Awadhi Cuisine, Sufi Songs. Saif-Kareena’s Elegant Reception in Delhi
Oct 19, 2012 Celebrity Wedding Pictures
If Kareena and Saif’s wedding celebrations in Mumbai were a star-studded affair, the reception at 31 Aurangzeb Road, Delhi was more a political affair with lots of political big wigs in attendance. Those who attended commented it was a very elegant evening, with all its subtle nawabi influence. The guests greeted each other with ‘adaabs’, old candle stands cast a nostalgic light in the spaces and diyas glimmered over the entrance. Over a hundred policemen surrounded the bunglow, while a huge number of media personnel eagerly waited to photograph all the celebrity guests who included the Prime Minister’s wife, Rahul Gandhi and several other Ministers and MPs.
Sharmila Tagore steps out to talk to the media
Saif wore a black sherwani and Aligarhi churidar, Kareena was in a pink sharara by Manish Malhotra. They didn’t come out to get photographed but Saif’s mother stepped out to thank the media- she looked stunning in a pale gold tissue saree teamed with kundan jewellery. We are curious to know who did the catering- Awadhi cuisine. The decor was done by one Tipsy Anand who runs an Event Management company named ‘Good Earth’. The highlight of the evening was a performance by the very beautiful Sonam Kalra who rendered Sufi songs.
The Guests- Designer Diva Ritu Kumar, Media Magnate Shobana Bhartia
So finally, Kareena and Saif’s wedding was quite different from what was speculated or reported. Their terrace party@home was not a sangeet, but just an intimate welcome party. They didn’t have a Nikaah or Church Wedding, they just exchanged vows at the hotel, before the musical evening at Taj Mahal Palace. There was no celebration in Pataudi Palace, instead Sharmila Tagore chose to host it at a government bunglow in Delhi, perhaps keeping in mind the security factors. One of the reporters asked Sharmila what she is planning next, hoping she would talk about another big celebration. She was quoted: “I have had enough of parties. There is no celebration in Pataudi, not now at least. Abhi sab thak gaye hain. Abhi daal-chawal ka time aa gaya hain (we are all very tired and want to keep things simple).”
Sonam Kalra with her multi-faith accompanists. Picture courtesy Mail Online India
Tags: 31 Aurangzeb Road, Awadhi, Delhi, Good Earth, Kareena, reception, Saif, Sonam Kalra, Tipsy Anand
31 Aurangzeb Road
Oct 12, 2012 Celeb Weddings to Watch out for
Whenever we visit Delhi, it is a beautiful experience to drive through the majestic Aurangzeb Road. With sprawling bungalows on both sides, we try not to miss the name boards which occupy pride of place. Some of the country’s most powerful politicians, bureaucrats, supreme court judges and industrialists live or work here. Most of the residences are elegant colonial bungalows, with the exterior edifice not being altered too much; now we hear some luxury apartments have come up on Aurangzeb Road.
31 Aurangzeb Road may be in the news for a different reason now. An interview with Randhir Kapoor, father of bride Kareena Kapoor features alongwith it, the invitation to their Dawat-e-Walima on Thursday, 18th October in Delhi. The venue for the reception is not the Pataudi Palace near Gurgaon but 31 Aurangzeb Road. We googled to know who lives in 31 Aurangzeb Road- the top result shows that the address in Lutyen’s Delhi was supposed to be the address of former President APJ Abdul Kalam after his retirement in 2007. However, the former Vice President late Bhairon Singh Shekhawat moved in there, where he lived till May 2010. The bunglow is referred to a Type VIII bungalow (we gather Type VIII bunglows are allotted to the senior-most ministers) built on a 5,000 square feet plinth area. More recently it was reported that Pranab Mukherjee, when he was Finance Minister used to conduct some of his meetings at 31 Aurangzeb Road which was not his residence.
The Dawat-e-Walima (post wedding reception) is hosted by the groom’s family. In the interview to Times of India Randhir Kapoor stated: “As much as Babita, me and the entire Kapoor family would like to have a reception party, we have to respect the sentiment of the couple who are marrying. Kareena and Saif want to have a small, private wedding, and only the immediate relatives of the Kapoors and the Khans, and friends close to my children have been invited. I would personally like to say sorry to those who’ve not been invited to the wedding. The bigger reception in Delhi has been organised by Saif’s mother, a lot of politicians will be attending that one as Sharmilaji is very well-connected politically.”
Tags: 31 Aurangzeb Road, Dawat-e-Walima, Delhi, Kareena, reception, Saif, Venue, wedding
Court Marriage for Kareena & Saif
Oct 4, 2012 Celeb Weddings to Watch out for
We frequently receive calls from Wedding Venues, Planners and Photographers to check on news regarding the weddings of A-list celebrities. Not surprisingly the maximum number of queries have been about Kareena & Saif. We couldn’t help our friends with any inputs- because we didn’t have any confirmed news or information. Kareena & Saif’s wedding dates and venues as speculated by the media kept changing. Now the suspense has ended. The wedding celebrations will be held between 14th and 17th October in Mumbai and Delhi. The celebrations commence with an intimate at-home Sangeet for close family & friends with dances choreographed by Bollywood’s ace choreographer Rajendra Masterji. The wedding is a court marriage, Saif visited the Marriage Registrar’s office in Bandra on September 12 for the necessary forms to be filled a month before the date of the official marriage.
The families are hosting two receptions- one in Mumbai and Delhi. While there is no confirmed news on where the receptions will be held, speculation is rife that one reception will be held near Delhi at Saif’s ancestral home- the Pataudi Palace which is now managed by the Neemrana Group of Hotels. The Mumbai reception might be held at Mumbai’s most popular reception venue for the Bollywood fraternity- Taj Lands End. Two of the bride’s best friends and favorite artists will help her get ready- – ace designer & stylist Manish Malhotra and makeup maestro Subhash Vagal.
Tags: Court Marriage, Kareena, Manish Malhotra, Rajendra Masterji, reception, Saif, Subhash Vagal, wedding
The Mega Wedding in Hyderabad
Jun 4, 2012 Celeb Weddings to Watch out for
The alliance brings together two of the most illustrious families in Andhra Pradesh, Telugu super-star Chiranjeevi’s son, actor Ram Charan Tej weds Apollo Hospital heiress Upasna Kamineni on June 14th. Over 10,000 guests, including bollywood stars, political bigwigs and business tycoons are expected at the spectacular evening reception at HICC and quite obviously this is a celebration Hyderabad is waiting for. According to sources, ace Art director Anand Sai, a close associate of Chiranjeevi is designing the sets for most of the functions. Dinaz Noria, Hyderabad’s most well-known wedding decor specialist is orchestrating the decor for the different functions- an elegant dinner at the the newly-opened Park Hyatt, a ‘Night at the Movies’ theme Sangeet at Annapoorna Studios, the Traditional Indian with Balinese elements decor for the morning wedding & lunch, and the glamorous evening reception@ HICC.
Ram Charan Tej got engaged to Upasna Kamineni at her sprawling farmhouse in Moinabad, on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Over 2,000 guests were sent bar-coded invites, and the security was tight in view of the extraordinary amount of fanfare and curiosity among the public. But the families arranged for a ‘live webcast’ of the engagement, since they didn’t want to disappoint Chiranjeevi’s fans.
The Engagement at the Kamineni Farmhouse
Venkatesh and Rana Daggubati at the celebrations
Nagarjuna at the celebrations
Ram Charan with Upasna’s grandfathers. Left, maternal grandfather Dr PC Reddy (the founder of Apollo hospitals) and K Umapathi Rao
Vibha and Abhimanyu Lal, world renowned Kathak exponents with their disciples, performed at the Engagement
Tags: Anand Sai, Chiranjeevi son, Decor, Dinaz Noria, HICC, Ram Charan Tej, reception, Upasna Kamineni, wedding
The Bling Wedding
Apr 23, 2012 Celebrity Wedding Pictures
Bappi Lahiri’s son Bappa wed Taneesha Verma at ITC Grand Maratha Sheraton on April 16. The pre and post wedding celebrations included the sangeet at Club Millennium, Juhu and the reception at JW Marriott. Several Bollywood biggies like the Bachchans and the who’s who from the music fraternity came to bless the couple. Known for his love for gold, Bappi ensured that the bride and the groom shone in the brightest and most ostensibly embellished golden outfits. The entire venue was decorated in bright golden hues.
See more pictures of the Wedding and the Reception
The Reception. Taneesha and her mother
The Family that Shines
Taneesha’s best friend, actress Shraddha Kapoor. Kiran Rao and her mother-in-law
Rani Mukherjee. Kajol Devgan.
Tags: Bappa Lahiri, Bappi Lahiri, Club Millennium, ITC Grand Maratha, JW Marriott, reception, Sangeet, Taneesha Verma, Wedding Photographs
Starry Turnout@ Boman Irani son’s Wedding Reception
Nov 22, 2011 Celebrity Wedding Pictures
Post the wedding (click here to read more) at the Agiary in Colaba, the Iranis and Camas (bride Reah’s parents) hosted an elegant reception at Adenwala Baug, the Camas sprawling home in South Mumbai.
The who’s who of Tinsel Town turned up to wish the families and many guests tweeted what a wonderful evening it was. Amitabh Bachchan and Ritesh Sidhwani spoke about the Camas magnificent home. “Returning from wedding reception of Boman Irani’s son@ the 150 year old Parsi home in the middle of most congested Tardeo. Amazing”, said Bachchan. “Off to bed after an amazing Parsi bhonoo @bomanirani sons wedding reception, can’t forget to mention the magnificent location Adenwala Baug.”
Ritesh Deshmukh and Juhi Chawla. Arjun Rampal and Gauri Khan.
Shabani Azmi and the bride’s mother were classmates@ Queen Mary’s School, Mumbai. Avantika Malik
Simi Grewal and Tabu
Shazahn Padamsee and Tara Sharma
Maddy and Lara Dutta
Boman Irani waves to the crowds. Sonakshi Sinha
Tags: Adenwala Baug, Bomani Irani, reception, Son, wedding
Narayana Murthy’s host simple, elegant reception@ Leela Palace
Jun 13, 2011 Celebrity Wedding Pictures
Narayana Murthy and his wife Sudha, hosted a simple reception for India’s who’s who at the same venue where they hosted their daughter’s reception in 2009—the Grand Ballroom of the Leela Palace, Bangalore. It was held on sunday afternoon and this was the second wedding reception (the first one was hosted by the bride’s family in Chennai after the June 6 wedding). Rohan wore a classic formal suit, while Lakshmi looked lovely in a sapphire-blue gown matched beautifully with a sapphire-and-diamond necklace. Over 2,000 guests who included corporate chieftans, top politicians, and the city’s social elite waited in a line to meet and greet the newly-weds. External Affairs Miniser SM Krishna, Karnataka Governor HR Bharadwaj, Nandan Nilekani, Azim Premji, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw and Vinita Bali. Jnanpith laureate Girish Karnad, Arundhati Nag of Ranga Shankara and cricketers Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble were also there.
Lakshmi and Rohan at the Reception Venue
The guests were ushered into the Grand Ball Room at the Leela Palace hotel amidst tight security, on producing the wedding invitation– a simple card that instructed guests not to bring flowers or gifts for security reasons, but to make donations to Akshaya Patra Foundation instead. The stage, where the couple stood, had a light yet attractive floral decoration done with anthurium in white, red and peach shades, white orchids, carnation, rajnigandha and lotus flowers. The lunch was a strictly South Indian vegetarian fare and the items on the menu included iddiappam-kadala gassi, neer dosai-chutney, appam-stew, kootu, avial, rice, sambar, rasam, dahi vada, bisibelebath, puliyogare and curd rice. The dessert spread included ragi mousse, wheat payasam, jalebi-rabdi, carrot halwa, rich Mysore pak and ice cream. Instead of wine, the family served lime juice with ginger and badam milk.
Lakshmi and Rohan, seen a day before the Reception, at the Infosys AGM
A day before the reception, the newly-weds were seen at the Infosys Annual General Meeting where Narayana Murthy made his exit speech as Chairman. Lakshmi Venu, 26, was recently appointed vice president (global business development and strategy) for Sundaram Clayton Ltd, the holding company of TVS Motors. Rohan Murthy, 27, is a Microsoft Fellow, doing a doctorate in computer science from Harvard University. He holds a 1.3 per cent stake (valued around Rs 2,300 crore) in Infosys although his father has implied often that Rohan is unlikely to join Infosys.
Tags: Grand Ballroom, Lakshmi Venu, Leela Palace, Narayana Murthy, reception, Rohan Murthy
Photographs of Ganesh Hegde’s Wedding Reception
Jun 6, 2011 Celebrity Wedding Pictures
Bollywood’s ace choreographer Ganesh Hegde wed his long-time girlfriend Sunayna Shetty on Sunday, 5th June. The morning wedding was an intimate ceremony, and the evening reception at the Grand Ball Room in Grand Hyatt saw a star turnout.
Abhishek and Amitabh Bachchan were there, and so was Shahrukh Khan. Shilpa Shetty came in a gorgeous orange Abu-Sandeep churidar kurta while her sister Shamita wore a pretty pastel Manish Malhotra saree. The other actresses present included Priyanka Chopra, Juhi Chawla, Rajeshwari, Shriya Saran and Sophie Chowdhary.
Tags: Ganesh Hegde, Grand Hyatt, Photographs, reception, Sunayna Shetty, wedding
Choreographer Ganesh Hegde’s Grand Reception@ Grand Hyatt, Mumbai
Jun 3, 2011 Celeb Weddings to Watch out for
This weekend Bollywood’s top stars will be attending ace choreographer Ganesh Hegde’s wedding celebrations. The traditional wedding ceremony is on 5th June and will be held as per Bunt traditions (Ganesh and his bride Sunayna Shetty are both from the Bunt community). The wedding will be an intimate affair and a grand reception will be held in the evening @ the Grand Ball Room of Grand Hyatt, Mumbai (SRK is expected to attend the reception).
The wedding invite is a red silk box—with chocolates and gold work. We heard they’ve been designed by Delhi-based Ravish Kapoor who opened his Mumbai studio last year, a few months after he made news for the wedding invite he designed for actress Shilpa Shetty.
Ganesh has known Sunayna for close to 10 years. Sunayna used to style Ganesh’s looks for most of his shows and music videos. Ganesh has choreographed many hit tracks and regularly choreographs most of the award functions of the B-town.
Tags: Ganesh Hegde, Grand Hyatt, Invitation Card, Ravi Kapoor, reception, Sunayna Shetty, wedding
Actor Sammir Dattani’s Wedding Reception at CCI tonight
Mar 21, 2011 Celebrity Wedding Pictures
When actor Sammir Dattani wed Ritika Jolly in Dehradun, the Times of India, stated the wedding was ‘Low on Celeb Quotient but High on Excitement’. Tonight, at Sammir and Ritika’s Reception at Cricket Club of India (CCI), Mumbai we expect the opposite. After all, weddings in smaller towns, complete with naach-gaana, have an element of energy and fun, not usually seen in celeb-studded Mumbai receptions.
The star last seen in ‘I Hate Love Storys’ and his scriptwriter bride wanted their wedding to be a family affair, complete with traditional festivities, so Dehradun, where Ritika’s grand-parents live was the perfect choice. On March 12th, the wedding day, Sammir arrived at the venue in a vintage car, wearing a white sherwani designed by his costume-designer sister-in-law Niharika Jolly. Ritika wore a self-designed lehenga, in red and gold and looked very charming and sweet.
Tonight’s reception at CCI is reportedly a not-so-big affair with 200 guests—the gold and red wedding card quotes Vincent Van Gogh: “There is nothing more truly artistic than two souls in love” and the accompanying box of chocolates features the famous line from Forrest Gump ‘Life is like a box of chocolates you never know what you’re going to get!’
Tags: Dehradun, Niharika Jolly, reception, Ritika Jolly, Sammir Dattani, wedding
