Affairs to Remember: The Big Fat Indian Summer Weddings of 2018

A peek into the Bhupal-Reddy, Ambani-Mehta, Patel-Soni, Vachani-Virani, and Kapoor-Ahuja weddings.

The most high profile summer weddings of 2018, where pretty brides made for even prettier pictures! 

(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)

While the media went gaga over the star-studded Sonam Kapoor-Anand Ahuja wedding and Akash-Shloka engagement, we list all the top-of-the-line summer weddings Indians witnessed this season.

From the subtle, diamond-studded Bhupal-Reddy Paris-meets-Hyderabad wedding celebrations, to the recently concluded political-cricket-Bollywood-business wedding extravaganza of Praful Patel’s youngest daughter, Poorna to Namit Soni - the list boasts some very big names.

So sit back, or may be lie down - because we bet the pictures are going to take you into a dream world.

1. The Bhupal-Reddy Wedding

Almost socialist in its soberness, the Bhupal-Reddy wedding in more ways than one harked back to the good old days, when the very wealthy preferred discretion over paparazzi snaps floating all over the internet (if you don’t count the flashy AF diamonds).

For the uninitiated, Shriya Bhupal is the granddaughter of Hyderabad tycoon Dr GVK Reddy (her mom, Shalini is his daughter), and Anindith Reddy belongs to the Apollo Hospitals family (grandson of the Chairman and Founder, Prathap C Reddy). Shriya and Anindith tied the knot, which was solemnised by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, in Hyderabad on July 6, 2018.

Shriya and Anindith tied the knot, which was solemnised by Sadhguru, Jaggi Vasudev, in Hyderabad on July 6, 2018.

Interestingly, childhood sweethearts Shriya and Anindath dated each other back in school, but eventually moved on to separate paths, only to find their way back to each other – the result being this big fat Telangana wedding.

Shriya certainly looked like a princess! 

Shriya Bhupal and Anindith Reddy walk into the venue. 

Marie Antoinette-themed scented candles from Laduree Paris Thé et Beauté were placed in every room.

The couple arrived in a Louis IV carriage.

The set-up for the engagement bash in Paris. 

The wedding celebrations kicked off with a lavish pre-wedding masquerade ball at the historic Château de Chantilly in Paris, where the bride-to-be picked a graceful flaming red Giambattista Valli tiered gown and gold crown, that one couldn’t stop swooning over. The couple arrived in a Louis IV carriage where guests were greeted by musicians and ballet dancers dressed in period costumes.

This was followed by a pre-wedding sangeet-mehendi at the Taj Krishna, Hyderabad, where she wore a gorgeous off-shoulder ivory Elie Saab couture gown with beautiful diamond jewellery.

Anindith and Shriya looked like a million bucks during their sangeet ceremony at Taj Krishna in Hyderabad. 

Shriya wore a gorgeous outfit with a long trail looking like an absolute princess! 

Check out this emerald and diamond headgear! Isn’t it stunning?

Dia Mehta Bhupal photographed against a beautiful floral backdrop. 

A beautiful floral decor for the Mehendi-Sangeet at Taj Krishna, Hyderabad. 

The women in the Reddy family pampering the groom, Anindith during his haldi ceremony. 

But the best was yet to come! For the nuptials, Shriya wore a beautiful blush pink Tarun Tahiliani saree with heirloom jewellery and an intricate gajra braid. On the other hand, the groom, Anindith wore a simple cream-coloured sherwani, and a heavy royal stole. Shriya later chose a delicate pink lehenga, again by Tarun Tahiliani, with a scalloped veil and lots of diamonds for her entry and jaimala ceremony. Don’t miss the diamond-studded belt and jaimala flaunting Thai-flowers!

Shriya Bhupal and Anindith Reddy during their phera ceremony. 

We particularly loved her jewellery in this one!

Outfit 3 of the wedding day. Ohh look at that gorgeous diamond studded belt! 

Ramcharan and wife Upasana along with the newly married couple. 

During the wedding, Shriya chose a lehenga with a veil that covered her face. It seems that the veil was specifically designed for this purpose. The veil had a golden border with a broad cut-work and dropping pearls that looked absolutely fab!

Among popular names, the guest list included Anindith's cousin Upasana Kamineni, who attended the bash along with her superstar husband Ram Charan. There was Namrita Shirdokar, who is also a close friend of Shriya's sister-in-law Dia Mehta Bhupal, along with her children. Mother-to-be Sania Mirza also turned up dressed in her best for the celebration. Clearly, when you are the heiress to a multi-million-dollar empire, your dream wedding has no limits!

(L to R) Ram Charan and his wife Upasana, Sania Mirza, Pinky Reddy poses with Sangita Reddy during Shriya Bhupal and Anindith Reddy’s wedding ceremony.

2. The Grand Ambani Engagement

The Ambani celebrations presented everything we have come to admire and may be even expect of the super-rich families of 'new India.' From elaborate back to back pre-engagement celebrations, an A-plus celebrity guest list to the media going gaga over who wore what and what’s going to happen next! Everything was a super check.

The three-day grand affair at Mukesh Ambani’s Altamount Road residence, Antilia in south Mumbai welcomed some of the biggest names from Bollywood, politics and cricket. 

Sure you all know by now. But FYI Mukesh Ambani’s 27-year-old son-scion, Akash Ambani, got engaged with diamontaire Russel Mehta’s, 28-year-old daughter Shloka, a girl hand-picked by his parents for possessing all the right credentials on 30 June. The grand affair at Ambani's Altamount Road residence, Antilia in south Mumbai welcomed some of the biggest names from Bollywood, politics and cricket on the occasion. There were numerous pre-engagement parties hosted for different sets of people. But what we admired most was the scale of the events and of course the stunning outfits that adorned the bride-to-be and her crew. Take a look.

Akash Ambani proposed Shloka Mehta in Goa in the presence of his family. Shloka Mehta wore a creation of London label Needle And Thread.

The proposal was followed by an engagement announcement with close family and friends in attendance. 

Shloka wore a custom made brocade Prada dress, while Akash wore a blue suit at the pre-engagement bash. 

Akash Ambani and his bride-to-be Shloka Ambani chose to go traditional for their pre-engagement bash. While Akash chose a shade of maroon, Shloka donned a pink Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla ensemble for the occasion.

And this was the Bollywood flash mob!

For the pre pre-engagemet bash, the bride-to-be opted for an Anamika Khanna navy blue and cream lehenga laced with heavy embroidery. She rounded off her look with diamond earrings, centre-parted hair and pink lips.

Priyanka Chopra nailed her look as she dropped by for Akash and Shloka’s mehendi.  

The decor setup at the Ambani residence. 

The decor setup at the Ambani residence. 

Ayan Mukerji and Ranbir Kapoor too dropped by for the mehendi, after all the two and Akash are football buddies! 

Shloka Mehta was spotted in a decadent gold lehenga, with her soon-to-be sister-in-law Isha Ambani and sister Diya Mehta Jatia for her pre-engagement sangeet. Isha and Diya also wore beautiful Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla ensembles. 

Doesn’t the to-be-Ambani-bride look drop dead gorgeous! 

Neeta Ambani and Shloka Mehta along with guests. 

Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas came for the after party. 

The celebrations began on 27 June with a mehendi ceremony to honour and welcome their bride-to-be, who chose to wear a navy blue Anamika Khanna lehenga. It featured multi-coloured embroidery on the blouse, draped with an ombre dupatta. The celebrations were followed by the official pre-engagement bash the next day. And then the much talked about starry-starry bash took place which was graced by a bevy of stars. From Shah Rukh Khan, Gauri Khan, son Aryan, Ranbir Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan with actor-wife Aishwarya and daughter Aaradhya, the whole of Bollywood was in attendance.

The engagement ceremony was like a typical Bollywood film, where the stars in attendance got together for a flash mob led by none other than Shah Rukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan, Arjun Kapoor and others to the song, Gal Mithi from Sonam Kapoor's film Aisha.

3. The Monaco-Prix Affair

Very silently, unbeknownst to prying eyes, another big fat OTT destination wedding took place in Monte Carlo, Monaco in the month of March. Hong Kong’s Mahir Vachani (whose family is involved with the UAE-based Al Maya Group) married London based Priyanka Virani.

Hong Kong’s Mahir Vachani married London based Priyanka Virani in Monte Carlo, Monaco in the month of March.

Apart from Yuvraj Singh and Hazal Keech, the wedding literally saw every wealthy Sindhi and Gujarati personality, including Rita and Sunil Vaswani from Dubai, Queenie Singh and industrialist husband Rishi Sethia, Neelam and Mukesh Talreja from Mumbai Rachana and Kamal Fabiani from Madrid and even Sangeeta and Madan Assomull from the bay. The bride’s trousseau was designed by Delhi-based couturier Suneet Varma and Manish Malhotra.

The bride and groom exchange garlands! 

Dhol is a must have in an Indian wedding, be it in Monaco as you can see. 

The devil is in the detail, decor set-up for the sangeet night. 

Now that’s what you call a mandap set-up! 

The three-day celebrations that spanned over six exotic locations, kicked off with a welcome party at the Jimmy’z Nightclub, popularly known as the temple of clubbing in Monte Carlo. The mehendi function was held at a historic luxury hotel, followed by a beach side sangeet.

The D-day started with a bang, as one saw the baraat procession lead by a collector’s edition Lamborghini, followed by the groom on a white horse along with a parade. This striking procession was flagged off in a similar manner to a sports car race, following the same route as the Monaco Grand Prix that ends outside the Casino square. Only three weddings have been held here before this, including Prince Ranier’s. The event was said to be so grand that, Prince Albert II of Monaco gave permission for the famous square to be closed to allow this baraat procession to pass.

The groom seen on a white horse during the baarat. 

The bride and groom snapped right after their pheras. 

Priyanka Virani and Mahir Vachani during their sangeet. 

The celebrations started with a welcome party at the Night Club Jimmy’z

The mehendi function was held at Hotel Hermitage, the historic luxury hotel built in the early 1900’s.

On Sunday, the baraat assembled at the Casino Square

The traditional wedding ceremony took place at the Opera House. 

The mandap set-up from the inside of the Opera House.

International DJ Jay Sean kept the guests entertained, while desi popstar Juggy D got the attendees grooving to bhangra at venues like the Monaco Opera House. The reception was held at Monaco’s iconic Sporting Club (which has previously hosted Aerosmith, Lionel Ritchie and others). It was indeed a spectacular affair!

4. The Patel-Soni Wedding

The crème de la crème converged at NSCI Dome in Mumbai to celebrate the nuptials of Poorna Patel (who worked with the Indian Premier League) and Namit Soni (who is a Mumbai based businessman). And why not? After all, apart from serving as Union Minister for Civil Aviation, the father of the bride, Praful Patel is also heir to his late father’s humongous tobacco empire.

Praful Patel’s daughter, Poorna tied the knot with businessman Namit Soni on July 21 in Mumbai. 

Considering both the bride and grooms’ family lineage, we loved how some of Bollywood’s most followed stars and Indian cricketers organically rubbed shoulders with the country’s popular business personalities and political leaders.

The wedding was indeed a subtle yet starry affair, spanning four major events, including a mehendi, sangeet, wedding and reception. Poorna and Namit’s celebrations saw everyone from the likes of Mittals, Ambanis and the Khans on the guest list. Joining them were cricketers MS Dhoni, Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh with their respective wives.

To begin with, clearly when you’ve got a wedding guest list brimming with celebrities, you’re bound to have some unforgettable performances at your sangeet. The sangeet videos went viral on the internet. One saw the likes of Salman Khan taking over the stage for a performance on Swag Se Swagat, Jacqueline Fernandez danced her heart out on Ek Do Teen. MS Dhoni’s wife, Sakshi played the role of that cute bridesmaid who was seen dancing Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’s Mere Khwaabon Mein Jo Aaye. Singing sensation, Guru Randhwa also put up a cool act.

If Sonam Kapoor’s Wedding had Karan Johar Perform, We Had Manish Malhotra Here!

The Bride Looked Stunning!

Jacqueline Fernandez Burns The Dance Floor With Her Moves

Check Out ‘The Dhoni’ Instagram Post That Went Viral

Salman Khan Performs With The Bride & The Groom

Manish Malhotra pretty much dressed up all the stunning guests who walked in, including the bride herself for every event. While for the mehendi, Poorna chose a mango yellow lehenga featuring mirror work, her sangeet ensemble was a gorgeous ivory lehenga with intricate white embroidery. For the D-day, Poorna opted for a pale pastel pink lehenga detailed with sky blue borders, and topped it off with a regal choker. Post the wedding, Patel switched her lehenga for a breezy white maxi dress embroidered with vibrant multicoloured blooms.

Poorna chose a mango yellow lehenga featuring mirror work for the mehendi.

Zaheer Khan and Sagarika Ghatge were spotted with Namit and Poorna during their reception. 

Sophie Chaudhury was spotted with Guru Randhwa who performed at the sangeet. 

The cricket clan photographed during the sangeet. 

It was indeed a power packed wedding!

MS Dhoni and wife Sakshi Singh Dhoni rocked almost all the looks at the Patel-Soni wedding. 

Sophie Choudhury, Manish Malhotra and Natasha Poonawalla posed during the Sangeet. 

Here’s another photograph of Mahi and Sakshi along with singer Guru Randhwa during the sangeet. 

For the D-day Poorna opted for a pale pastel pink lehenga detailed with sky blue borders, topped off with a regal choker.

Original Sanju, Sanjay Dutt makes a special appearance.

Isha Ambani poses with father, Mukesh Ambani. 

Namit Soni and Poorna Patel are reception ready. 

Newly weds, Angad Bedi and Neha Dhupia looked stunning during the reception.  

Sachin Tendulkar walks in for the reception in Mumbai. 

Shah Rukh Khan also made a special appearance. 

Soon to be wedded, Akash and Shloka Ambani also dropped by!

Sakshi Singh Dhoni Played The Cute Bridesmaid Who Put Up Bundles Of Instagram Posts!

5. The Big Fat Bollywood Shaadi

Ever since the Kapoors announced the wedding of their daughter, fans of the actor eagerly waited to witness the biggest event of tinsel town. 6 May marked the onset of Sonam’s wedding festivities. On day one, the bride-to-be and Anil Kapoor’s close relatives applied henna on their hands. Day two had the Kapoors in their element as they organised a mehendi ceremony for Sonam and Anand. D-day arrived on 8 May when Sonam and Anand took the wedding vows following Sikh rituals. The wedding was followed by a star-studded and a crazy Bollywood-y reception party attended by many actors.

The three day long celebrations pretty much made headlines for every publication pan India.

The three-day long celebrations pretty much made headlines across the country - from Ranbir and Alia’s appearance on the red carpet together, Karan Johar’s performance on Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, Anil Kapoor drunk dancing with Shah Rukh and Salman to baby Taimur who attended his first Bollywood shaadi!

Anand Ahuja wore a rose pink sherwani coordinated by picking a greyish-lavendar pocket square to match Sonam’s lehenga for the intimate mehendi.

Sonam was a happy bride!

The bride wore a multi-panelled lehenga to her Mehendi-Sangeet that took Abu Jani & Sandeep Khosla’s team 18 months to create!

BFF Swara Bhasker and groom, Anand Ahuja kiss the bride! Don’t miss the cute elephant mehendi design on the groom’s hand!

A dessert table by Le15 looked gorgeous with macaroons, cupcakes, brownies and tarts.

Here’s the stunning blue Bar Palladio Jaipur inspired outdoor area designed by Rani Pink. 

Sonam surprised the world by choosing to wear a traditional red and gold lehenga by the Anuradha Vakil.

Sonam got her Jimmy Choo wedding shoes personalised with a cute ‘A <3 S’ message.

Sonam changed into a blush pink lehenga designed by Anamika Khanna after the main wedding ceremony. 

The 2-tier wedding cake had the couple’s wedding hashtag #EverydayPhenomenal piped onto it as a personalised touch!

Another wedding cake: this was a work of art created by Pooja Dhingra of Le15 Patisserie.

This picture sums up Sonam’s wedding perfectly. The biggest Bollywood stars, a comfortable bride  and endless dancing!

For her sangeet, Sonam picked a white chikankari lehenga designed by Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla. The actor adorned her hair with mogra flowers, wore a maang tikka, huge jhumkas and a choker neckpiece designed by mother, Sunita Kapoor. For the wedding, Sonam chose a traditional red choli with lotus motifs designed by Anuradha Vakil (who also created her pastel mehendi look). Like a typical Punjabi bride, Sonam accessorised her wedding look with vintage jewellery, a beaded matha patti and jhumkas. Later for the reception, the bride picked a grey and white graphic Anamika Khanna lehenga with a cape. She kept her hair straight and a layered necklace was the only piece of jewellery she wore, complementing the whole look perfectly.

6. This Wedding Brought an Entire Swiss Town to a Halt!

Well, yes we aren’t exaggerating. The charming Swiss town of Montreux almost shut down when Tanya Ganwani tied the knot with London-based Rajiv Varma against the backdrop of the picturesque Swiss Alps. Tanya (Founder and CEO of Burn Activewear) is the daughter of real-estate moguls, Monica and Jayant Ganwani and lives between Dubai and London. Rajiv’s parents, Shobha and Moni Varma are the owners of Veetee Foods, one of the largest rice companies in the UK.

Tanya Ganwani chose to host her nuptials at Fairmont Le Montreux Palace, Switzerland with Rajiv Varma. 

The couple Rajiv Varma and Tanya Ganwani looks stunning.

That time when you raise a toast, Tanya looks gorgeous in a lime green outfit for her mehendi. 

Because weddings are all about enjoying yourself. 

Looks like the friends had a mad time too! 

With snow-capped peaks behind you, palm trees in front this picture of the bride & groom during their mehendi makes for such a beautiful photograph! 

While the duo hosted their roka earlier this year at the lush venues in Atlantis, with snow-capped peaks behind and palm trees in front, it comes as no surprise that Tanya chose to host her nuptials at Fairmont Le Montreux Palace. They followed it up with an extravagant reception at Atlantis The Palm, Dubai.

Check out the sangeet night decor. 

And there was the Dhol performance by TEAMDIPS.

Sukhbir Singh sang for the sangeet and got all the guests on the dance floor. 

Over 400 distinguished VIP guests flew in from all corners of the globe to attend four days of gala celebrations in the jewel of the Swiss Reviera. Prominent VIP guests included Rita and Sunil Vaswani, Robert Vadra, Kamal Fabiani, Rajiv and Kavita Singh, Pawan and Aneisha Munjal, Pernia Qureshi, Sherina Dalamal and Kajal Fabiani.

The outdoor space at the Fairmont Le Montreux Palace was decorated in shades of pink and white.

Isn’t the backdrop mesmerising! 

Rajiv photographed with his parents. 

The baraat procession! 

Just like any other typical Punjabi wedding, bhangda was full power! 

Two large elephants created using pink blooms made for the key decor elements.

When the father walks the bride towards the mandap! 

The jaimala ceremony.

Oh, what a gorgeous shot! 

A close up of the bride and groom. 

Here’s another moment from the wedding.

The clothes were designed by couturiers Suneet Verma, Pakistani designer Faraz Manan and Abu Jani, Sandeep Khosla. Performances by Sukhbir, Badshah, The Fellas and Paris Select added the musical zing to the celebrations.

For the reception, several crystal chandeliers lit up the ballroom in an ethereal glow.

Gorgeous detailed table set-ups during the reception. 

The bride and the groom make for a picture perfect frame. Tanya, once again, chose a stunning lehenga by Faraz Manan.

Now thats a massive cake as you can see! 

The decor was complete with gorgeous floral arrangements, exquisite drapes and a large stage with an LED backdrop displaying the couple’s initials monogrammed.

And the naach-gaana continues. 

Weddings to remember indeed, eh?