India

We drove the new Hyundai Verna to Visakhapatnam to experience the charm of a destination wedding.
Special Feature Destination Weddings with Hyundai Verna

IN A FEW YEARS, A DECADE WOULD HAVE elapsed since I graduated from college and, of late, my social media accounts have developed a consistency in pattern. Most of my friends are either attending weddings of other people our age or getting married themselves. What I should have done is taken a break from social media but that was when I was introduced to the concept of “destination weddings”. Evidently, it is not enough that two people get married; this format is about getting them married at beautiful locations.

If it sounds like a bother for guests, perhaps, one is perceiving it the wrong way. From the perspective of a driving enthusiast, it looks like one is invited to a lavish party at the end of a road trip. Why bother with all the hassle of logistics and travel when there is an option to drive there? We decided to attend a destination wedding and verify if it was beneficial to people who liked nice cars and long drives. For that, we needed a car whose style matched its ability to cover long distances in comfort and the new Hyundai Verna fit the bill perfectly.

In order to get away from the urban chaos, a couple who had roots in both Andhra Pradesh and Odisha were looking for a wedding venue. It had to be a location that offered copious amounts of beauty and tranquillity and they chose the coastal city of Visakhapatnam. Although it is one of the most populous cities in Andhra Pradesh, towards its northern outskirts, Visakhapatnam offers some stunning and tranquil beaches. That part of town is far removed from the hustle and bustle of the city. A wedding by the seaside for the lovely couple then.

As a bachelor who has not attended many weddings, my knowledge of the subject was limited, so I decided to seek the help Rahul had many interesting tips and tales to share of a professional who has been in the field for a little more than 10 years now. He has not been marrying professionally but he has been capturing the once-in-a-lifetime moments that reveal themselves only at weddings.

Rahul Soman is a wedding photographer and founder of the successful company, Jumping Souls. They cover and curate exhaustive content at weddings. He started with photography then bolstered his skill set with editing. His growing reputation encouraged him to expand his business and that is how Jumping Souls was born. Soman is a well-awarded photographer and some of his accolades include the Fearless Award, the Wedaward (30 times), and the Wedding Sutra Award in addition to multiple international awards.

According to Soman, Visakhapatnam is one of the most popular Indian cities for destination weddings. With its own airport and an abundance of luxury resorts/venues along the northern coast, this city had everything to make life easy for guests and just as special for the newly weds. However, my interest was captured solely by the road that snaked along the coastline. We were in the top-of-the-line Hyundai Verna, the 1.5-litre, turbo-petrol model equipped with the seven-speed DCT—a car that appreciates good roads and long drives.

Visakhapatnam did not disappoint and neither did the Verna. With 160 hp on tap, it is the most powerful sedan in its segment and it is fully equipped to move at a good clip. More importantly, it juggles style and comfort effortlessly.

Rushikonda has among the most beautiful beaches in the city and it is maintained by an extremely diligent state tourism board. Not only are the roads in spotless condition, so is the landscaping along the coast. For any of the guests who chose to drive to the wedding, the sights along the way would have certainly made their road trip extremely memorable. Along the twisty sections, the Verna was a joy to drive. Since the car had disc brakes all around, I was confident entering a corner on the brake and then bleeding it off to dial in the power. In Sport mode, the tachometer’s race to the red-line was thrilling to behold. As the roads opened up, I switched the transmission to the manual mode and quickly got addicted to using the paddle-shifters to change gears. Then came roads that mimicked the natural curve of the coastline. On such stretches, I would flick the transmission back into automatic mode and a steady application of throttle was all that was needed to keep up the pace. That is what makes this car special; its ability to be fun and the ease which with it covers distance with minimal effort.

Almost everyone who was within 500 kilometres of the location had elected to drive to the venue. Within a few hours, the wedding was in full swing. Everybody seemed to be in good spirits and the general vibe at the location was considerably better than any regular wedding. People just seemed to be more relaxed and somehow more conducive to celebrate a moment instead of planning an early exit to avoid traffic. What would have been a ceremony at a local place of worship followed by a reception at a nearby hall had instantly transformed into a spectacular event and a chance for the bride and bridegroom’s families to get to know each other better over the next couple of days. Of course, with a car like the Verna, people could also go and explore a bit of Visakhapatnam, take in its sights and regional food.

When asked about the biggest challenge of wedding photography, Soman’s reply was simple: there are no retakes. Clicking the right photo at the right moment is crucial in his line of work. Something that he appreciated about the Verna’s DCT too. It shifted smoothly and was quick to respond, completing overtakes without leaving room for any second guesses or hesitation. A wedding photographer has to be on his toes throughout the event and it is certainly not a one-man job, which is why Soman had brought along a team. They worked like trained operatives, aiming and shooting multiple targets in tandem without ever alerting anyone to their presence. As a spectator, it was tiring for me to watch and I could not help but feel that each of those photographers would have loved to sink into the comfortable cabin of the Verna. Good air-conditioning is a crucial element of a long drive, especially in a place as humid as Visakhapatnam, and the Verna comes with an automatic system that works quickly; further supplemented by ventilated seats and an excellent Bose sound system.

With a portfolio of work that is as diverse as India’s culture, Soman and crew are among the well-travelled photographers in the country. After a drive in the Verna, he was suitably impressed by the car’s abilities and features. He found the car shared core traits with his prized camera equipment. They include speed, smoothness, and ease of use. We had a good time experiencing the intricacies of destination weddings and the complications of wedding photography. Best of all, we appreciated how the Verna made everything enjoyable effortlessly. Effortlessly; that is the keyword.