Two cultures, 370 guests, three days: Brisbane couple’s ‘glitzy’ wedding at Parliament and City Hall

Two cultures, 370 guests and a lavish venue - this couple’s epic three-day wedding spared no expense.

William Gordon Photography

4 min read

May 21, 2024 - 10:00AM

Christopher and Sarath. Picture: William Gordon Photography

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With 370 guests, a ceremony on Speaker’s Green at Queensland Parliament House and a reception in the main auditorium at Brisbane City Hall, this wedding was a huge undertaking.

But Auchenflower couple Christopher Piggott-McKellar and Sarath Bodapati, who have been together for eight years, were determined to personalise the event which ran over three days from April 5-7 by handwriting notes for each of their guests on the back of the place cards at the reception.

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“It was really important for us to have an event which celebrated our Indian and Australian heritage,” Sarath says.

“We broke many traditions – from an Indian perspective we had a ‘love’ marriage, not an arranged marriage, we spent the night before the wedding together – but we really wanted to preserve others.’’

Sarath’s mother went to India especially to select the attire for the grooms and the entire wedding party to wear at the Hindu ceremony.

Christopher Piggott-McKellar and Sarath Bodapati. Picture: William Gordon Photography

“Our wedding was spread across three days, starting with a haldi ceremony on the Friday where our families prepared us as grooms by cleansing us with turmeric water and offering special blessings,” says Sarath.

“The main ceremony and reception were held on the Saturday at Parliament House and City Hall, with a family event on Sunday. We were very grateful to find Hindu priests – known as pandits – who were willing to conduct a ceremony for a same-sex couple based on Hindu tradition.

“The most important thing was having all the special people in our lives – all 370 guests – together in the same place at the same time. It was the best feeling.”

Christopher Piggott-McKellar and Sarath Bodapati. Picture: William Gordon Photography

“Our wedding was a bit glitzy – champagne and Cartier – but it was perfect and had soul,” Christopher says. “The pandits conducted the ceremony in Sanskrit, but translated important parts in English, which was helpful for our friends and family who hadn’t been to an Indian ceremony before.

“Family is of central importance to us, so we had our nieces and nephews as flower girls and pageboys, our siblings were in the grooms’ parties dressed in traditional Indian attire, and the ceremony was led and concluded by elder women who have a special place in our lives.

“My mum made us special ring pillows with pineapples – which is a universal symbol of hospitality.

“Our relationship had its challenges given Sarath’s Indian background, but the broader community came out in strong support of us at our wedding and we were very grateful for that.

“For the reception, we opted for a black tie/formal Indian dress code to preserve the sense of tradition.

“Our first dance was an Indian, Bollywood-style dance choreographed by the Tapori Squad.”

Christopher Piggott-McKellar and Sarath Bodapati. Picture: William Gordon Photography

How did you meet? In 2015 at Gerard’s Bar (in Fortitude Valley); Christopher thought Sarath was handsome. Sarath thought Christopher was arrogant with nice eyes.

The proposal? We are both highly organised people – but for this, it was a spur of the moment decision! The mutual proposal occurred at Mount Lofty House, Adelaide Hills in April 2023, followed by a swift visit to Cartier the next day to select engagement watches.

Honeymoon? Calile Hotel

Christopher Piggott-McKellar and Sarath Bodapati. Picture: William Gordon Photography

Why did you choose your venues? We wanted classic and stately venues that don’t come and go with the trends – something which would last the test of time like our marriage.

How did you go about choosing your attire? Sarath’s mother went to India especially to select the attire for the grooms and the entire wedding party for the Hindu ceremony. She did an amazing job – co-ordinating so many people isn’t easy! Sarath and Christopher had their reception tuxedos custom-made at Wil Valor, and paired them with Cartier cufflinks.

Any unique details? We hand-wrote individualised notes for each and every guest (yes, all 370 of them!) on the back of the place cards at the reception. We didn’t want anyone to feel as though they were “one of many”.

What was the standout moment? Speeches from our siblings – it’s not often that you hear your siblings say something nice about you!

Christopher Piggott-McKellar and Sarath Bodapati. Picture: William Gordon Photography

What was a wedding non-negotiable for you? Champagne! Champagne! Champagne! We arranged for free-flowing French champagne to be served at both the ceremony and reception.

It was a hit with guests!

Best wedding gift? There is no such thing as a good or bad gift – it’s all about the thought. We were grateful for everything we received.

Top wedding hack? Lock in your venues nice and early. Don’t shortlist too many vendors – one or two for each category is enough.

Christopher Piggott-McKellar and Sarath Bodapati. Picture: William Gordon Photography

Best advice for other couples? At the ceremony and reception, take a moment to pause – look around at what’s going on and take it all in. The day passes so quickly and you really need to take a moment to process it all.

What would you do differently?

Nothing. The day was perfect to us.

The Groom

Dr Sarath Bodapati, 32

Profession Dermatologist

Parents Dr Purushothama (Naidu) Bodapati and Dr Renuka Bodapati

Groom’s party Archana Chacko, Yohan Chacko, Chaitanya Garg, Sameer Garg

Attire (ceremony) Manyavar; tuxedos (reception) Wil Valor

Flowers Kate Dawes Flower Design

Engagement watches Cartier

Wedding rings Cartier

Stylist Chandni Events