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.
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.
- 01/05Shriya certainly looked like a princess! (Photo: Stories by Joseph Radhik)
- 02/05Shriya Bhupal and Anindith Reddy walk into the venue. (Photo: Stories by Joseph Radhik)
- 03/05Marie Antoinette-themed scented candles from Laduree Paris Thé et Beauté were placed in every room.(Photo: Stories by Joseph Radhik)
- 04/05The couple arrived in a Louis IV carriage.(Photo: Stories by Joseph Radhik)
- 05/05The set-up for the engagement bash in Paris. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
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.
- 01/05Anindith and Shriya looked like a million bucks during their sangeet ceremony at Taj Krishna in Hyderabad. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 02/05Shriya wore a gorgeous outfit with a long trail looking like an absolute princess! (Photo: Stories by Joseph Radhik)
- 03/05Check out this emerald and diamond headgear! Isn’t it stunning?(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 04/05Dia Mehta Bhupal photographed against a beautiful floral backdrop. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 05/05A beautiful floral decor for the Mehendi-Sangeet at Taj Krishna, Hyderabad. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
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!
- 01/04Shriya Bhupal and Anindith Reddy during their phera ceremony. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 02/04We particularly loved her jewellery in this one!(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 03/04Outfit 3 of the wedding day. Ohh look at that gorgeous diamond studded belt! (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 04/04Ramcharan and wife Upasana along with the newly married couple. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
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!
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.
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.
- 01/14Akash Ambani proposed Shloka Mehta in Goa in the presence of his family. Shloka Mehta wore a creation of London label Needle And Thread.(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 02/14The proposal was followed by an engagement announcement with close family and friends in attendance. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 03/14Shloka wore a custom made brocade Prada dress, while Akash wore a blue suit at the pre-engagement bash. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 04/14Akash 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.(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 05/14And this was the Bollywood flash mob!(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 06/14For 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.(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 07/14Priyanka Chopra nailed her look as she dropped by for Akash and Shloka’s mehendi. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 08/14The decor setup at the Ambani residence. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 09/14The decor setup at the Ambani residence. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 10/14Ayan Mukerji and Ranbir Kapoor too dropped by for the mehendi, after all the two and Akash are football buddies! (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 11/14Shloka 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. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 12/14Doesn’t the to-be-Ambani-bride look drop dead gorgeous! (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 13/14Neeta Ambani and Shloka Mehta along with guests. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 14/14Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas came for the after party. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
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.
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.
- 01/04The bride and groom exchange garlands! (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 02/04Dhol is a must have in an Indian wedding, be it in Monaco as you can see. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 03/04The devil is in the detail, decor set-up for the sangeet night. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 04/04Now that’s what you call a mandap set-up! (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
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.
- 01/08The groom seen on a white horse during the baarat. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 02/08The bride and groom snapped right after their pheras. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 03/08Priyanka Virani and Mahir Vachani during their sangeet. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 04/08The celebrations started with a welcome party at the Night Club Jimmy’z(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 05/08The mehendi function was held at Hotel Hermitage, the historic luxury hotel built in the early 1900’s.(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 06/08On Sunday, the baraat assembled at the Casino Square(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 07/08The traditional wedding ceremony took place at the Opera House. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 08/08The mandap set-up from the inside of the Opera House.(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
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.
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.
- 01/16Poorna chose a mango yellow lehenga featuring mirror work for the mehendi. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 02/16Zaheer Khan and Sagarika Ghatge were spotted with Namit and Poorna during their reception. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 03/16Sophie Chaudhury was spotted with Guru Randhwa who performed at the sangeet. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 04/16The cricket clan photographed during the sangeet. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 05/16It was indeed a power packed wedding!(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 06/16MS Dhoni and wife Sakshi Singh Dhoni rocked almost all the looks at the Patel-Soni wedding. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 07/16Sophie Choudhury, Manish Malhotra and Natasha Poonawalla posed during the Sangeet. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 08/16Here’s another photograph of Mahi and Sakshi along with singer Guru Randhwa during the sangeet. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 09/16For the D-day Poorna opted for a pale pastel pink lehenga detailed with sky blue borders, topped off with a regal choker.(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 10/16Original Sanju, Sanjay Dutt makes a special appearance.(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 11/16Isha Ambani poses with father, Mukesh Ambani. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 12/16Namit Soni and Poorna Patel are reception ready. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 13/16Newly weds, Angad Bedi and Neha Dhupia looked stunning during the reception. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 14/16Sachin Tendulkar walks in for the reception in Mumbai. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 15/16Shah Rukh Khan also made a special appearance. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 16/16Soon to be wedded, Akash and Shloka Ambani also dropped by!(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
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 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!
- 01/12Anand Ahuja wore a rose pink sherwani coordinated by picking a greyish-lavendar pocket square to match Sonam’s lehenga for the intimate mehendi.(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 02/12Sonam was a happy bride!(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 03/12The bride wore a multi-panelled lehenga to her Mehendi-Sangeet that took Abu Jani & Sandeep Khosla’s team 18 months to create!(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 04/12BFF Swara Bhasker and groom, Anand Ahuja kiss the bride! Don’t miss the cute elephant mehendi design on the groom’s hand!(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 05/12A dessert table by Le15 looked gorgeous with macaroons, cupcakes, brownies and tarts.(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 06/12Here’s the stunning blue Bar Palladio Jaipur inspired outdoor area designed by Rani Pink. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 07/12Sonam surprised the world by choosing to wear a traditional red and gold lehenga by the Anuradha Vakil.(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 08/12Sonam got her Jimmy Choo wedding shoes personalised with a cute ‘A <3 S’ message.(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 09/12Sonam changed into a blush pink lehenga designed by Anamika Khanna after the main wedding ceremony. (Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 10/12The 2-tier wedding cake had the couple’s wedding hashtag #EverydayPhenomenal piped onto it as a personalised touch!(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 11/12Another wedding cake: this was a work of art created by Pooja Dhingra of Le15 Patisserie.(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
- 12/12This picture sums up Sonam’s wedding perfectly. The biggest Bollywood stars, a comfortable bride and endless dancing!(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)
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.
- 01/05The couple Rajiv Varma and Tanya Ganwani looks stunning.(Photo: The Wedding Story)
- 02/05That time when you raise a toast, Tanya looks gorgeous in a lime green outfit for her mehendi. (Photo: The Wedding Story)
- 03/05Because weddings are all about enjoying yourself. (Photo: The Wedding Story)
- 04/05Looks like the friends had a mad time too! (Photo: The Wedding Story)
- 05/05With snow-capped peaks behind you, palm trees in front this picture of the bride & groom during their mehendi makes for such a beautiful photograph! (Photo: The Wedding Story)
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.
- 01/03Check out the sangeet night decor. (Photo: The Wedding Story)
- 02/03And there was the Dhol performance by TEAMDIPS.(Photo: The Wedding Story)
- 03/03Sukhbir Singh sang for the sangeet and got all the guests on the dance floor. (Photo: The Wedding Story)
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.
- 01/11The outdoor space at the Fairmont Le Montreux Palace was decorated in shades of pink and white.(Photo: The Wedding Story)
- 02/11Isn’t the backdrop mesmerising! (Photo: The Wedding Story)
- 03/11Rajiv photographed with his parents. (Photo: The Wedding Story)
- 04/11The baraat procession! (Photo: The Wedding Story)
- 05/11Just like any other typical Punjabi wedding, bhangda was full power! (Photo: The Wedding Story)
- 06/11Two large elephants created using pink blooms made for the key decor elements.(Photo: The Wedding Story)
- 07/11When the father walks the bride towards the mandap! (Photo: The Wedding Story)
- 08/11The jaimala ceremony.(Photo: The Wedding Story)
- 09/11Oh, what a gorgeous shot! (Photo: The Wedding Story)
- 10/11A close up of the bride and groom. (Photo: The Wedding Story)
- 11/11Here’s another moment from the wedding.(Photo: The Wedding Story)
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.
- 01/06For the reception, several crystal chandeliers lit up the ballroom in an ethereal glow.(Photo: The Wedding Story)
- 02/06Gorgeous detailed table set-ups during the reception. (Photo: The Wedding Story)
- 03/06The bride and the groom make for a picture perfect frame. Tanya, once again, chose a stunning lehenga by Faraz Manan.(Photo: The Wedding Story)
- 04/06Now thats a massive cake as you can see! (Photo: The Wedding Story)
- 05/06The decor was complete with gorgeous floral arrangements, exquisite drapes and a large stage with an LED backdrop displaying the couple’s initials monogrammed.(Photo: The Wedding Story)
- 06/06And the naach-gaana continues. (Photo: The Wedding Story)
Weddings to remember indeed, eh?
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