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.