They Rented the Pyramids:
A British-Indian Wedding in Egypt
When Vivek and Monica were asked to describe their wedding in three words, they went with: “Rented the Pyramids.” Which, to be fair, is pretty hard to beat.
Their five-day wedding celebration took them from London to Egypt, with a Haldi, a Hindu wedding and, eventually, a reception in front of one of the most famous landmarks in the world.
But behind the rather spectacular location choices was a wedding full of family history, two cultures and some incredibly personal details.
The celebrations were captured by photographer Naman Verma, from the quieter moments in London through to those rather extraordinary portraits in front of the Pyramids.
Photos in Egypt from Naman Verma
A British-Indian Wedding That Celebrated Both Cultures
For Monica and Vivek, bringing their backgrounds together wasn’t about adding a nod to one tradition within the other. They wanted both to have proper space across the five-day celebration.
As Vivek explains:
“Every part of the week was designed to feel personal rather than performative, a true blend of British and Indian identity, family history and modern romance.”
Egypt gave both families somewhere to come together on neutral ground, with Vivek describing it as a place where “both families could come together on equal footing.”
It began with an intimate registry ceremony at Marylebone Town Hall in London before the celebrations moved to Egypt for the Haldi and Hindu wedding.
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A Hindu Wedding at Dahab Island Palace
The celebrations in Egypt began with a colourful Haldi at the Sofitel Cairo El Gezirah, followed by Vivek and Monica’s Hindu wedding at Dahab Island Palace.
For the Hindu ceremony, Monica wore a hand-embroidered lehenga in deep red and gold, layered with jewellery made especially for the occasion.
Five Generations of Family Jewellery
One of the most personal details of the celebrations came from Vivek’s own family, as he explains:
“All of the wedding jewellery, for both of us, was handcrafted by my father, a fifth generation jeweller. Rather than commissioning a designer, we wanted every piece worn that week to carry family history within it, made by hand, with decades of craftsmanship behind it.”
“This became one of the most meaningful details of the entire wedding, jewellery that could never be bought, only inherited and made with love.”
They Rented the Pyramids
For the final celebration in Egypt, Monica and Vivek held their wedding reception at the Pyramids of Giza.
Getting permission wasn’t exactly a case of finding an available Saturday and paying a deposit. The reception took months of negotiation, permits and coordination with the Egyptian authorities, as well as working with a location team experienced in the protected site.
Vivek says they were only the third couple to be granted permission to hold a wedding reception there, as well as the first British and first Indian couple.
But the reason they chose the Pyramids wasn’t simply because very few people get the opportunity to celebrate there.
For Vivek, the significance of the Pyramids went beyond the setting.
“The Pyramids held personal significance for us as a place that represents timelessness and permanence, values we wanted our marriage to embody.”
Before the reception, Monica wore her UK wedding dress for pre-wedding portraits among the ruins. She later changed into a sculptural gold gown, while Vivek wore a bespoke black and gold sherwani.
Letting the Pyramids Do the Talking
When your reception backdrop is the Pyramids of Giza, adding more isn’t necessarily the answer. Monica and Vivek deliberately kept the styling restrained, with warm, low lighting designed to leave the Pyramids as the main focus.
Vivek’s advice for creating a wedding in a statement setting is simple:
“Let styling serve the setting, not compete with it.”
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Choose Meaning Over the Expected
A wedding at the Pyramids isn’t exactly an idea everyone can borrow. But the thinking behind choosing it absolutely is.
When it comes to choosing a venue, Vivek suggests:
“Choose a location that holds genuine meaning, not just visual impact. For us, the Pyramids represented permanence and history. For another couple, it might be somewhere deeply personal or culturally significant.”
Their other big piece of advice is to look beyond what’s readily available when choosing the details of your wedding, particularly when family skills, craftsmanship or heirlooms can make something far more personal.
Photographer: Naman Verma
Videographer: House On The Clouds
