An old-world charm accompanies the wedding of
Raveena Tandon & Anil Thadani
in the grand heritage palaces of the HRH Group of Hotels, Udaipur
Once upon a time, the stars shone brightly on Jagmandir; home to kings and queens. Centuries after it was the seat of-royal power, this island temple and palace on Lake Pichola in Udaipur was revisited by stars, albeit down-to-earth ones. For, the wedding of Raveena Tandon and Anil Thadani here on February 22 was nothing if not a kaleidoscope of old world charm.
This, perhaps, explains why the Cheez Bodi Hai Mast Mast girl insisted that songs from her films not be played at the wedding. Yes, this wasn't a 'normal' shaadi by any yardstick. Each guest was accorded a security card, complete with photo and identification. Lensmen were kept at bay, and various points at the wedding venue were given security checks over and over again.
But first things first. The pre-sangeet held on February 19 was a close family affair. The sangeet ceremony the next day, for which Raveena donned a navy blue lehenga, was once again restricted to family members and dose friends including Gauri Khan, Seema Khan, Manish Malhotra, Shabina Khan, Karan Johar, Gautam and Nawaz Singhania, Vandana Luthra, Raghavendra Rathore and his wife Kavita, and astrologer Sunita Menon.
Around noon on February 21, the bride-to-be had mehndi applied to her by celebrity artiste Usha. If the shagun ceremony followed thereafter, the evening blended into mehndi ki raat, with the Zenana Mahal —done up in green and red in keeping with Ravs' attire —lit up by candles.
February 22, of course, was the Big Day. By the time the choora ceremony was over, the guests had started pouring in. At 4:30 pm, Ravs —flanked by an army of 'brothers' including Rajiv Tandon and Delhi designer Manav Gangwani —was escorted to a waiting boat to be taken to Jagmandir. Come 5:30 pm, and the Anil's baraat arrived. As the couple completed the saat pheras at sunset, petals of blessings were showered on them.
At 7.30 pm, the couple reappeared for the dinner reception, the bride in an ice blue lehenga and the groom in a black Jodhpuri. If an expansive variety of gourmet cuisine — spanning Rajasthani, Indian, Italian and Chinese—whetted the appetite, the couple's honeymoon plans offer food for thought. But then, Anil reveals that he has even kept the honeymoon plans secret from his "honey" for the time being!
|