I spent $1.9 million on my five-day Indian wedding, which included a fire show and LED robots

Yoonji HanJan 12, 2024, 20:05 IST

Sanjay Balgobin and Carlita Nair at their wedding in December 2022.Ptaufiq Photography

Carlita Nair and Sanjay Balgobin got married in a five-day Indian wedding celebration in December 2022.
The couple spent nearly $2 million in total, including outfits from Bollywood designers and celebrity performers.

This is an as-told-to essay based on a conversation with Carlita Nair, who got married in a five-day Indian wedding in 2022. The essay has been edited for length and clarity.

My husband Sanjay and I met six years ago and got married last year in a beautiful Indian wedding celebration.

Sanjay Balgobin and Carlita Nair at their wedding.Ptaufiq Photography

We had our 400-guest, five-day wedding celebration in December 2022. Our actual wedding ceremony took place at the Ritz Carlton in Orlando, Florida.

Sanjay and Carlita at the Ritz Carlton, Orlando.Ptaufiq Photography

We picked the Ritz Carlton because we wanted a beautiful indoor venue with delicious food. The hotel plus catering cost $130,000.

Sanjay and Carlita's wedding at the Ritz Carlton.Ptaufiq Photography

We wanted to have the best food. The hotel has an Indian chef who will fly to any Ritz Carlton in the world just for Indian weddings.

Dinner at Sanjay and Carlita's wedding reception.Ptaufiq Photography

We spent $700,000 in total on decor for the wedding and reception, and an extra $100,000 for the pre-wedding events.

Carlita Nair at her haldi ceremony, where family and loved ones apply turmeric paste on the bride and groom to offer well-wishes to the couple.Ptaufiq Photography

I wanted the decor for our wedding day to be very traditional, ethereal, and covered in florals.

Carlita at her wedding venue, which was filled with flowers and unusual touches like sofas for lounging.Ptaufiq Photography

The vibe for the reception was celestial, like, "I love you to the moon and back." We had a celestial-themed custom dance floor, stars on the ceiling, and lighting in blue, purple, and red hues.

Sanjay and Carlita at their reception.Ptaufiq Photography

The vibe for the reception was celestial, like, "I love you to the moon and back." We had a celestial-themed custom dance floor, stars on the ceiling, and lighting in blue, purple, and red hues.

Our sangeet, which is an Indian wedding tradition where there's singing and dancing to celebrate the union of the two families, was Jaipur-themed, referring to the city in India.

Carlita and Sanjay had their sangeet and mehndi night at a structure they custom-built in Sanjay's backyard.Ptaufiq Photography

Our sangeet, which is an Indian wedding tradition where there's singing and dancing to celebrate the union of the two families, was Jaipur-themed, referring to the city in India.

The lighting itself cost $25,000 and the rigging another $20,000, but we were able to receive discounts.

Carlita paid special attention to the type of lighting she wanted at her wedding celebrations.Ptaufiq Photography

I knew I was going to have this big wedding, so I knew my outfits had to bring the presence that I needed for such a grand event. I spent around $38,000 in total on my outfits alone.

Carlita Nair in her wedding lehenga, which cost around $13,000.Ptaufiq Photography

I knew I was going to have this big wedding, so I knew my outfits had to bring the presence that I needed for such a grand event. I spent around $38,000 in total on my outfits alone.

Hair, makeup, jewelry, and turban tying cost around $25,000, with hair and makeup costing $6,000.

Carlita Nair at her wedding ceremony.Ptaufiq Photography

We wanted to arrive in style, so we had a chauffeur driver, which cost $2,000.

Sanjay was driven up to the wedding in a Ferrari.Ptaufiq Photography

I would advise other couples to invest in a photographer. Our photographer cost $40,000 for the full five days, plus a pre-wedding photoshoot. That price also included travel expenses and video.

Carlita Nair at her wedding ceremony.Ptaufiq Photography

I would advise other couples to invest in a photographer. Our photographer cost $40,000 for the full five days, plus a pre-wedding photoshoot. That price also included travel expenses and video.

We spent $10,000 on sound and the emcee, and another $15,000 on the entertainment. We had two Indian Caribbean celebrity performers, Ravi B and Savita Singh.

Dancing at Sanjay and Carlita's wedding.Ptaufiq Photography

We also got some cool, relatively inexpensive additions for our parties, like LED robots that emitted CO2 gas, drummers on stilts, and a fire show. We even considered getting real-life elephants and tigers, but they were too expensive.

A fire dancer at the Balgobins' wedding celebration.Ptaufiq Photography

We also got some cool, relatively inexpensive additions for our parties, like LED robots that emitted CO2 gas, drummers on stilts, and a fire show. We even considered getting real-life elephants and tigers, but they were too expensive.

In total, we spent $1.9 million on our wedding celebrations. Our families came together to pull the entire show off.

Family and friends at Sanjay and Carlita's wedding.Ptaufiq Photography

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I spent $1.9 million on my five-day Indian wedding, which included a fire show and LED robots

My husband Sanjay and I met six years ago and got married last year in a beautiful Indian wedding celebration.

We had our 400-guest, five-day wedding celebration in December 2022. Our actual wedding ceremony took place at the Ritz Carlton in Orlando, Florida.

We picked the Ritz Carlton because we wanted a beautiful indoor venue with delicious food. The hotel plus catering cost $130,000.

We wanted to have the best food. The hotel has an Indian chef who will fly to any Ritz Carlton in the world just for Indian weddings.

We spent $700,000 in total on decor for the wedding and reception, and an extra $100,000 for the pre-wedding events.

I wanted the decor for our wedding day to be very traditional, ethereal, and covered in florals.

The vibe for the reception was celestial, like, "I love you to the moon and back." We had a celestial-themed custom dance floor, stars on the ceiling, and lighting in blue, purple, and red hues.

Our sangeet, which is an Indian wedding tradition where there's singing and dancing to celebrate the union of the two families, was Jaipur-themed, referring to the city in India.

The lighting itself cost $25,000 and the rigging another $20,000, but we were able to receive discounts.

I knew I was going to have this big wedding, so I knew my outfits had to bring the presence that I needed for such a grand event. I spent around $38,000 in total on my outfits alone.

Hair, makeup, jewelry, and turban tying cost around $25,000, with hair and makeup costing $6,000.

We wanted to arrive in style, so we had a chauffeur driver, which cost $2,000.

I would advise other couples to invest in a photographer. Our photographer cost $40,000 for the full five days, plus a pre-wedding photoshoot. That price also included travel expenses and video.

We spent $10,000 on sound and the emcee, and another $15,000 on the entertainment. We had two Indian Caribbean celebrity performers, Ravi B and Savita Singh.

We also got some cool, relatively inexpensive additions for our parties, like LED robots that emitted CO2 gas, drummers on stilts, and a fire show. We even considered getting real-life elephants and tigers, but they were too expensive.

In total, we spent $1.9 million on our wedding celebrations. Our families came together to pull the entire show off.