An Amazing Indian, Irish Fusion Wedding in Marbella

Laura Charles
6 days ago
6 min read

We love sharing beautiful weddings in Marbella and we are delighted to present this showstopper with you of Dhanu & Shirley’s wedding here in May.

A cultural mix of Indian and Irish celebrations held over a few days at the Villa Susana & Casa de la Era planned to perfection by Sana Catering and beautifully documented by Eloy & Alex Photography, both listed suppliers in The Marbella Wedding Directory.

From an Online Romance during Covid to Becoming Husband & Wife

Dhanu and Shirley live in Dubai and met online after a Tinder swipe during the Covid pandemic in 2020.

Fast forward a few years and Dhanu had planned a festive proposal at the Shard, in London. Without Shirley knowing Dhanu’s romantic plan she left it to the last minute to book her flight to London, the day before! A stressful moment for Dhanu but it all worked out beautifully.

On their arrival to the Shard Shirley was slightly puzzled as to why they didn’t go to the bar. Dhanu had organised his surprise and led her into a private room decorated in a winter wonderland theme complete with a light up ‘marry me’ sign and photos of their time & adventures so far as a couple. It was a very festive, magical proposal and of course Shirley said yes!

Dhanu and Shirley’s love story was always destined to be extraordinary so when it came to planning their wedding, “ordinary” just wasn’t on the cards. Here at the Marbella Wedding Directory we were able to get all the details to share with you.

Why did you Choose Marbella as your Wedding Destination?

Living in Dubai but with family and friends coming from Ireland, the UK, and India, Dhanu & Shirley started their search for the perfect wedding destination. After considering locations from Turkey to Portugal and even Mauritius, Marbella’s sunshine, amazing hospitality and vibrant party atmosphere won!

How Long Did it Take to Plan your Wedding in Marbella?

After their magical engagement in London, Dhanu started researching and contacted Sana Catering who helped them narrow down potential venues ready for a visit in February. The choice of venues was important as they wished to host multiple events to honour both their Indian and Irish cultures.

Dhanu & Shirley chose two breath taking venues, La Susana and Casa De La Era. With the venues secured it was time to start planning their wedding with just over a year to go. La Susana is located high up in the Rio Real area to the west of Marbella and Casa de la Era is close to Marbella near the La Canada shopping centre. The distance between the two locations is about 15 minutes.

With guests flying in from all over the world it was important to celebrate both cultures and make it a celebration to remember.

How Easy was it to Plan your Wedding here in Marbella?

We were absolutely delighted with our wedding planners, at Sana Catering, who played a crucial role in bringing everything together for us as we were hosting essentially two weddings, a pre wedding event and a smaller ceremony whilst living abroad.

One of the most important elements was entertainment, we wanted to make it a party to remember so we hired in some of the top Dhol Drummers from the UK, Elite Drummers, a violinist from the Bridgerton series, J Hope a fabulous magician, Olivier Boes and all the music at the events was provided by DJ Subz

Tell us more about your Bridal Attire & Outfits

Oooh now that is a question! Fashion was an essential part of this wedding journey, with each outfit carefully sourced, styled, and accessorised to reflect our cultures.

Some pieces were found during a special trip to India and we sourced online or locally. Shirley wore multiple stunning outfits, her custom-made Haldi lehenga set for the ceremony was handmade in Dubai.

The beautiful purple sari Shirley wore for the Sangeet was from Pernia’s Pop up Shop in Delhi and her show stopping pink bridal lehenga was from Rianta’s, also based in Delhi but available online.

Shirley found her white wedding dress at The Bridal Outlet in Dublin and ended the night in a dazzling party dress by Rosie Ettienne. Each look was paired with statement jewellery and accessories to match from traditional gold pieces to chic modern earrings.

Dhanu’s outfit for the Indian ceremony and Sangeet came from Pernia’s Pop Up Shop, while his custom made suit and the groomsmen’s outfits were tailored at Al Kachins in Dubai.

Décor Details and Personal Touches

Shirley adores pink so for the Indian ceremony at La Susana, a pink and pastel colour palette reflected Shirley’s favourite colour and were the perfect match for the Andalusian setting. What a stunning setting this was with the Mediterranean sea as a backdrop.

For the civil ceremony at Casa De La Era we leaned into a boho chic vibe as felt this suited the venue, a lot of our decor inspiration was planned on Pinterest.

The Pre-Wedding Party, Haldi & Sangeet

Friday’s pre-wedding party kick started off the wedding weekend with the Haldi and Sangeet at Villa Susana. It was a relaxed atmosphere with plenty of dancing, games and a delicious food station style combining Spanish and Indian cuisine.

Sana Catering provided a Chat station included Pani Puri, Papri Chat, Chicken Tikka & Paneer Skewers. There was also a selection of Spanish tapas and a Paella station offering a choice of seafood and vegetarian paella with lemon and alioli. Later in the evening the guests were treated to an ice cream station.

The Hindu Ceremony at Villa Susana

After a day of rest it was time for the big day. Under a perfectly blue Mediterranean sky the Hindu wedding ceremony began in the morning at Villa Susana. It was a morning filled with high vibe energy as the grooms procession began with Dhol drums, coloured smoke bombs and plenty of dancing. The rustic style birch Mandap was decorated with floaty white fabrics and pink florals by B for Blooms.

Once the Hindu ceremony had finished a traditional vegetarian Indian lunch was served.

The Final Ceremony & Evening Reception at Casa de la Era

Dhana & Shirley’s wedding celebrations continued onto Casa de la Era for the traditional wedding ceremony conducted by Shirley’s good friend Dara and the evening reception.

The ceremony was followed by a cocktail hour on the lower terrace. Drinks were served with a delightful selection of bite size canapés. Shredded chicken tikka on mini poppadoms, gorgonzola, caramelized pear and walnut truffles, tostadas with blackened sea bream, peach relish & sour cream, tiny parmesan & rosemary short breads with oven dried cherry tomatoes & feta, goats cheese tart with crispy serrano ham and crab apple jelly and mushroom arancini balls with truffle mayo.

The guests were then invited to a sit down Mediterranean style dinner reception.

Starters were a pre-chosen selection of goat's cheese salad with caramelized walnuts, spiced jumbo prawn with mango coriander salad or .spinach, pumpkin & rotolo with sage butter. Mains were a choice of roast filet of sea bream, slow braised Moroccan lamb or crispy filo pastry Greek pie with spinach, feta and lentils.

Dinner was followed by speeches and then guests were treated to a trio of chocolate truffle cake, mojito fruit salad, and white chocolate & raspberry cheesecake and a power hour of espresso martinis!

Music was the standout element of the day. Violinist Jamal Hope, known for his performances in Bridgerton, played everything from ‘Tum Hi Ho’ during Shirley’s Hindu ceremony entrance to ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’ at the civil ceremony. Later, for their first dance, the couple swayed to ‘You’re Still the One’ by Shania Twain, a lovely tribute to Shirley’s late mother, Sheila.

Cocktails were served by Marbella Cocktail Studio and the evening finished with an epic party dancing under the stars.

With so many details, cultures, and loved ones coming together, the couple describes the day as “everything we imagined.”

And while it’s impossible to choose just one highlight, it’s clear that Dhanu and Shirley’s wedding wasn’t just an event, it was an amazing experience that will be remembered by every guest who had the honour of being there.

A huge congratulations to Dhanu and Shirley, thank you for sharing your wedding with us and we wish you a lifetime of happiness and more celebrations.