Couple get married under the sea at Kovalam

Thiruvananthapuram: In a unique wedding ceremony, an Indian groom and his Slovakian bride exchanged wedding vows under the sea just off the coast of nearby Kovalam Thursday.

The couple-- Nikil Pawar from Maharashtra and Eunika Pogran-- in their wedding attire and scuba gear exchanged rings and specially designed garlands made of shells undersea in a brief ceremony.

The one hour wedding ceremony was held this morning at Kovalam, the picturesque beach here that is promoting itself as a wedding destination.

A small podium was made under the sea where the couple could stand and perform the ceremony, Jackson, one of the managing partners of Bond Safari, Kovalam, which organised the wedding, said.

Printed questions that are part of weddings were shown to the couple to which they replied I do in sign language, the organisers said.

Pawar, who works as a diver at Kovalam, told reporters after they emerged from the waters that "it was a dream come true" to get married undersea, while Eunika said though she enjoyed it, she was a "bit nervous".

The organisers claimed that this was the first undersea wedding in India.

The couple, whose close friends attended the wedding, said they would register their marriage in Maharashtra.