the gorgeous Shilpa Shetty as a real-life Bollywood bride!

Gorgeous Shilpa Shetty who’s known for her perfect body and Big Boss fame finally tied the knot with long-time beau, business tycoon, Raj Kundra! After seeing Shilpa in so many bridal avatars in her movies, we were super excited to finally see her as a a real-life Bollywood bride!

Engagement

Shilpa and Raj held a small, private engagement on October 24th, 2009 at Raj’s home in Mumbai, India. Shilpa wore a stunningly simple pink and red chiffon sari designed by notorious Bollywood fashion designer, Manish Malhotra, with a gorgeous kundan set from Anmol Jewelers. Her engagement ring is reportedly worth over 5 million dollars and is bigger than the 14ct ring she was seen sporting before her engagement!

Shilpa and Raj finally make it official!

Shilpa and Raj’s wedding card made quite a splash as it was designed by famed Delhi-based designer and supposedly cost the couple Rs 500 per card.

Love the crest!

The perfect royal theme!

Mehndi Ceremony

Shilpa and Raj’s Mehndi ceremony took place on the morning of Saturday, November 21, 2009 at the Bawa villa. Shilpa and Raj picked a Hawaiian theme and Shilpa wore a bright pink swavorski-encrusted kaftan (designed by Tarun Tahiliani) to match the theme. Popular Mehndi Artist, Veena did the mehndi for both bridal parties.

Raj and Shilpa posing with their Mehndi Artist, Veena

Actress and gorgeous sister of the bride, Shamita Shetty

The bride-to-be gearing up for her big day with a beautiful mehndi design

Sangeet Ceremony

The Sangeet was also held at the Bawa Villa on Saturday, November 21st, in the evening.  Shilpa wore a stunning gold anarkali outfit designed by Tarun Tahiliani for her sangeet. The Sangeet is heard to have been an absolute blast with dances choreographed by Bollywood choreographer, Ganesh Hedge. The Shetty family performed a skit in which they imitated the Kundra family and danced to the song ‘Aahun, Aahun’ from the movie Love Aaj and Shilpa and Raj danced to a romantic number, ‘Teri Ore’ from Singh is Kingh (which is Shilpa’s ex-boyfriend, Akshay Kumar’s movie!).

Shilpa on the way to the Sangeet

showing off her beautiful mehndi

Wedding

The wedding ceremony took place at Shilpa’s friend and business partner’s home in Khandala (outside of Mumbai) on Sunday, November 22, 2009 and only close family and friends were invited. Shilpa and Raj combined both of their South Indian and Punjabi roots in terms of the wedding rituals. Raj arrived at the wedding on a silver horse-drawn charriot in traditional Punjabi style, with a lively baarath. Respecting Shila Shetty’s Bunt community heritage, they were married in  traditional Mangalorean style. The wedding menu included a delectable buffet of Hyderabadi and Awadhi dishes from Mumbai’s Foodlink restaurant.

The couple left no stone unturned in terms of their wedding outfits. Shilpa wore a  Tarun Tahiliani creation–a traditional burgundy and red brocade sari encrusted by Swavorsky jewels and a kamarbandh with rubies and Swarovski crystals. She added a Punjabi touch to her wedding day look by wearing ‘churaas’ (bangles). Shilpa’s jeweler also reports that Shilpa designed her own mangalsutra! Raj wore a maroon sherwani with gold zari work designed by Nikhil and Shantanu, carried a sword by his side and a string of pearls cascaded from his turban, depicting a perfect Punjabi groom behind the sehra.

the groom on his chariott

the bharaathi's (groom's wedding party) with the magnificent chariott

Shamita and her mother mother awaiting the groom

the blushing bride giggling away

newlyweds

we love the blouse and gajras!

the ravishing bride

she looked as beautiful as everyone expected

Reception

After a traditional wedding, it was time for a more westernized reception! Shilpa and Raj hosted a sophisticated event on Tuesday, November 24th at the Grand Hyatt in Mumbai. Shilpa wore a  crystal-encrusted gold lehenga-style gown (designed by Tarun Tahiliani) and Raj wore a black sherwani (designed by Nikhil and Shantanu) for the reception.

introducing...Mr. and Mrs. Kundra!

wedded bliss

a very happy Bollywood bride

Shilpa's makeup was perfect!

courtesy of Mahiram.com

Young actress Ayesha Takia got married earlier this year in March to restaurant moguel, Farhan Azmi. The young couple were dating for a few years and finally tied the knot in a traditional nikkah ceremony that was held in a mosque in Mumbai with only close family and friends with a rocking reception the next day.

Ayesha wore a beautiful golden-beige lehenga that matched her complexion. Her bling was understated but very elegant. The big diamond mang tika brought back a little old school flavor but matched Ayesha’s round face perfectly. Her antique-gold chur (thick bangle) perfectly complemented her diamond necklace and bracelet as well as the golden-tone of the her lehenga.

courtesy of Mahiram.com

Photo credit: BollywoodHungama.com

Bollywood’s sweetheart, Kajol Mukherjee, married fellow actor and long-time boyfriend, Ajay Devgan, on February 24th, 1999, right in the middle of a tremendously successful career. The Bollywood couple’s wedding was a simple Maharashtian wedding held at Ajay’s house. Kajol wore a beautiful, green Paithani sari as is the Maharashtian custom. (The Sari-Clad Bride loves it when celebrities get all traditional!)  Kajol and Ajay have been happily married for ten years now and have a six-year-old daughter, Nysa.

Photo credit: BollywoodHungama.com

Photo credit: BollywoodHungama.com

Our first two Bollywood Brides might belong to the same family but their looks are very different. Of course, Karishma Kapoor was a real-life bride while Kareena Kapoor is just playing one to promote Gitanjali Jewelers’ Parineeta collection! Kareena is stunningly beautiful in this tomato-red lehenga by Manish Malhotra and lovely diamond and emerald necklace from Geetanjali’s Parineeta collection. Watch the video of the making of the Geetanjali advertisement to see how breathtaking Kareena truly looks–be sure to take some inspiration for your own bridal look!

Photo: Courtesy of Starswelove.com

It’s been almost fours years since one of my favorite Bollywood actresses Karishma Kapoor got married, but I still can’t help but sigh every time I see her wedding photos. I’ve seen a lot of actresses go extremely simple at their weddings, claiming they are tired of all the glitz and glam. But, Karishma achieved the perfect middle–her pink lehenga and diamond jewelry epitomized sophistication and class.

They don’t call her khandani for nothing!