Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 24, 2018)

Following three months of speculation surrounding Sonam Kapoor’s upcoming nuptials with her businessman- boyfriend of over two years, Anand Ahuja, Mirror has learnt that the 32-year-old actress is set to tie the knot over a two-day ceremony on May 11 and 12 in Geneva.

Last week, after a brief holiday with Delhi-based Anand in London, where he owns property as well as a few business ventures, the bride-to0be took off to Austria for a five-day spa retreat at her favourite snowcapped resort.

“The date and venue for the wedding have been locked and mass bookings for flights are presently underway. Her dad Anil Kapoor is personally making phone calls to invite guests. There will be sangeet and mehendi ceremonies, followed by a traditional Hindu wedding,” a source from the team that is planning the wedding told Mirror, adding that the Kapoor clan took over three months to finalise the venue. While both Jaipur and Udaipur were among early contenders, the couple zeroed in on Geneva recently. “The nuptials will be preceded by an engagement ceremony attended by the family’s inner circle, but the venue for that is presently not known,” the source added.

Sonam and Anand were still looking for an ideal destination when the actress, who is the brand ambassador for a luxury Swiss watch manufacturer, was in Geneva in January, when she decided that the city was the picture perfect venue. She was accompanied by her younger sister, filmmaker and stylist Rhea, and the duo checked out several locations before finalising the venue. Since last year, Sonam has made several visits to Switzerland as part of her work commitments, including brand endorsements.

Meanwhile, buzz around the nuptials has also led to a feeding frenzy among Mumbai and Delhi’s designer community, who are vying for the coveted job of designing Bollywood’s resident fashionista’s wedding trousseau. However, according to fashion industry sources, Sonam has already entrusted family favourites Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla (who dressed her up for a recent wedding show) and close friends, Brit designer duo Tamara Ralph and Michael Russo, with their wedding wardrobe.

Sonam and Anand made their relationship public via Instagram on Anil Kapoor’s 60th birthday celebration in London in December 2016, with the extended Kapoor family welcoming Anand into the fold. Later, the couple took to documenting their courtship online with the hashtag ‘everyday phenomenal’. Anand would comment on Sonam’s posts with adoration and heart eyes, and vice-versa. Six months later, he hosted a two-day birthday bash for his ladylove in Delhi. The couple has embarked on multiple holidays together, soaking up the New York sun and traversing through Europe. Last May, Anand stood alongside Anil and Sunita Kapoor to cheer on as Sonam received the National Award — Special Mention — for her turn as Neerja Bhanot in Ram Madhvani’s eponymous directorial.

On Valentine’s Day this year, Sonam exclaimed that she was “the luckiest girl in the world”, sharing pictures of a red rose bouquet from her soon-to-be husband. She also shared a picture of her walking hand-in-hand with Anand from an earlier holiday. It was appended with the caption, “Conquer the devils with a little thing called love. Everyone deserves to love and be loved…”