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!

Here are the Sari-Clad Bride’s top shopping destinations in Kolkata;

Park Street courtesy of India Mike

Courtesy of James Nichloas Sears

• Park Street: For major wedding sari shopping for the bride, mother of the bride, sisters, and close family that you need to gift saris, you can rely on Park Street for a one-stop shopping experience.  On the Sari-Clad Bride’s recently Kolkata shopping spree, Park Street was her favorite destination. In two days on Park Street, we bought over 30+ beautiful saris from stores such as Sarovar, Savera, Rangoli,  and several other stores.  Additionally, you will find stores for designers kameezes along Park Street. Just a simple stroll down Park Street will cover all your bases for wedding sari shopping!

• Like The Sari-Clad Bride, we are certain that our readers also love several Indian designers.  When it comes to shopping for Designer Bridal Wear, it is best to visit South City Mall located in Salt Lake, along with The Forum.  You’ll find designer shoes, saris, lehengas, and all wedding essentials from the likes of Ritu Kumar, menswear designer Gatha to name a few.

South City Mall courtesy of Kolkata Mirror

The Forum courtesy of Skyscrapercity

• For Wedding trinkets and bangles and other accessories, The Sari-Clad Bride loves New Market. Here, you will find lots of varieties of wedding accessories at bargain prices!

• Jewelry shopping Kolkata should be an essential aspect of wedding shopping in India and The Sari-Clad brides recommends buying jewelry from B.C. Sen Jewellers (http://www.bcsenjewellers.com/event/index.htm)–if you prefer the sit-down, calm environment or Nemichand Bamalwa & Sons (http://www.bamalwa.com)  if you enjoy the hustle and bustle of jewelry business!  Also, The Sari-Clad bride recommends that you check out Anjali Jewelers!

Courtesy of goldzeit.eu

We all know that it is very important that a desi bride be well-versed in the matters of gold jewelry.  So here are some facts that every bride or bride-to-be should know before shopping for gold:

The “karat” of gold refers to the percentage of fine gold versus the percentage of other metals.  Since gold is too soft to be used in its purest form, it is usually mixed with other metals, also known as alloy, in order to harden and strengthen gold jewelry. The more gold is in the combination, the larger the karat. This can be easily detected by the color of the jewelry – more yellow in color as well. However, even in the same karat category, the color of the gold can vary depending on what other types of metal or alloy are in the combination. For example, mixing darker metals such as copper can give the jewelry a more reddish tone. On the other hand if a more yellow or white colored metal is used, the gold jewelry will have a brighter yellow look. When it comes to desi jewelry, this is often defined by where the gold jewelry was made. For example Rajasthani 22 karat gold tends to be a little more bright yellow in color whereas Jaipuri 22 karat gold tends to have a darker tone on the average. This should not be confused with the finish of the gold jewelry, which is basically the paint or coating on the surface of the jewelry, to enhance the look. An example of this is the antique look which is done with paint or a colored coating on top of the 22 karat gold jewelry. Below is a breakdown of what percentage of fine gold is present in the different types of karatage:

Karatage     Percentage of fine gold
8                     33.75

9                     37.8

10                   42

12                    50.25

14                    58.5

18                     75

22                     91.75

24                     100

Source of table: Rovin, Jeff, Laws of Order, p.32.

We discovered a few jewelry shopping basics;

• Bridal sets prices depend on karat, weight, color, intricacy of design, and whether all-gold, semi-precious and precious gemstones.
• Gold sets with gemstones are usually more expensive.
• This summer, the price of 22-karat gold varies between 32.5 dollars per gram to 36dollars per gram–depending how well you could bargain (in which case, taking along a particularly annoying Auntie might help!).
• Tip: Pay in cash and you won’t have to pay taxes, which can be a hefty sum, considering the thousands of dollars one set costs!

Here are some traditional, 22-karat bridal sets our friend, Syeda, tried out.

price: $6230
178 grams
$35.00/gram

price: $3,557
107.8 grams
$33/gram

price: $3,400
100 grams
$34/gram

price: $4,336
133.4 grams
$32.5/gram

Pohela Boishakh

Every year, on the first day of the year, Bengalis all over Bangladesh and India celebrate Pohela Boishakh–the Bengali New Year.  This day is filled with food, songs, new saris, etc.  However, one tradition that I learned about during my recent trip to Dhaka, Bangladesh was that of ‘Hal Khata’.  Hal Khata, which literally translates to ‘New Notebook’ in Bangla, is a custom in which jewelry buyers pay up all their debts to jewelry stores on Pohela Boishakh.  In order to show their appreciation, jewelry stores invite their customers for a feast on Pohela Boishakh, which occurs mid-April of every year.

Hal Khata is not only a fun celebration, but also a chance for jewelry stores to introduce their new line of jewelry for the upcoming year and a good time for brides to scope out the goods! My first experience of this Hal Khata tradition was on April of this year and when I stepped into New Jawra House in Dhaka–I was amazed to see the food, festivities, and the displays of new jewelry.

Pohela Boishakh

The Bengali New Year, Pohela Boishakh, is an ideal date for brides to buy jewelry.  Jewelry stores display never before seen items–the majority of which are booked and sold on this day.  I encountered several brides-to-be purchasing their wedding jewelry far in advance of their wedding date to get the best designs and prices. So if you’re planning a shopping trip for your trousseau in Bangladesh or Bengal in India, going during ‘Hal Khata’ would be a smart decision!

Dubai Gold Souq = SHOPPING HEAVEN

When stepping into the shopping complexes in Dubai, your eyes will first be greeted by GOLD–almost everywhere!  Gold shops in Dubai, in my opinion, are more prevalent than clothing, or even food!

My mom and I had began our 3 and a half week venture to begin my brother’s wedding shopping and it all started in Dubai. My mom and I thought our two day shopping trip was far too short, but we managed to purchase a storm and in my opinion, Dubai = shopping haven!!

It is always easier to travel when you have family internationally and I recommend always taking a local when shopping abroad unless you’re familiar with the area.  It was my mom’s first time returning to Dubai since the 5 years she lived there during her adolescence and my first time in Dubai so we were excited to bring on the shopping!

Dubai Gold Souq

On our first day, we ventured into Sharjah to begin our shopping excursion and it all began with gold shops in Gold Souq.  We were surrounded by gold to the point where our eyes begin to just see yellow lights.  Growing up, I thought only South Asians had a fascination with gold, but rest assured, people in the UAE are just as obsessed.  The interesting aspect of shopping in Dubai is that it is, in essence, a cultural hub; there is jewelry  from all parts of the Middle East/Eastern world along with food and clothing as well.  Stepping into a jewelry store, you can expect to find traditional Gujrati wedding jewelry to even the most precious gems of Jaipur–kundan.

Dubai Gold Souq

However, salesmen in Dubai-like all parts of the world-sense tourists!  As I’ve mentioned previously, be sure to take a local when buying high-value items such as jewelry. Without my uncle’s help, my mom would have thrown away hundreds of dollars because the salespeople definitely sensed we were tourists.

In addition to Dubai being a Gold Haven—there are also tons and tons of fabulous places to shop for clothing.  I absolutely fell in LOVE with the salwar kameezes/suits  available in Dubai.  I found one of my favorite shops–Bareeze–there and went completely insane buying anything that I laid my eyes on in the store.  Bareeze also sells fabric by the yard; Bareeze chiffon embroidered sarees would make a great addition to any bridal trousseau!  Dubai, in my opinion, is heavily influenced by Pakistani fashion and I was able to buy tons of kameezes that I would not find anywhere else aside from Lahore and Karachi.

If you are a South Asian bride and you have a little extra money to splurge–do it in Dubai!  You will not be disappointed; you’ll find all that your little heart desires–jewelry and clothing from several South Asian designers ranging from Pakistani, to Indian, to Arab–you name it! Shop your heart out in Dubai!

Asiana Wedding Magazine

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RECEPTION LOOK

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TRADITIONAL LOOK

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RECEPTION LOOK

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TRADITIONAL LOOK

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RECEPTION LOOK

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TRADITIONAL LOOK

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RECEPTION LOOK 

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