Desi weddings are a grand affair. Add to that a desi celebrity shaadi and the result will be a big fat lavish Indian wedding. Actor Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani tied the knot this week and their celeb wedding was a luxe event. While all that grandeur might have been a regular thing at a celebrity wedding, common people like me could only gawk at the opulence.
That got us thinking of how certain things are absolutely common in a celeb wedding but for us, they are wild concepts to wrap our heads around. Here’s a list of eight things from celeb weddings that are normal only for them, and bizarre for us.
1. A Swarovski crystal-embellished lehenga.
Kiara Advani looked like a dream in her wedding outfit. Designed by Manish Malhotra, her lehenga was intricately embroidered with details from Roman architecture. The designer shared all the details of the wedding look on his Instagram. “Real swarovski crystals are embellished to embrace our signature sparkle,” read the post.
2. A pet dog decked in designer wear for the wedding of the pet parent.
Patralekhaa tied the knot with Rajkummar Rao in 2021. Like any pet parent, the actress made her adorable doggo, Gaga, a part of her wedding. So much so that both of them shone radiantly in matching red outfits. While Patralekhaa looked breath-taking in a red Sabyasachi saree, it was her pet who stole the show. Designer Namita Alexander designed a matching red dress for Gaga.
3. A wedding invitation card that is a collector’s item of sorts.
Vivek Oberoi and Priyanka Alva’s wedding invitation card was a peek into how royal the actual wedding would be. The couple had sent out eco-friendly invites. The card, itself, was made out of eco-friendly handmade papyrus which opened into a two-tiered box. The box contained chocolates, special invites for the various functions, directions to the venue, a car pass, and the wedding invitation. That’s not all. Some guests also received a Ganjifa painting which was packed in the box. Various media agencies reported that all of these details brought the cost of the card to roughly ₹11 crores.
4. A lehenga that takes over 3000 hours to make.
For her wedding, Priyanka Chopra wore a Sabyasachi lehenga. The red lehenga was custom made and it was adorned with hand-cut organza flowers, French knots in silk floss, delicate Siam-red crystals, and threadwork embroidery. It was reported that it took almost 3720 hours, which equates roughly to 155 days, with 110 embroiderers to create her stunning bridal wear. And the cost? Whopping ₹18 lakhs!
5. A performance by Beyonce, maybe?
An Ambani wedding has to be a lavish affair. When Isha Ambani, Mukesh Ambani’s daughter, married Anand Piramal, their wedding was the most talked about. Beyonce was booked for a private concert for the families at the start of their pre-wedding ceremonies. The singer flew to the Oberoi Udaivilas Hotel in Udaipur where she sang Crazy in Love, Naughty Girl, and Perfect, among other tracks.
6. Beyonce nahin, toh Bollywood performance hi sahi.
So you couldn’t get Beyonce to perform at your wedding? That’s alright, celebs can have the Bollywood celebs perform. After all, they are either colleagues, friends, or **family**. Ghar ki hi baat hai. Just like what happened at Sonam Kapoor’s wedding reception. The highlight of the wedding was when Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan gave an epic performance. They were later joined by Ranveer Singh, Varun Dhawan, and Anil Kapoor.
7. Selling the wedding video rights to an OTT platform.
Hansika Motwani announced her new show that will be based on her wedding to businessman Sohael Kathuriya. The show titled, Love Shaadi Drama, will take the audience behind the scenes into what went behind her wedding. The web series will stream on Disney+ Hotstar. Celebs have often given different publications and agencies exclusive rights to their weddings, etc. This isn’t an entirely new practice.
8. A majestic location for that exclusive vibe.
Celebs often choose an exclusive location for their weddings. Be it the most sought-after Lake Como, or any palace in Rajasthan. But obviously, it comes with a price. According to various reports, the cost of Villa del Balbianello in Lake Como where Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh tied the knot comes between EUR 8,000 to EUR 10,000 per day (₹6 lakhs to ₹8 lakhs) and it doesn’t include the decor, food, or taxes. On the other hand, the Six Senses Fort Barwara in Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan where Katrina Kaif and Vicky Kaushal tied the knot has suites where the price starts from ₹83,944 for one night.
All these points just called me middle class in different languages.