COSTA FASCINOSA HOSTS THE MOST EAGERLY AWAITED INDIAN WEDDING OF THE YEAR

The UAE-based Indian business tycoon Rizwan Sajan has made an exclusive booking for a whole ship from the Costa fleet, to celebrate the wedding of his son Adel Sajan.  

There are over 1,000 guests, among them numerous Bollywood stars, who will celebrate on board during a Mediterranean cruise which will touch Italy, Spain and France

by Shrutee K/DNS

Mumbai : An entire cruise ship has been booked to celebrate a fairy-tale wedding. For the first time ever, a ship from the Costa Cruises fleet has been reserved exclusively for the celebration of a sumptuous wedding. From the 6th to the 9th April 2017, Costa Fascinosa (114,500 gross tonnage and maximum guest capacity of 3,800) will set sail on the Mediterranean as venue for the nuptials of Adel Sajan, son of the Indian industrialist Rizwan Sajan who is Founder and Chairman of the Danube Group, the leading building materials company head-quartered in Dubai. During the cruise, Adel Sajan, director of the Danube Group, will marry the charming Sana Khan, dentist, beauty queen, artist and writer.

Four days of festivities will be held in true “Bollywood” style, which will be executed by India’s leading wedding planners- Wedniksha and will bring together over 1,000 guests, including show business stars and personalities primarily from India and the Arab Emirates. Costa Fascinosa will set sail from Genoa on the 5th of April with the bridal couple, their families and a staff specially selected for the occasion on board; it will dock at Barcelona where on the 6th April the guests will embark and will kick-start the celebration with a welcome dinner. It will then arrive in Marseilles on the 7th of April, where the guests will enjoy the day of excursions around town before bringing in the evening celebrations. The day after that, the cruise will set a course towards Cannes, where, on board the ship anchored in the bay, the marriage will be celebrated. The cruise will end on the 9th of April at Savona. 

The cruise programme includes themed parties in many of the different venues on Costa Fascinosa, gala dinners, parties and shows by special guests. The wedding itself will follow the traditional Indian rites in an updated style on board the ship. The Sangeet, planned for Friday 7th April, is the traditional party the day before the wedding itself; a ceremony that originally was organised to prepare the bride for the big day, but which, in time, has become a party in honour of both the bride and groom. It will be held in the Costa Fascinosa theatre, which will be specially adapted to host the event. Saturday 8th April is the actual wedding day, which will include a Baraat ceremony and will be concluded with a Grand Gala dinner on the pool deck. The groom, accompanied by family and friends, will parade across the outer decks of the ship to reach his promised bride, who is waiting for him in a real miniature castle which will be sumptuously decorated for the occasion. The cuisine on offer will be exceptional: there will over 75 chefs on board the Costa Fascinosa, carefully chosen by the Sajan family. These chefs will have the task of guiding the galley brigade in preparing a multitude of cuisines. These will be added to some typical Italian dishes, which are a distinctive element of the Costa Cruises experience. Moreover, the guests can indulge in a plethora of beverages and spirits including Chivas 18, Blue Label and the best of Champagnes and wines. 

Among the stars who will be on-board for the occasion are some of the most popular show business personalities in India, such as the actresses Gauhar Khan, Bollywood star and winner of the latest Bigg Boss’ reality show edition, Shilpa and Shamita Shetty, Dia Mirza, the rapper Badshah, the Meet Bros and Vishal-Shekhar, authors of songs that have also been used as famous Bollywood film soundtracks. 

“In our recent history, this is the first time a whole ship has been exclusively booked by a private individual for a family celebration. We are truly delighted and honoured that the Sajan family has chosen Costa Cruises and this is further confirmation of the global appreciation of Italian style and quality. We have, in fact, been the first to introduce cruises in new markets such as China, the Emirates as well as in India, where recently we introduced a new itinerary allowing many countries to discover the best of Italy. We will do our utmost to make this a truly unforgettable wedding” – commented Neil Palomba President of Costa Cruises. Costa Fascinosa will change its look, and put on the colours and charms of the Indian traditions, with every detail meticulously taken care of. For this event, even the cards used for access to the cabins will be personalised. Furthermore, each guest will be allocated a suite or balcony cabin with the use of the respective internal cabin as a personal wardrobe.

Commenting on the joyous occasion, Rizwan Sajan, Founder and Chairman of Danube Group, said, “The wedding of my only son Adel is by far the most awaited event of my life and words cannot express the joy I feel. My wife Sameera and I are eager to welcome the lovely Sana in our family and look forward to extending a long and joyful relationship with the entire Khan family. We have planned a unique celebration for all our guested and have gauged every little detail of the wedding to make it special for the couple. As the date draws closer, we are excited to host all our distinguished guests and await the merriments that the union of Sana and Adel will bring. ” 

Originating from Mumbai, the Sajan family has been operating in Dubai since the ’90s in the building materials industry. The entrepreneurial capacity of its founder and president, Rizwan Sajan, has developed and expanded the Danube Group, making it now a benchmark for the building industry in the Arab Emirates. For the third consecutive year, Rizwan Sajan appears in the Forbes Middle East ranking as one of the most powerful Indians in the Emirates and held the twelfth place, in 2016.

Costa Cruises is an Italian company that is part of Carnival Corporation & plc, the largest cruise group in the world. For 69 years the ships of the Costa fleet have been travelling the world's seas offering hospitality and authentic Italian style holidays, distinguished by exquisite food, fine wines, unique shopping experiences, and a comprehensive selection of famous Italian brands. Currently the Costa fleet has 15 ships in service, all flying the Italian flag. Two new latest generation vessels are expected in 2019 and 2021. They will be fuelled by liquefied natural gas (LNG), the world's "cleanest fossil fuel", and a real environmental innovation. Costa represents Italian excellence, and every day surpasses the expectations of its guests with a unique and unforgettable holiday experience. It does this thanks to the approximately 19,000 employees around the world who work to provide the best of Italy on board, with 137 different routes, 261 destinations and 60 ports of embarkation.       

Danube Group was founded and established by Mr. Rizwan Sajan in 1993. Mr. Rizwan Sajan was 12th on Top 100 Indian leaders in the UAE List by Forbes Middle East. Over the years the Group has grown steadily from a small trading firm to being the no. 1 building materials company in the region, with its diversified branches worldwide. Danube Group recorded AED 5.13 billion turnover in 2015. Divisions- Danube Building Materials FZCO (The leader in building materials in the region); Danube Home (The retail arm (home interior/ décor solutions); Milano (Bath products & solutions with innovative technologies & water saving features); Danube Properties (The residential property development entity); DanubeDirect.com (An exciting new way to buy products (home solutions/ electronics) online at significant savings); Danube F&B (Cha Cha Chai Café & Lounge, serves premium tea blends in a relaxed atmosphere, along with snacks and food); Danube Fashions (Tudors- Shirts, Xti- Footwear); Danube Systems (Security & Smart Home Solutions provider of more than 150 leading international brands in the security & IoT field)and Alucopanel Middle East LLC (Architectural applications such as external and interior claddings, roof covering, and ceilings of buildings).