She’s been with us since most of us opened our eyes to Indian cinema whether it was playing the victim to SRK’s wrath in Baazigar or the empowered Sanjana in Dhadkan. Shilpa Shetty is one actress who the lovers of Indian cinema had loved and adored for years. On November 24th, Bollywood gave away one of its own leading ladies as she walked down the aisle, or shall we say walked around the fire as they do in Indian weddings, with the man who has swept her off her feet, Raj Kundra.
Of course the excitement did not end with the news of the big day but in fact it grows from that moment onwards as Indian weddings entails multiple days of celebrations, traditions, food, fashion, dance and music. You’re all surely dying to know, who were the big names that appeared on the guest list, who wore what, and how it all went down on D-Day. Well, look no further as BollySpice now brings you an out and out lowdown on Shilpa Shetty’s Big Fat Indian Wedding! Read on to find out just every last detail of this Bollywood Divas big day!
The Engagement
The ball was set rolling for a season of celebration on October 24th when the engagement of the happy couple took place at 7 Soil apartment of Raj’s in Juhu. It was a very private event with only close family and friends however the closest of them all, sister Shamita Shetty, was missing due to her commitments to the Big Boss reality show. Despite her disappearance the couple went on with the ceremony given the auspiciousness of the date as calculated by the Hindu calendar. Shilpa sported a Manish Malhotra sari and choli on the day.
The Wedding Invitation
The lavish invitation card which would grant the guests an entry into the wedding of the year was designed by renowned Delhi based designer Ravish Kapoor costing Rs 500/-. The look was very official, grand and traditional featuring an ‘RS’ emblem and certainly looked fit for royalty!
Pre-Wedding Celebrations
The Sangeet took place with all its glory, glitz and glamour on the 21st November in Khandala. Shilpa was simply glowing at the ladies sangeet and the buzz in the air was that her mehndi was a beautiful deep color and as Indians say that is the ultimate sign of a future filled with great love and affection. The diva was glowing in her gold anarkali suit designed by Tarun Tahiliani and sported jewellery by Anmol Jewellers.
It was an evening of fun, laughter, dancing and lots of music as the tradition dictates and the theme was set as Hawaiian. The evening kicked off with some classic South Indian numbers and then progressed to some Bolly tracks. From her very own ‘Shut up and Bounce’ to classic romantic number like ‘Teri Ore’, the night had it all! Sister Shamita Shetty created quite a laughter riot with the skit she performed. Friend and ace choreographer Ganesh Hegde choreographed the fun event for the couple. When speaking to the media the choreographer said the style of the performances that evening would not be limited to one theme because whilst Shilpa came from a South Indian background Raj comes from a Punjabi one. Daler Mehndi brought in his special Punjabi feel to the event.
Focusing back on the Haiwaiian theme, it involved the lucky invitees getting a total spa treatment at the special event as Shilpa has tied in her friends at Oasis to provide the guests with exclusive services of massages and spa services.
The Big Day
Of course Shilpa’s wedding probably had as much anticipation as any of her films and if not more. Just one of the many perks and perhaps downsides of being a celeb is that the whole nation adores you, or in Shilpa’s case, her international appeal means the whole world.
On the big day Shilpa once again endorsed the work of Tarun Tahiliani who designed the perfect bridal suit gleaming of creativity and traditional Indian bridal style. Raj looked better than royalty in his Shantanu and Nikhil sherwani and as dictated by Indian culture looked handsome with a sword in hand!
However, more exciting news than what the bride and groom were wearing was the news of who was invited and who turned up. Shilpa’s lengthy appearance on screens has made one of the most cherished members of the film fraternity which meant that basically all the big names were on the guest list. Bachchan family, Shah Rukh Khan and family, Deol family, Kapoor Family, Salman Khan, Farhan Akhtar, Rekha, Karan Johar, Rani Mukherji and Sushmita Sen. But it doesn’t stop there, business tycoons like Vijay Mallya were also on the guest list.
The Reception
The reception was held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Mumbai and needless to say was attended by all A-listers in the city. However, while he was invited, Salman Khan chose to stay conspicuous from his good friend Shilpa Shetty’s reception. Word has it, when the actor learned that SRK was going to be at Shetty’s big bash, he chose to stay afar. And this could only be true as when SRK was quizzed as to why Salman was missing, he chose to scowl and ignore the media.
Akshay Kumar too was missing from the guest list. According to sources, Shilpa and Raj both decided that they would be more comfortable if Khiladi Kumar stayed away from the celebrations. However, while he was physically not present at the wedding, the band innocently chose to play a few Dhadkan songs; a film which starred Kumar and Shetty. They were quickly stopped and ordered to refrain from playing any Kumar songs.
The Honeymoon
In true Raj Kundra style, Shilpa will be whisked off to the Bahamas for her honeymoon with her new husband. However, the groom realizing that clearly the wedding preparations have taken a tiresome toll on both the Kundra and Shetty family decided that this would be a family honeymoon. Thus both set of parents and Shamita Shetty will be accompanying the couple to the Bahamas.
But before the Bahamas, Shilpa and Raj will head almost immediately to Chennai. The couple are headed to the Oneness University to seek the blessings of Shilpa’s spiritual guru who predicted very early in the year that 2009 would be the year that Shilpa would tie the knot.
And if you wanted some real intricate details, here some Shilpa Wedding Trivia:
-Shilpa’s mehendi was applied by the popular Veena Nagda. Her design consisted of the letter ‘S’, a lotus and peacock.
-In total her entire trousseau is said to have cost close to $35 million rupees. This included a Swarovski crystal embellished sari along with jewelry filled with rubies, diamonds and emeralds.
-The d
