JUNE 24, 2004
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Delhi Times brings you a ringside view of the June 22 wedding
of Vanisha, beti of billionaire NRI Lakshmi Mittal, and London-based
banker Amit Bhatia
The climax of Vanisha Mittal and Amit Bhatia's wedding on June
22? When the 17th-century French chateau, Vaux le Vicomte, came
alive in all its grandeur. But wait, the build-up to the climax
was as enthralling.
The sehrabandhi was held at the Salon Ravel at Hotel le Grand
Intercontinental, where Family Bhatia and friends gathered to
bless Amit. Then, the barat set off with much fanfare for the
chateau, about an hour's drive out of Paris. The Mittals welcomed
the barat with traditional fanfare at the Vaux le Vicomte, which
was lit up with millions of lights. Dressed in a bright white
sherwani with gold work, Amit arrived in a chariot. Vanisha,
accompanied by her friends and cousins, walked down the steps
of the chateau, with a red-velvet canopy with gold zardozi held
over her head. The bride wore a red-and-gold lehanga designed
by Sandeep Khosla and Abu Jani.
After the jaimala , the guests were ushered to another corner,
where snacks were being served. Here, the rain gods blessed
the celebrations with a drizzle and this brought the ceremony
to a brief halt. As the rain stopped, fireworks lit up the skies,
and were followed by star-studded entertainment -- Aishwarya
Rai and Akshay Kumar.
Ash surprised the guests with a repeat of her Devdas favourites
-- Dola Re Dola Re and Silsila Ye Chahat Ka , while wearing
the movie outfit and holding a diya in her hand. "She mesmerised
everyone," says Geeta Passi, one of the guests. After Akshay
and Ash performed a few Bollywood remixes, the Khiladi took
over and rocked with Dil Le Gayee Kudi Punjab Di . Even as DJ
Vikrant from Delhi belted out the number, Akshay grabbed the
mike and stated singing himself. Akshay told guests that since
he himself was a Bhatia (his real name is Rajeev Bhatia), this
made him a barati .
While some guests continued to be part of this revelry, the
rest proceeded for the vegetarian Indian spread prepared by
Munna Maharaj and Hemant Oberoi. More than 100 types of dishes
were served. Among the guests were the Graffs of diamond jewellery
fame. Mrs Graff came in a bright red dress with a 40-carat diamond
in her neckpiece -- the talk of the evening. On June 23, the
Bhatias hosted a doli lunch at the hotel to welcome the bride,
who wore a rose pink lehanga designed by Tarun Tahiliani. Where
is the honeymoon? Now, that's a secret!
SIDELIGHTS
? All 600 rooms at the Hotel le Grand Intercontinental in Paris
were booked for guests.
? Several luxury coaches, fitted with bars, were parked outside
the hotel to ferry the guests to anywhere they wanted to go.
? The first floor of the hotel was converted into a parlour
with several hairstylists, makeup artists and saree -draping
specialists to assist the guests.
? Traditionally-dressed men playing drums outside the hotel
showered flowers on guests when they stepped in and out.
? The revelry around the hotel became a tourist attraction for
visitors.
? There were three exclusive TV channels in hotel rooms --one
showing the wedding functions, B4U showing movies and one for
NDTV news.
? A 24-hour snack counter at the hotel's coffee shop served
Indian vegetarian and non-vegetarian delicacies.
? Kolkata-based celebrity chef Munna Maharaj with his team of
38 chefs, and Hemant Oberoi of the Taj, were flown down to prepare
traditional Indian cuisine.
? The mehendiwallis and churiwallis for the wedding were from
Delhi and Mumbai.
