Chathurika & Lalitha
Chathurika and Lalitha were married on a Saturday in September at the Sheraton Grand Sydney, Hyde Park — a traditional Sri Lankan Poruwa ceremony, legal vows signed minutes afterwards, and a ballroom reception that evening. One venue, one day, and three quite different rooms to build.
The morning
The day started early. Chathurika and her bridesmaids were in hair and makeup from seven, while downstairs the Grand Ballroom was coming together around them — the room set for the ceremony at one end and for the reception at the other. The bridal flowers arrived first thing. Lalitha and his family checked in mid-morning and gathered in the Phillip Room.
The Poruwa itself was built through the late morning and dressed with florals by early afternoon. Lunch was served to guests and suppliers at midday, and the couple slipped out for their photos — the bridal party across Hyde Park and through the hotel, then family portraits in front of the finished Poruwa.
The Poruwa ceremony
Guests arrived to canapés and drinks and were seated by twenty past four. Then the Kandyan drummers came through the doors and the ceremony began. Chathurika and Lalitha stepped onto the Poruwa together, and the traditional rituals followed in turn. They stepped down close to half past five and lit the oil lamp, and Kandyan dancers carried the celebration out of the room.
The legal ceremony
Rather than a separate day, the official documentation and legal vows followed straight on from the Poruwa, in the same room, in under ten minutes. Guests moved through to the pre-reception area for canapés while it was completed.
The turnaround
At half past five the Grand Ballroom was empty. At half past six, guests sat down to dinner in it. In that hour the room was stripped and reset, the dessert bar was built, the DJ, florists and event technology teams all bumped in together, and Chathurika changed into her reception outfit and was photographed with Lalitha before they walked back in. It is the part of the day nobody in the room sees, and the part a coordinator exists for.
The reception
The bridal party made their entrance at a quarter to seven. Dinner ran alongside the speeches — both sets of parents, the siblings, close friends, the groomsmen and the bridesmaids all took a turn, and a father–daughter dance played out against a slideshow the family had put together. The couple cut their cake, said their own thank-yous, and opened the floor with a bridal waltz. The dance floor stayed busy until midnight.
Our role
Chathurika and Lalitha had chosen their suppliers themselves. We came in to coordinate — building the final runsheet, briefing every supplier against it in the weeks beforehand, and then running the day from the first hair and makeup call to the last bump-out just before midnight. The ceremony-to-reception turnaround was the piece we planned hardest for, and it is the reason the evening felt unhurried from the inside.
Planning a Sri Lankan or South Asian wedding with suppliers you’ve already chosen? Our Wedding Coordination service is made for exactly this. See more real weddings, or tell us about your day.
We wanted to thank you both for your efforts in making Chat and Lalitha’s special event go as smoothly as possible. Many of our friends and family also commended on it. We really appreciate it. Having you there working behind the scenes made it easy not only for La and Chat but also for all of us. Thanks again — you did a great job!
Lalitha’s parents
Credits
- Venue: Sheraton Grand Sydney, Hyde Park
- Photography: Southern Light (Jay Valabjee)
- Film: Film Drop
- Poruwa, Kandyan drummers & dancers: Dinesh
- Décor & florals: Divine Events
- Catering: Paddock to Plate
- Celebrant: Nick Bone Legal
- Hair & makeup: Gather & Stitch Beauty
- Cake & dessert: Sweet Spot Patisserie
- DJ: Star DJ Hire
- Event technology: Encore Event Technologies
- Additional suppliers: Ethniq Wedding
