When photographer Pooja Shah and data scientist Akhil Bhargava chose to marry at Kenya’s Swahili Beach Resort, it was never about a destination in the traditional sense. It was about returning to a place that shaped their identities, honoring layered heritage, and creating a celebration that felt deeply rooted in meaning rather than spectacle alone.
Pooja, the creative director behind Chicago’s Tembo Tones LLC, was born in Minnesota and raised along the Swahili coast in Mombasa. Her upbringing sits at the intersection of Gujarati tradition and East African culture, a duality that informs both her creative work and her worldview. Akhil, born in Australia and raised in Minnesota with roots in Rajasthan, brings his own global perspective. Together, their story is one of migration, memory, and connection across continents.
Kenya, for Pooja and Akhil, represented home. Not just geographically, but emotionally. The Swahili concept of hospitality, where every guest is treated like family, shaped the tone of the entire weekend. Life on the coast moves at pole pole pace, softened by ocean air and generosity of spirit. Swahili Beach Resort embodied this ethos perfectly with its limewashed walls, Arabic-influenced domes, cascading pools, ancient trees preserved through renovation, and even monkeys roaming freely. It felt less like a venue and more like destiny.
Across three days, the celebration unfolded with intention and symbolism. Each event ascended in elevation, beginning at sea level by the ocean, moving through garden spaces, and culminating beneath the resort’s grand entrance lawns. It was a quiet metaphor for two lives rising together.
Guests were welcomed with Maasai blessings, hand-wrapped kitenge fans, Swahili cuisine, and music by East African artists during a vibrant Swahili Sundowner. The following day brought Pooja’s serene Mandvo beneath gold-leaf domes, an oceanside haldi that ended with the couple rinsing turmeric in the Indian Ocean, and a Sangeet inspired by Jaipur’s Sheesh Mahal, transformed into a mirror-lined wonderland alive with Afrohouse rhythms.
The wedding ceremony itself took place beneath a grand tree bathed in golden light. One of the most profound moments came when a recording of Pooja’s late grandfather reciting the Shanti Path played through the ceremony, bridging generations and geographies in a way that left few dry eyes. The celebration concluded with pangat-style dining, where guests ate side by side, reinforcing the couple’s belief in community and equality.
Fashion throughout the weekend mirrored the cultural fusion at the heart of the celebration. Pooja wore designs by Masaba, Raw Mango, Banarasi Baihak, and Marwar Couture, paired with heirloom jewelry and Kenyan artisanal accents. Akhil blended Sabyasachi classics with Swahili beadwork, creating a visual dialogue between heritage and personal expression.
The journey ended where Pooja’s love for photography first began: in the wild. At Solio Lodge in Laikipia, the couple experienced Kenya’s landscape in its most intimate form, from rhinos grazing outside their room to giraffes curiously circling them during a bush breakfast. It was grounding, humbling, and deeply connected to the land they hold dear.
Published in VOGUE India, Pooja and Akhil’s wedding is a powerful reminder that the most meaningful celebrations go beyond aesthetics. By centering culture, honoring place, and supporting local communities, they created not just a wedding, but a living story of love, legacy, and belonging.
