Do you believe in the invisible string theory?
It is the idea that somebody is tied to you, in some galactic, fated manner—but no matter how close they are in proximity, they only appear in your life when the moment is right. Perhaps there are many “invisible strings” in your life—a friend who you circled around for years, before meeting and immediately clicking; or someone at the transit stop who you meet, by chance, despite taking the same bus every day for years. Maybe you lived next door throughout childhood, but you only met in your 20s after starting your first job in the big city. But the greatest lesson of the invisible string is, most of all, sitting in the discomfort that the right person will appear at the right time, and no amount of rushing can ever compel it.
Dr. Kavita Ravi-Shankar and Sriraaman Sriskandakumar have been in orbit since their university years, when the latter first noticed the former at a Diwali club event. When he initially spotted her at a university Diwali society event more than a decade prior, he noticed her immediately—albeit introduced under a different name. “Her name was Kavita Blueberries, because her Facebook name at the time was Kavita Blueberries,” says Sriskandakumar.
But they never spoke. “I tried speaking to after that, but I never got the chance to. She was busy with her friends and talking with everyone, so lo and behold, we drifted, had our own lives.”
Twelve years after their missed connection, Ravi-Shankar herself is now a dental surgeon working in London, wearing glittery eyeshadow at a mutual friend’s party, and making her rounds at said party to say goodbye. But as luck would have it, they meet on the way out. “I think I was almost starstruck,” says Sriskandakumar. “I asked, what’s that in your eye? … I had the worst game.” But as far as “game” goes, being suave and silver-tongued is no longer a priority when it comes to someone who is meant to be; tied by the thread of invisible string.
“Our first date was two days later. Four months after we met, we met each other’s families—and my parents saw him as a son pretty much straight away. Eight months later, we were engaged,” says Ravi-Shankar. “It all happened quite quickly.” Sriskandakumar was quick to chime in: “Well, I knew exactly what I wanted.”
Despite their rather whirlwind road to engagement and wedding, it really boils down to a gut feeling. When something is meant to be, it will be. When I meet the couple, Sriskandakumar’s giddiness is quite literally contagious, even over a Zoom call. There are no words that quite describe how immediate and obvious this was: how elated he is by their nuptials, how happy he is to have Ravi-Shankar by his side. Ravi-Shankar, too, is equally giddy; nudging Sriskandakumar on.
“I could have just left [at that party], and it is those spur the moment decisions that change your life, and truly changed my life for the better,” says Sriskandakumar.
“I was like, I can do anything with this woman,” continues Sriskandakumar. “I remember thinking, I don’t need anyone else right now. As cliché as that sounds, I just need my best friend.”
Perhaps it had, in part, due to the extremely intentional way the couple approached their relationship, their families, and each other. “We love to celebrate every little thing, so we’ll celebrate one month—every month we’ll do something, even now,” said Ravi-Shankar. “We also do this thing where he would go to the restaurant first, and then I would join him. It’s like meeting for the first time, even though we’re living together.”
The choice of Madeira—though unorthodox at first glance—was chosen with the same intention poured into the couple’s relationship, except on this occasion, it was a thoughtful touch to their guests’ experience. “Since it was the destination wedding, I wanted people to go somewhere they hadn’t been,” says Kavita. “It’s an experience for them as well. People are traveling so far, and if they’re traveling for us, but we wanted to give them a place where they could also have another experience and something new.
It was a blend of customs between their Indian heritage, the island’s Portuguese culture, and their London home. The island’s lush flora—including Madeira roses and birds of paradise—were sourced by the team at Belmond Reid’s Palace to suit the jungle-themed sangeet. They also helped source lemons and fresh prawns from the local market. The couple brought pickles from their favourite market in London, but as for the gown? It could only ever have come from India.
Ravi-Shankar knew, immediately, that she wanted to go to Mumbai for her wedding dresses. This faith led her to going in blind, not looking at any dresses prior to her trip—simply that each of her three looks had to be traditional, with a twist. And, as luck would have it, the very first look she tried on at Rahul Mishra’s showroom immediately caught her attention: a white lehenga, with delicately beaded tigers and lush flora. To go alongside her sangeet look by Mishra, the bride brought in handcrafted crystal butterflies —embroidered with Austrian crystals on silk chiffon, which became one of her favourite details from her sangeet look. But it was more than the dress: Mishra’s commitment to craft, sustainability practices, and transparent fabric sourcing had already won over Ravi-Shankar, and the first dress being “the one” was a matter of fate, much like her invisible string love.
For the pièce de la résistance, Ravi-Shankar opted for a twist on the traditional Rajasthani bride look, tapping into Tarun Tahiliani for a custom bridal look. A dramatic pink-red veil matched her wedding lehenga, the embroidery offering a glint in the light next to the dangling ruby red beads hanging from the blouse. Each piece was pulled from a different set, creating a look that was bespoke to the bride. To add the cherry on top, Ravi-Shankar accessorised with red bangles, a Rajasthani green choker, and a pink tikka.
For the third and final look—the reception—the bride wore a champagne lehenga, also bespoke by Tahiliani; a hat-tip to the golden set of the sun, and colours that coated the island landscape that surrounded them.
And so the wedding unfolded in Madeira, imbued with touches that felt inherently them. Handwritten notes from Sriskandakumar were printed on the napkins, and their names were burned into the orange peels. But perhaps the most intimate, memorable experience was the groom’s first look: “The walk itself… it was so enchanting. It was honestly a magical moment,” recalls Sriskandakumar with a wistful smile. “As Kavita was walking out, the cloud moved, and the sun’s rays came out and shone on her—and the veil just sparkled, her whole dress sparkled.”
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A handcrafted Rahul Mishra lehenga embroidered with tigers, butterflies and botanical motifs, paired with crystal butterflies woven through my hair, brought my whimsical vision for our jungle-themed sangeet to life.
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Just the two of us, before stepping into the first evening of our wedding celebrations.
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The sangeet began with playful choreographed dances from the bride's and groom's sides before everyone came together for the finale—a fitting celebration of two families becoming one.
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One last stroll through the Palm Gardens, talking about everything we couldn't wait for before our grand entrance into the first evening of our wedding celebrations.
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A quiet moment to myself before the ceremony. I'm so grateful to have had the time to pause and let it sink in: "I'm about to get married!"
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The baraat winding through the Palm Gardens before arriving at the mandap. I loved being able to watch the celebrations from my balcony before stepping into them myself.
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Custom Tarun Tahiliani bridal couture with fresh flowers woven into my hair felt like a beautiful meeting of Indian craftsmanship and Madeira's tropical landscape.
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Reid's Palace, a Belmond hotel. With its timeless glamour, lush tropical gardens and panoramic views over the Atlantic Ocean, it was love at first sight. We knew it had to be the home to our wedding, and it was an honour for our celebration to become the hotel's first Indian wedding.
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Hand in hand with my mum and dad as they walked me into the next chapter of my life. A bittersweet moment that I’ll cherish forever.
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Pure celebration as the groom and his baraat danced their way to the mandap, led by dhol players we flew to Madeira to honour tradition on this tropical island.
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One last look over the Atlantic Ocean from my bridal suite balcony as the sound of the saxophone drifted up from our sunset cocktail reception in the Palm Gardens below, where our guests gathered before an evening of celebration.
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Blessings from above. As I began walking towards the mandap, the clouds parted and the sun beamed down.
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We embraced the romance of roses, from exchanging rose garlands to a shower of rose petals at the mandap.
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A champagne Tarun Tahiliani lehenga adorned with crystals, styled with a sleek ponytail and diamonds as golden hour poured through the windows before our wedding reception.
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All looking dapper in black tie, Sriraaman and his groomsmen gathered on the Tea Library terrace for a celebratory cigar. As the last of the group to get married, this marked the final chapter of a tradition they'd shared at each other's weddings over the years.
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Designing our cake became one of my favourite parts of wedding planning. I loved sketching ideas with our cake designer, then bringing my family together for the tasting with score sheets to critique each flavour in true MasterChef style. It was so special to see peonies, my favourite flowers, woven through so many details of the day, from my bouquet to our cake.
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One last look over the Atlantic Ocean from my bridal suite balcony as the sound of the saxophone drifted up from our sunset cocktail reception in the Palm Gardens below, where our guests gathered before an evening of celebration.
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