The 1970s television series Love Boat has inspired many to tie a glamorous couple and a cruise ship into a wedding at sea. Yet one family has taken this a step further and booked an entire cruise ship to celebrate a fairy-tale wedding.

Before calling at Grand Harbour next week, the 114,000-ton cruise ship Costa Fascinosa will be reserved exclusively for the sumptuous wedding of an Indian tycoon's son.

This is the first time in the history of cruising that one person has rented an entire ship for a private event.

“This is the first time in my career that I’ve been given such an opportunity,” ship’s captain Pasquale Arena told the Times of Malta.

The Costa Fascinosa flies the Italian flag.

The cruise liner will be the venue for the nuptials of Adel Sajan, son of Indian industrialist Rizwan Sajan, founder and chairman of the Danube Group, a leading building materials company headquartered in Dubai. He will marry Sana Khan, dentist, beauty queen, artist and writer.

Four days of festivities will be held in true Bollywood style, with over 1,000 guests, including show business stars primarily from India and the Emirates.

The Costa Fascinosa will set sail from Genoa tomorrow with the wedding couple, their families and staff specially selected for the occasion on board. It will change its look and adopt the colours and charms of Indian traditions, with every detail meticulously taken care of.

The ship will dock in Barcelona, where on Thursday the guests will embark and kick-start the celebration with a welcome dinner. It will then arrive in Marseilles on Friday, where the guests will enjoy a day of excursions around town before the evening celebrations.

The sangeet, a ceremony that was organised originally to prepare the bride for the big day but which has become a party in honour of both the bride and groom, is also planned for Friday.

It will be held in the Costa Fascinosa theatre, which will be specially adapted to host the event.

The following day, the cruise will set its course for Cannes, where on board the ship anchored in the bay, the marriage will be celebrated. It will include a baraat ceremony and will conclude with a grand gala dinner on the pool deck.

The groom, accompanied by his family and friends, will parade across the outer decks of the ship to reach his betrothed, who will be waiting for him in a miniature castle decorated for the occasion.

The Costa Fascinosa will host four days of festivities, Bollywood style.

Commenting on the joyous occasion, Rizwan Sajan said: “The wedding of my only son Adel is by far the most awaited event of my life, and words cannot express the joy I feel.

“We are excited to host all of our distinguished guests and await the merriments that the union of Sana and Adel will bring.”

The cruise ends in Savona, Italy, on Sunday, the ship having departed for its seven-day western Mediterranean itinerary – visiting Naples, Palermo, Valletta, Barcelona, Marseilles and Savona – in the afternoon.

The Costa Fascinosa will continue to  visit Malta every Wednesday for the next six weeks.