The guest list for Shreya Daffney and Pradyot Bharadwaj’s first event as part of their wedding celebration was not traditional. It included 22 humans, three dogs and a cat. Held at a home in Kaup, Udupi, the intimate registration dinner set the tone for what would become a wedding unlike a conventional celebration. It was personal and filled with details that traced the couple’s shared history. The idea behind it all came from a word: śūnyatā. The couple first met at an eco-hotel of the same name in Chikamagalur, located halfway between Udupi and Bengaluru.
Over time, the word took on a deeper meaning in their relationship, rooted in the understanding that nothing exists in isolation and that everything is shaped by change, effort, and connection. “We wanted every choice to be small, specific and personal, with nothing selected merely for tradition’s sake,” said Daffney.
Since neither Daffney nor Bharadwaj actively practise their respective religions, the couple chose a secular ceremony under the Special Marriage Act. Even their wedding bands became part of this process. Over two afternoons, they physically forged each other’s silver rings, embracing the imperfections as a reminder of the patience and work required in a partnership.
Udupi was the natural setting for the celebrations. Daffney grew up there, while Bharadwaj wanted a destination where family and friends could slow down together.
It wasn’t planned as a spectacle. It was simply us, the sea and everyone we love laughing together
The registration dinner took place at a home designed by Daffney, featuring lime-washed walls, red-oxide floors, tiled roofs, and arched windows. The flowers were gathered from the surrounding landscape that very morning. Chef Armaan Essa created an eight-course menu in which each dish held a memory from the couple’s relationship. “The menu also featured an elevated Goan ros omelette tracing early travels, and a playful dish of sorghum crisps textured like cardboard to recall a disastrous first meal we shared. We closed with coffee-infused miniature cakes served on custom 3D-printed stands made by a friend,” shared Daffney.
The larger celebration followed at Sai Radha Heritage House & Beach. Guests spent their mornings surfing, kayaking through mangroves and exploring Udupi. The Roce-Mehendi embraced the atmosphere of a coastal village fair, complete with golibaje (deep-fried South Indian snack) served in jackfruit leaves, tender coconut water and goli soda. One of the most memorable moments came after the Roce ceremony, a cherished Konkani Catholic pre-wedding ritual in which the bride or groom is anointed with coconut milk and oil as a symbol of purification and blessings, when the couple walked into the sea to wash away the coconut milk.
“That felt like the most honest moment of the wedding,” recalled Bharadwaj. “It wasn’t planned as a spectacle. It was simply us, the sea and everyone we love laughing together.” The concept of śūnyatā shaped the ring exchange, with a circular set symbolising wholeness and oversized kites drifting above guests in the coastal breeze. Daffney’s Gadwal sari carried a setting sun, Kannada verses and sea imagery, while the groom’s attire featured half-moon motifs and Tolkien lines. Friends, artisans and family shaped the celebration, from the ceremony to Frizzell D’Souza’s live performance. The final touch came with confetti and akshintalu (uncooked rice), blending modern celebration with ancestral tradition.
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