India, Aug. 23 -- Last month, a young couple from New York City exchanged vows on a calm beach in Kerala's ancient port town of Kollam on the Arabian Sea in a simple ceremony attended by close family and friends. The bride and bridegroom, both Indian-Americans, had been dreaming of tying the knot on a palm-fringed beach for years.

"It was, in fact, the bride who wanted to have the wedding on a beach and the families quickly embraced the idea," says Renjith Jacob, General Manager of the Quilon Beach Hotel, which managed the marriage ceremony.

"The beach was calm and the waves were breaking gently onto the shore against a setting sun. There were about 200 guests, all close family and friends from America and Kerala, who had gathered on th...