Inside Keshav Suri and Cyril Feuillebois' multi-city wedding celebrations
From a proposal in Paris to spectacular performances by drag queens in Goa to a reception in New Delhi, this same-sex, multicultural wedding between the Indian hospitality tycoon and his French entrepreneur beau was an unmissable one
On the morning of June 8, 2018, his last day as a single man, Cyril Feuillebois woke up in a suite at the exclusive Mandarin Oriental, Paris, in jitters. And so nervous was his fiancé, Keshav Suri on their wedding day that, even though the couple had been together for over a decade, he couldn’t help but joke during the civil ceremony in front of the priest as well as his mother, two aunts, three sisters, brother-in-law and his best friend Neeha Nagpal who were in attendance.
Both Suri and Feuillebois are known names in their own right—Suri is the executive director of The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group, founder of the award-winning nightclub KittySu and co-founder of Keshav Suri Foundation; while his long-time partner, Feuillebois is the founder of cosmetics brand Kronokare. The two have been partners for a decade, and have been proud flag-bearers of the LGBTQIA+ community in India, with Suri being one of the key names behind the Section 377 verdict.
The first date
As with most modern love stories, romance struck with this couple when Neeha Nagpal (a supreme court lawyer who later went on to file his 377 writ petition) decided to play cupid. “We met at a party at the 24/7 Bar at my hotel, The Lalit, New Delhi. It was an instant connection. Little did we know that ten years later, we would be talking about our relationship with you,” enthuses Suri, recounting their first encounter. Feuillebois lived in Goa back then and invited Suri to visit him, who obliged. At the end of this trip, the hotelier was as taken by Feuillebois’ no-holds-barred attitude, as the Frenchman was with Suri’s exuberance.
The proposal
Although the couple called New Delhi their home by 2014, they found common ground in their unwavering love for travel and food. This led them to traverse the length and breadth of the world, from Buenos Aires to Milan, over the years. In December 2017, a jaunt to Paris turned out to be one of the most important pitstops the couple would make. “One evening, we took a boat ride on the river Seine; we were happy spending a marvellous time together. We reached the Eiffel Tower, and exactly when it lit up, Cyril proposed. The proposal was magical, and completely unexpected,” reveals Suri.
The wedding planning
While planning a wedding would seem like the next natural step after the engagement, Suri and Feuillebois’ relationship wasn’t recognised by the law back home in India. “Since this was not a usual affair, we planned an intimate wedding with our immediate families in Paris,” says Suri. Their union propelled him to lead a petition with the Supreme Court to challenge Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which criminalised a consensual relationship between adults of the same sex, in April 2018.
Since Suri’s focus was shifted to this uphill battle for fundamental rights for the LGBTQIA+ community, his mother Dr Jyotsna Suri and Feuillebois planned most aspects of the wedding. “The whole of 2018 went in planning and executing two weddings, one in Paris and another in Goa. Working on every minute detail for all the occasions, my mother, Cyril and I, have all become professional wedding planners,” jokes Suri.
Keshav Suri and Cyril Feuillebois’ civil wedding ceremony in Paris
The duo got married on the 10th anniversary of the day they met, on June 8, 2018. Clad in Shantanu & Nikhil bandhgalas, Suri and Feuillebois tied the knot in a civil ceremony at the local mairie (municipality town hall). “The official signing took place in Paris. Both Cyril’s immediate family and mine were present. After the signing, we hosted a family dinner cruise on the river Seine. It was the same ambience as Cyril’s proposal. It was as incredible a moment as it was intimate,” remembers Suri.
The celebrations in Goa
In a landmark judgement on September 6, 2018, the Supreme Court struck down the colonial-era law that criminalised same-sex relations, and put forward another occasion for the couple to live it up. “Cyril and I wanted to celebrate the two massive moments in our lives—our wedding and the verdict—with our immediate family and close friends. The Goa celebrations were an intimate affair with a lot of meaning, not only for us, but also for our loved ones, who have seen our journey over the past ten years. With people who are family to us, there were no guests. Everyone was part of the celebrations. Even though it was an intimate affair, we knew we were doing something historic,” Suri says.
The vision for the Goa celebrations
The festivities were all about #Kitcyphrenia—a portmanteau of the couple’s nicknames, Kitty and Cycy. “We both are frenetic, and that’s why the celebrations were called #Kitcyphrenia,” laughs Suri. His eponymous hospitality group owns 14 hotels (13 in India and one in London)—all equipped with wedding professionals. And hence, it was no surprise when it came to choosing a venue. “Lalit Golf & Spa Resort Goa—a beautiful property of about 90 acres with a kilometre-long beach front—was the obvious choice. It is the place where our romance kindled, and so it was close to our hearts. This Goa hotel opened with my sister Shradha’s wedding 14 years ago, and then we celebrated my wedding,” he says.
The welcome ceremony and pool party
Suri’s brief for his wedding was simple: “It has to be the gayest wedding ever!” The events were also staggered ideally, allowing guests to chill at the beach in Goa or at the hotel’s spa or restaurants during the day, and their hair loose at the evening parties. The first in a line of celebrations was an early evening pool party on November 29, 2018, with a ‘Sunglasses & Sunscreen’ theme. “The events were an extension of our personalities and choices,” Suri says. The fun evening was infused with a contemporary vibe—in-house DJs and percussionist played the music, and the entire venue was enveloped in scented KronoKare candles, white and yellow roses, lilies and orchids.
Keeping with the theme, Feuillebois wore a black floral co-ordinated shirt and shorts by Shivan & Narresh for the pool party, complemented with a fedora by Borsalino Hats. Suri opted for a coordinating ensemble, featuring a shirt by London-based designer Edward Crutchley and a cape by H A N N A N – Bhaavya Bhatnagar.
The ring exchange and after-party
November 30 saw the sunset ceremony at the beach where “we exchanged rings, garlands and vows,” Feuillebois says. Awash in white with pops of pastel pinks, the mandap featured roses, hydrangeas and orchids, with sweeping views of the sea as the backdrop. At this ceremony, both wore monochrome outfits by Shivan & Narresh. Suri opted or a black sherwani with a gold embellished bandgala and shoes by Dutch brand Ruparo for the ceremony, and Feuillebois wore an all-white bandhgala with Jean Baptiste Rautureau shoes.
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