Bollywood loves weddings – both onscreen and off. There were too many notable weddings the last decade – it will take a book to write about all, but here are some of the biggest alliances.
In terms of sheer star power, the wedding to top all weddings was of Abhishek Bachchan-Aishwarya Rai in Mumbai on April 20, 2007. The first family of Indian cinema had the typical Bollywood three-day wedding with close family and friends, and no media and fans. There was a lot of drama and heartbreak across the country, but nonetheless it was a national event that after 4years, still ignites hot debate among fans and haters.
Among the few weddings that can beat the Bachchans (and the rest of the world) was that of Vikram Chatwal-Priya Sachdev
Listed among the most expensive weddings in the world (estimated $20 million), the hotelier and actor married the model, actress and former investment banker with 10 days celebration spread across three cities in India, with over 1000 guests who were flown around on chartered and private jets. Guest of honour? – Take a pick from Shahrukh Khan or Bill Clinton or members of royal families from Iran, Greece and Indian maharajas.
Bollywood heartthrob Hrithik Roshan married Suzanne Khan, his childhood sweetheart and daughter of Sanjay Khan on 20 Dec 2000 at the heavily guarded Golden Palms Resort and Spa, Bangalore. Hrithik was dressed in white jodhpuri while Suzanne wore a maroon lehenga-choli with gold Tarun Tahiliani dupatta. The marriage ceremony was a blend of Hindu and Muslim rituals. It was a private wedding, with guests including Rishi Kapoor, Jeetendra, Dimple Kapadia, Uday Chopra and then Chief Minister of Karnataka SM Krishna.
Aamir Khan-Kiran Raoregistered marriage in Mumbai on December 28, 2005 was celebrated later that evening in a five-star hotel in Panchgani. The guest list included Anil Kapoor, Rani Mukherjee, Ashutosh Gowariker, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Sachin Tendulkar. Aamir wore a cream kurta and a South Indian silk mundu while Kiran wore a purple-and-red Sabyasachi lehnga-choli.
Other big names that got hitched this last decade include Raveena Tandon-Anil Thadani in 2004 at the Jag Mandir Palace in the middle of the Pichola Lake in Udaipur and Akshay Kumar-Twinkle Khanna on January 17, 2001 in a flash wedding at designers Abu-Sandeep’s Juhu studio. Shilpa Shetty-Raj Kundra tied the knot on November 21, 2009 and had grand pre-wedding ceremonies and reception with dressy fashion display by the couple.
Karishma Kapoor-Sanjay Kapurexchanged vows on September 29, 2003 at the home of her grandfather, the late Raj Kapoor in Mumbai. Newlyweds Vivek Oberoi-Priyanka Alvagot married on October 29, 2010 in Bangalore. The mandap was decked with around 2,000 Swarovski crystals and about 700 lotuses were flown from Thailand. The wedding reception was at ITC Grand Maratha, Mumbai.
Sonali Bendre-Goldie Behl, Sanjay Dutt-Manyata, Fardeen Khan-Natasha Madwani, Zayed Khan-Mallaika Parekh and Farah Khan-Shirish Kunder are among others who got married in the last decade.