Shashwat Goenka: The Grandest Wedding of 2016

Big fat opulent weddings of India reflect diversity in its sheer magnificence. This post present glimpse from one such grandest wedding of 2016; it’s the nuptials of Businessman Sanjiv Goenka’s son Shaswat Goenka. 

Sanjiv Goenka with the newlyweds Shashwat and Shivika, wife Preeti and daughter Avarna after the varmala ceremony

The son of Sanjiv Goenka from the Goenka group, Shashwat Goenka tied the knot with Shivika Jhunjhunwala in Kolkata. The three-day affair was livewire event.

ShashwatGoenka is the head of the retail business for the Sanjiv Goenka Group. After completing his finance and marketing management from the Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania in 2012, he joined his father’s legacy before deciding to settle down. The bride, Shivika is the head of a Singapore-based Naomi hospitality group.

The wedding celebrations began on January 27 at ITC Shonar Bangla in Kolkata and were attended by over 7500 guests. The grandeur of the wedding could be seen in an elaborate wedding invitation card that was accompanied by a box of gourmet treats including chocolate covered strawberries, coffee beans, and delicious cookies. 

The couple looked spectacular wearing Tarun Tahiliani ensembles during their wedding. 

The wedding witnessed some of the big shot business tycoons like Ambanis, Sunil Mittal, Rajashree Birla, Pawan Munjal and Sajjan Jindal. Political leaders like Mamta Banerjee, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, and some of the famous designers like Tarun Tahiliani and Anamika Khanna graced the occasion with their presence. From the Bollywood fraternity, Farhan Akhtar, Asha Bhosle, Raju Hirani and many others were present too. 

The three-day wedding celebrations made guests drool over a wide range of cuisines. The exotic range of dishes included an assembly of Magadhi food, European Grills, Italian Burrata bar, Swiss delights, East Asian food, ethnic Indian sweets and western confectionery on the guest’s gastronomic platter. The sangeet ceremony (January 28) was concluded with an enchanting chocolate chandelier and a wide range of over 50 desserts. Guests were served delicious Parsi, Marwari, Sindhi, Sri Lankan and Peruvian cuisines at the Reception.

For reception and Sangeet, the bride was seen wearing Anamika Khanna creation while the groom looked vivacious in a Raghavendra Rathore’s ensemble.

Another highlight from the wedding was the superb performance by the famous theater group, Cirque du Soleil on the Sangeet ceremony accompanied by guests dancing to the tunes of various Bollywood numbers. The group started their performance with Gayatri Mantra and took everyone by surprise. Cirque du Soleil performers enthralled the guests with an hour-long performance, a vibrant mix of dance, drama, gymnastics and music. 

The couple exchanged the varmala at ‘Sunderbans’ inside an inverted lotus shaped mandap that was followed by fireworks and chanting of bells. The mesmerizing wedding affair left everyone awestruck. This big fat wedding was nothing less than a true example of splendor! 

The reception was hosted on January 27 followed by Mudda-Tikka and Sangeet ceremony on January 28. Guests were enthralled by dance performances to the tunes of DJ Khushi who was present at the turntable. The reception took place at Taj Bengal in Kolkata.

The entire wedding extravaganza made a place in more than 100 crore wedding club. The ceremony drizzled out sheer elegance and was marked with great zeal.