Riva and Yogin's celebrations included three weddings, three cultures, and one unforgettable love story

What began as a workplace friendship at a Bangalore software firm slowly evolved into something far more lasting for Riva and Yogin Shetty. She had just joined the sales department when Yogin became the colleague she turned to constantly, first for help, then for companionship, and eventually for love. But when the couple got engaged, they realised their wedding would bring together not one or two, but three distinct cultures.

Riva grew up between two worlds, with a Punjabi Sikh father and a Malayali mother, while Yogin came from a deeply traditional South Indian family. Instead of simplifying their celebrations into one blended ceremony, the couple chose to honour each culture individually through three thoughtfully curated weddings across Bangalore and Kerala, all captured beautifully by Manvi Gandotra, founder of 1Plus1 Studio.

The festivities began with intimate pre-wedding celebrations that reflected warmth and personality in equal measure. Yogin’s Haldi was drenched in deep green tones, layered with marigolds and softly glowing brass kuthuvilakku lamps. For the Mehndi, the setting transformed into a vibrant garden celebration with pink, orange, and yellow florals overhead.

Riva wore a mustard Jayanti Reddy ensemble, while Yogin complemented her perfectly in a blush-pink kurta. By the Sangeet, the atmosphere shifted into full celebration mode, complete with deep red velvet accents, a glowing RY monogram, champagne towers, and two families who already felt like one.

The South Indian Muhurtham embraced Kerala tradition in its purest form. Yogin arrived surrounded by loved ones dressed in classic mundus as the rhythmic chenda melam echoed through the venue. Riva entered beneath a phoolon ki chaadar wearing a jewel-toned purple Kanjivaram saree from Angadi, adorned with jasmine strings and heirloom jewellery.

Banana leaves and glowing lamps framed the ceremony, while Yogin wore a cream veshti and angavastram that honoured generations before him.

For the North Indian ceremony at Taj Bekal, the mood became entirely cinematic. Yogin’s energetic baraat gave way to one of the weekend’s most memorable moments, Riva arriving across the backwaters on a flower-covered raft. Dressed in a blush-pink Anushree Reddy lehenga, she made her way toward a floral mandap overlooking the water, where Yogin waited beneath crimson roses and marigolds.

The final ceremony, an Anand Karaj at Bangalore’s Ulsoor Gurudwara, brought a quieter emotional depth to the celebrations. Yogin arrived on a white horse before the couple sat together before the Guru Granth Sahib, bound by a single palla as the lavan were recited. Riva’s head remained gracefully covered with her dupatta, while Yogin wore a navy sherwani with a traditional red pagdi.

What made Riva and Yogin’s wedding truly memorable was the intentionality behind every detail. Each ceremony carried its own visual language, traditions, and emotional atmosphere without ever feeling performative or disconnected. From temple silks and heirloom jewellery to romantic florals and couture craftsmanship, every celebration reflected a different side of their story.

Rather than blending cultures into one, the couple created space for each of them to exist fully, and in doing so, built a wedding that felt deeply personal, meaningful, and entirely their own. 

Image credits: Manvi Gandotra of 1Plus1 Studio 

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