilities to the guests and it is word-of-mouth publicity for us," he said. On food being served for guests at such weddings, he said though North Indian weddings would have typical food of their region, a Kerala meal would also form part of the feast. The 72-room hotel, part of Zuri Hotels and Resorts, Bangalore, has a special package for Honeymooners this summer. The newly-weds can enjoy additional services like floral bath, romantic candlelit dinners and a 30-minute couple spa treatment. PTI