First pictures from Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif's wedding are out!

Vintage car baraat, glass mandap, Rajasthani delicacies on the menu
Richa Shukla (BOMBAY TIMES; December 10, 2021)

Bollywood couple Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif tied the knot at Sawai Madhopur’s Fort Barwara on Thursday afternoon amid much secrecy and high security. Here’s a peek inside the most anticipated and closely-guarded nuptials of the year:

A GRAND WEDDING AMID FORT’S SHEESH MAHAL
Sources tell us that the celebrations kicked off with Vicky’s sehra bandi ceremony on Thursday morning, and loud dhol and nagara beats could be heard at the venue. The sherwani-clad dulha arrived in a vintage car with a small baraat in the premises, while Katrina Kaif was carried in on a doli decorated with flowers, and wore a pink lehenga, add the insiders. The ceremony supposedly took place in a glass mandap in the sheesh mahal area of the fort. The couple’s wedding started around Thursday noon, and Vicky and Katrina took their saath pheras at 3.30 pm.

‘THE COUPLE TWINNED IN PINK AT THE SANGEET’
The couple’s wedding festivities started from December 7 with the sangeet ceremony, followed by the mehendi on December 8. Twinning in pink at the sangeet, both Katrina and Vicky were seen dancing while their family friend and singer Gurdas Maan gave a small performance for them, say sources.

Though Bollywood biggies like Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar and Alia Bhatt were expected to attend the wedding, none of them were spotted at the venue till the time of going to press. Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi attended the sangeet and mehendi and the former returned to Jaipur early on Thursday due to a prior commitment.

MAWA KACHORI, KHEER MOHAN AND KAAJU PAAN ON THE MENU
Sources say that the menu during the three-day festivities included intercontinental cuisine, with a Rajasthani touch. Delicacies like mawa kachori, pyaaz ki kachori, kaju paan, and kheer mohan are believed to have been served, along with authentic delicacies made by a local halwai. Kailash Sharma, owner of the mithai shop that catered to the wedding, shares, “For the past three-days, we have been preparing typical Rajasthani mithais for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Kheer mohan, mawa kachori and pyaaj kachori are being served every day during breakfast.”

DIGITAL STICKERS, 200 BOUNCERS & HEAVY SECURITY
The wedding has been in the news and also been a fodder for memes – thanks to its tight security, and for good reason. Entry inside the venue was only allowed to those with digital security stickers and codes which were allotted to the vehicles ferrying the guests from the airport and hotels in Sawai Madhopur. Reportedly, 100 bouncers each from Mumbai and Jaipur were deployed inside and outside the fort, in addition to personnel from Rajasthan police.

Tinu Sogarwal, SHO, Chauth Ka Barwara, shares, “We are only taking care of security outside the fort and its entrance. Security inside the fort is being taken care of by a private agency from Mumbai. There are three entrance gates to the fort, where we have deployed one sub-inspector and four constables. A team of 11 has been kept on reserve.”
-----------------------
In Bollywood’s most guarded shaadi, Vicky-Katrina tie the knot; groom arrives in vintage car for ceremony conducted by the Kaushals’ family priest
Mohar Basu, Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; December 11, 2021)

Be it Priyanka Chopra-Nick Jonas’s grand affair in Jodhpur or Deepika Padukone-Ranveer Singh’s dreamy wedding in Lake Como, Bollywood shaadis in the recent past have all been about razzmatazz. But Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif served us arguably the industry’s most guarded wedding. Amid all the excitement generated over the past few days, the two stars, on Thursday, tied the knot at the Six Senses Fort Barwara in Rajasthan. Sources say ahead of the pheras scheduled for 3.30 pm, the groom made an entry in a vintage car with brother Sunny Kaushal in tow, while the bride came in a doli.

Onlookers revealed that the mandap, made of glass and flowers, was decorated as per Kaif’s choice. “Katrina had chosen the flower arrangements, a combination of lilies and marigold. The couple chose Sabyasachi’s creations for their big day. Katrina wore a custom-made red lehenga, styled with gajra in her hair while the dulha opted for an off-white sherwani. The rituals were conducted by the Kaushals’ family priest who was specially flown down for the event,” revealed a source.

The newlyweds released pictures later in the evening, seeking fans’ “love and blessings” for their new journey. Sources at the venue added, “There was a haldi ceremony before 10 am, attended only by the family members. The bride started getting ready at 11 am for the late afternoon ceremony.”

Another source revealed that the nuptials, attended by Malavika Mohanan, Kabir Khan and Mini Mathur, and Sharvari, were followed by an after-party. “It is a night-long affair at the fort resort tonight. The couple are expected to return to Mumbai on Saturday. Given their keenness to have a private affair, they could not invite their Bollywood friends to their big day. A reception is scheduled for mid-December for their industry colleagues.”