<p>Nikhil Pawar and Eunika Pogran met each other on the beaches of Kovalam last July. And when they decided to get married, this popular tourist destination in Thiruvananthapuram was but a natural choice for the location. <br /><br /></p>.<p>But they added a cool twist to the big day – the wedding was held four metres underwater. <br /><br />A diving instructor from Maharashtra, Nikhil married Eunika, a political science graduate from Slovakia, at the Grove Beach here on Thursday. “I wanted to make it really special and memorable. Since diving has remained a true passion for me, this was a natural thing to do,” he told DH. <br /><br />Incidentally, Nikhil had proposed to Eunika under water as well. The couple are also planning to have a “regular” wedding soon. <br /><br />Pawar called it a “simple ring-exchange ceremony” but with corals for the backdrop and an underwater kiss to seal it. A small group of friends were in attendance.<br />The 40-minute ceremony was organised by Bond Safari, Nikhil’s employer. The company provides scuba diving and snorkelling services to tourists in and around Kovalam. <br /><br />Jackson, the managing partner of Bond Safari, told DH that the wedding, “the first of its kind in India”, could add an interesting product line to the Kovalam experience. <br /><br />“Destination weddings have been gaining popularity across the world, but an underwater wedding is a first here. We put up a small wedding backdrop with flowers and coconut palms but apart from that, the setting was completely natural,” said Jackson.<br /><br />Hours after the wedding, the excitement was palpable in Nikhil’s voice. Anything else they would have liked for the ceremony? “We would have probably liked it to be a more private affair. We didn’t quite want it to be a spectacle,” said Nikhil.<br />DH News Service</p>
<p>Nikhil Pawar and Eunika Pogran met each other on the beaches of Kovalam last July. And when they decided to get married, this popular tourist destination in Thiruvananthapuram was but a natural choice for the location. <br /><br /></p>.<p>But they added a cool twist to the big day – the wedding was held four metres underwater. <br /><br />A diving instructor from Maharashtra, Nikhil married Eunika, a political science graduate from Slovakia, at the Grove Beach here on Thursday. “I wanted to make it really special and memorable. Since diving has remained a true passion for me, this was a natural thing to do,” he told DH. <br /><br />Incidentally, Nikhil had proposed to Eunika under water as well. The couple are also planning to have a “regular” wedding soon. <br /><br />Pawar called it a “simple ring-exchange ceremony” but with corals for the backdrop and an underwater kiss to seal it. A small group of friends were in attendance.<br />The 40-minute ceremony was organised by Bond Safari, Nikhil’s employer. The company provides scuba diving and snorkelling services to tourists in and around Kovalam. <br /><br />Jackson, the managing partner of Bond Safari, told DH that the wedding, “the first of its kind in India”, could add an interesting product line to the Kovalam experience. <br /><br />“Destination weddings have been gaining popularity across the world, but an underwater wedding is a first here. We put up a small wedding backdrop with flowers and coconut palms but apart from that, the setting was completely natural,” said Jackson.<br /><br />Hours after the wedding, the excitement was palpable in Nikhil’s voice. Anything else they would have liked for the ceremony? “We would have probably liked it to be a more private affair. We didn’t quite want it to be a spectacle,” said Nikhil.<br />DH News Service</p>