Aishwarya Rai not seen at Vivek Oberoi's wedding

Bollywood actress Sushmita Sen and filmmaker Mani Ratnam were among the 2,000-odd guests at actor Vivek Oberoi’s wedding on Friday, but ex-girlfriend Aishwarya Rai and her husband, Abhishek Bachchan, reportedly did not attend the ceremony in Bangalore, despite being personally invited.

Oberoi didn’t let that faze him, however.

Dressed like a prince, the Bollywood hottie married fiancé Priyanka Alva in India’s Silicon Valley on Friday.

Early in the afternoon, hours before the ceremony, he arrived by Mercedes at the Alva residence, a farmhouse near Bangalore’s Lumbini Garden, entering through the back gate to avoid the waiting media outside, the Deccan Herald newspaper reported.

The day was marked by a series of rituals, in keeping with the typical Indian tradition, sources close to the family said. The wedding day commenced with prayers to bless the couple, followed by a traditional turmeric application ceremony.

By early evening, as guests drove up in luxury cars, Oberoi had dressed up in a heavily embellished sherwani and turban in maroon and gold, an outfit designed by the couturier Tarun Tahiliani, before a veil of flowers was tied around his head amid cheering and clapping by family members and relatives.

He then climbed onto a horse, as dancers and drummers took to the streets, leading him to his fiancé.

The bride sported various sets of apparel for the ceremonies, including a lehenga with heavy intricate gold works, set off by heirloom jewellery comprising rubies.
Alva, a management graduate from London, is the daughter of the late Karnataka minister late Jeevaraj Alva and reputed dancer Nandini.

"The wedding venue was covered with around 2,000 Swaroski crystals. Around 700 lotuses were flown from Thailand to fill the pool on the premises. The entire theme was very Indian," an Indian news website quoted a guest as saying.

Dinner was a meal representing the Indian subcontinent, with food from North and South India, reports said.

Among the other celebrities spotted in Bangalore were actors Rajnikanth, Chiranjeevi, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Akshay Kumar.

Festivities kicked off a day earlier with a mehendi or henna ceremony. It was followed by a sangeet or song and dance event, where choreographer Sandip Soparkkar made a presentation.

An hour-long film voiced by the actor’s father Suresh told the story of the couple from the time they were children until the day they first met – when Oberoi fell in love within 20 minutes of meeting Alva, he has said. 

Percussionist Sivamani took to the stage and enthralled the crowds, followed by DJ Jasmeet.

According to Indian media, among the songs played at the event was “Zor Ka Jhatka”, from the film “Action Replayy”, which stars Oberoi’s ex-girlfriend, the former Miss World Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. The pair broke up rather acrimoniously, but word drifting in from Bangalore is that Oberoi and his fiancé were "totally cool about it”.

But then, seeing as Alva allowed Oberoi to invite Rai and her husband Abhishek Bachchan to the wedding, we sense she’s being big-hearted about his ex.

Hopefully, they will be equally big-hearted and turn up at a reception in Mumbai, where more than 1,000 guests have been invited to dinner at the five-star ITC Grand Maratha in Mumbai.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.