Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; April 23, 2018)

After their mehendi ceremony on Saturday, model-actor Milind Soman and girlfriend Ankita Konwar tied the knot in a traditional ceremony, yesterday. The wedding, which took place in Alibaug, was attended by close friends and family.

Staying true to their roots — Milind is a Maharashtrian, while Ankita is Assamese — the couple’s wedding was a blend of both cultures. They mixed and matched their Assamese outfits with Maharashtrian accessories and also performed certain Assamese rituals at the wedding ceremony.

Milind’s mother Usha Soman was by her son’s side throughout, soaking in the memorable moments. While most guests headed home last evening, the couple is slated to leave for Spain soon, for their honeymoon.

Known for giving fitness goals to health enthusiasts, Milind and Ankita’s bond proved that when it comes to love and marriage, age is definitely not a barrier. A lot was written about their 25-year age gap — he is 52 and she, 27 — but their wedlock goes on to show that all that matters is compatibility.

A haldi ceremony was held prior to the wedding, with classic Marathi songs playing in the background.

Here’s wishing the couple a happy married life.






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The groom preps for the wedding with 501 push-ups, the bride makes a style statement with flowers and a dazzling smile
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 23, 2018)

Even two days before Milind Soman tied the knot with Ankita Konwar, his girlfriend of nearly three years and a former air-hostess, it was business as usual for the 52-year-old model, athlete and India’s Ironman, as he kept up with his daily routine of 501 pushups. A week before that, the couple had run across Delhi and Kolkata as part of their fitness regime.

The two-day wedding ceremony took place on April 21-22 at an Alibaug farmhouse and guests pointed out that it was only apt that the health-freak and environmentalist took the pheras on Earth Day.

The wedding was a small, intimate Maharashtrian-style ceremony, preceded by some Assamese customs conducted by Niranjana and Nagen Konwar, parents of the 26-year-old bride. Ankita’s sister Jharna Konwar Baruah was also present. The couple was colour-coordinated in beige and gold for the two-hour ritual while Milind’s mother, Usha, draped herself in the traditional nauvari saree. The ornaments were predominantly floral paired with minimalistic accessories. Guests, including the bride and groom’s families, close friends and a few of Milind’s colleagues, braved the April heat as the couple took their vows in a mandap erected outdoors and decorated with Warli paintings, roses and marigold.

Around 30 guests arrived in Alibaug on Saturday for the sangeet and mehendi. It was a sun-downer with the couple dancing through the night to Bollywood chartbusters, including “Main Khiladi Tu Anari”, “Dilliwali Girlfriend” and “Ishq Sufiyana”. There was a Punjabi band which later doubled up as a karaoke crew with guests crooning under the moonlight. While Ankita switched from one brightly coloured lehenga to another for the many ceremonies preceding the pheras, Milind was breezy in a t-shirt and shorts during the pre-wedding rituals. After the wedding, all the guests changed into white shorts and T-shirts with two Warli stick figures representing the newlyweds emblazoned on them, perhaps in celebration of the matrimonial marathon the couple has pledged to run.

While rumours of an impending wedding had been rife for two months, neither Milind nor Ankita had confirmed the news. The cat was out of the bag by their close friends, model-actress Dipannita Sharma, filmmaker Subodh Maskara, Milind’s fellow runners Abhi Asha Mishra, and Radhika Gupta, as they shared pictures of the newlyweds on the social media, including one in which the groom swept his bride off her feet and into his arms.

Milind and Ankita had first raised eyebrows because of a 26-year age gap when they confirmed their relationship on the social media with loved-up pictures in November, 2015. But the couple shrugged it off. The couple had first got together when Ankita completed her first 10K marathon under Milind’s guidance earlier in the month. They would subsequently go on to particpate in several marathons, sometimes with Milind’s mom for company. The 78-year-old matriarch, who lives with the model-actor in his Dadar home, adores her daughter-in-law and after the wedding, has welcomed Ankita into the fold with open arms.

The mehndi ceremony was held yesterday
Renuka Vyavahare and Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; April 22, 2018)

Milind Soman is set to break many hearts today, as he ties the knot with girlfriend Ankita Konwar in a private ceremony in Alibaug. Sources close to the modelactor confirmed that the wedding ceremony will take place today, while the haldi and mehndi functions were held yesterday. The couple was dressed in traditional Assamese attire for their mehndi function.

Milind wanted to keep things low-key and invited only a select group of friends and family. Apart from close family members, those in attendance include Milind’s colleagues and friends who support his fitness and social causes. Most of the guests gathered in Alibaug on Saturday.

Model-actress Dipannita Sharma, who is among the guests at the wedding, told BT on Saturday, “The mehndi was a lot of fun, with Assamese, Hindi and Marathi songs being played in the background. Everybody, including the couple, had a great time dancing.”

Dipannita added, “Even the decor was a mix of Assamese and Marathi cultures. The wedding will also be a blend of both cultures, as Ankita is from Assam and Milind is a Maharashtrian. They want to keep it simple. We can’t wait to see them married.”

There’s also speculation that the reception might be held in a foreign location, where the newly-weds will be hosted by a close friend’s family. However, there have been no confirmations of it. Twenty seven-year-old Ankita is a former cabin crew executive. She’s now a fitness advocate like Soman.