Top 5 Planners in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka's wedding planning industry has grown rapidly, largely thanks to people who didn't originally plan weddings: those who abandoned corporate careers midway through, decor businesses that outgrew their original scope, and individuals who turned a friend's wedding into a second career. The island's geography has a significant impact on how these studios operate. There is no domestic airline to facilitate travel between Colombo and the best beaches in the south, hotels often cannot accommodate the larger numbers of guests that bigger weddings require, and the tourism board is now actively promoting Sri Lanka as a destination wedding market in its own right. Add to that the waterfalls, colonial-era hotels and some of the most photographed coastline in Asia, and it's easy to see why so many international couples choose to get married here. Here are five planners who are shaping some of the country's most talked-about celebrations.
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Anywhera Events
Kasun Rathnayake and Ayesha Shamendi founded Anywhera Events in Colombo in 2018, straight after graduating from university. They built the studio around a passion for design and creating meaningful weddings that touch people's hearts. Their first wedding was an intimate ceremony facing the lagoon for a British couple with Sri Lankan roots, and the studio has since expanded to include international work, such as their first outbound wedding in Singapore.
"Our philosophy is to approach every wedding as a unique experience," they say, describing their particular love of "multicultural destination weddings because they allow us to bring different traditions, cultures and stories together in one meaningful celebration." One of their most unusual requests involved chartering a train to carry guests from a local railway station directly to the ceremony venue, a first for a Sri Lankan wedding which required navigating entirely new approval processes. Their advice to couples currently planning their wedding is to stay focused: "create a wedding that genuinely reflects your personality and story, rather than simply following trends."
Hemant Dadlani Weddings
Hemant Dadlani has spent more than two decades building Hemant Dadlani Weddings and Events in Colombo. He describes his entry into the industry as a simple matter of following his passions: "weddings brought together everything I enjoyed, creativity, planning, people, design, and the excitement of seeing an idea come to life." His philosophy puts the couple at the absolute centre: "we believe in creating celebrations that have meaning and personality, where every detail, big or small, has a connection to the couple."
What stays with him longest isn't any single event, but what happens afterwards: "our couples become a growing family to us, we stay connected, watch them grow from newlyweds into families, celebrate their milestones, and feel privileged to remain part of their lives." His advice to couples currently planning their weddings reflects that same philosophy: "keep the heart at the core and remember that the wedding is about the two of you." His advice to his younger self is equally grounded: "don't chase every trend, build your own identity."
Magical Moments by Charm
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Charm Dias spent seventeen years in the corporate sector before leaving in 2013 to found Magical Moments by Charm. She was drawn to the idea of planning weddings because "every single detail of a wedding excited me, from developing the initial concept and designing the setting to bringing together all the little elements that make a celebration truly personal and memorable." She now sits on the board of the Event Management Association of Sri Lanka and collaborates directly with Sri Lanka Tourism to promote the country as a wedding destination.
Her first destination wedding, twelve years ago, opened the floodgates to the destination weddings she is now known for. Built around an adventure-loving couple who wanted everything out of the ordinary, it spanned four days and included an elephant polo match and a chartered ride on Sri Lanka's last remaining steam train. Her most recent destination wedding, for an Indian and Eastern European couple, spanned three days and six events, each with an elaborate setup, though details are being kept under wraps while the wedding is reviewed for features in international wedding magazines. Her advice to couples currently planning is practical: "set a realistic budget that you are comfortable with, and then make sure your expectations match that budget."
Weddings by Suranga
Suranga Fernando founded Weddings by Suranga in Colombo in 2015. The studio has built its reputation on a particular kind of confidence: "our specialty is being able to envision your entire day based on just one sample picture, a favourite colour, or even your unique love story." The team sees itself not as a follower of the industry, but as a shaper of it: "we don't follow trends, we set them."
The studio says that whether the celebration is "an intimate affair for twenty or a gala ceremony for a thousand," its focus remains the same: to add "a touch of elegance and finesse to make your celebration a personalised experience like never before." The team recommends booking nine to twelve months in advance to secure the best venues and vendors, and advises allowing extra time for destination or multi-day weddings.
Cherish Luxury Weddings & Events
Rinosha Ifthikar founded Cherish Luxury Weddings & Events after spending years planning weddings at weekends and during the holidays while pursuing a career in the corporate world. This venture began with a single favour for a close friend. "What started as a simple favour quickly became something I was deeply passionate about," she says. Three years ago, she committed to the business full-time, bringing her marketing background, MBA and international experience in the UK to every project. With over ten years of experience in wedding planning, she has planned several notable weddings, some of which have been featured in Vogue India and other leading media publications.
"What truly matters to me is the connection I build with each couple," she says, "guiding you, supporting you, and ensuring you feel confident and cared for every step of the way." The studio now has a small in-house team covering planning, coordination and creative direction. They specialise in everything from intimate ceremonies to "lavish multi-day celebrations" for couples flying in from abroad.
Lagoon-facing ceremonies, chartered steam trains, elephant polo matches, and entire wedding days built around a single reference photo: Sri Lanka's planners have learned to treat limitations as creative challenges rather than obstacles, whether due to a shortage of large venues or the lack of a domestic airline to transport guests between the island's coasts. Several of these studios were founded by individuals who left behind entirely different careers, such as corporate jobs, marketing and decor work, to pursue this path instead, and that outsider's instinct for reinvention is evident in their bold approach to each new request. If Sri Lanka is on your radar as a wedding destination, an island small enough to cross coast to coast in a day yet varied enough to offer colonial hotels, rainforest, and some of the most photographed beaches in Asia, the planners above are a strong place to start. Browse their profiles on Wezoree, compare their work, and message the ones who feel like the right fit for your day.
Cover photo @amarante_studios
