Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif share wedding pictures: 'Seeking your love and blessings'

Bollywood stars Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif shared images from their wedding on Thursday, on the final day of a lavish three-day celebration at a luxury resort in Rajasthan, India.

"Only love and gratitude in our hearts for everything that brought us to this moment. Seeking all your love and blessings as we begin this new journey together," the actors both posted on their Instagram accounts, along with several photos.

In one photo, Kaif, dressed in a red lehenga and decked in bridal jewellery, is seen garlanding Kaushal, who wears a cream and gold sherwani and a turban.

Photographers were camped for days outside the Six Senses Fort Barwara, a converted 14th-century fort once owned by a Rajasthani royal family, with each drip of images of A-list guests feeding the media frenzy in India and among Bollywood fans worldwide.

Kaushal and Kaif both boast a massive fan following, and have neither worked in a film together, nor spoken about their relationship – although they've been considered a couple since they were spotted at a dinner in Mumbai in 2019.

Celebrations began on Tuesday with a mehendi ceremony, where henna is applied on the bride's hands and feet, and on the hands of the female members of the bride and groom's families. On the same day, the groom's mother also organised a ladies' sangeet, a typically Punjabi ritual as part of which the women from the families gather to sing folk songs to the beats of a dholak.

On Wednesday, the couple hosted a poolside sangeet, a pre-wedding musical party, where singers, including Harrdy Sandhu and Aastha Gill performed. The couple then tied the knot on Thursday afternoon, and hosted a reception later in the evening.

On Saturday, the stars shared more pictures from their haldi ceremony, a pre-wedding ritual where turmeric paste is applied all over the bride and groom.

Designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee, who has dressed many Bollywood brides in the past, shared details of what Kaif and Kaushal wore for the various ceremonies.

For the wedding, Kaif wore a classic Sabyasachi red bridal lehenga in handwoven matka silk with tilla work and embroidered zardozi borders in velvet. "In homage to the groom’s Punjabi roots, her veil is custom-trimmed with handmade kiran in hand-beaten silver electroplated in gold. The lehenga is paired with bespoke bridal jewellery of uncut diamonds in 22K gold detailed with hand-strung pearls from Sabyasachi Heritage Jewellery," he said.

"The groom wears an ivory silk sherwani with marori embroidery and Sabyasachi handcrafted gold plated Bengal Tiger buttons, with a silk kurta and churidar. The shawl is a tussar georgette with a zari marori embroidered pallu and borders."

The couple also wore Sabyasachi for the haldi ceremony.

Indian media reported that the guest list was limited to 120 people, owing to Covid-19 restrictions, with everyone required to be vaccinated and PCR-tested before their arrival.

Director Kabir Khan, a close friend of Kaif's, and his wife, actress Mini Mathur, were photographed leaving Mumbai airport. As were actress Neha Dhupia and her actor husband Angad Bedi, plus actress Raveena Tandon. Singer Gurdas Maan, who was also pictured at the airport, reportedly performed at the wedding. On Monday, Kaif's family members were photographed arriving at the Jaipur International Airport.

Who is Katrina Kaif?

Born to a Kashmiri father and an English mother in Hong Kong, Kaif was working as a model in London when filmmaker Kaizad Gustad cast her in his 2003 film Boom. While the film did poorly at the box office, it nevertheless introduced Kaif to Mumbai's glamour world, leading to a spate of modelling assignments and film offers. Her breakthrough came with the 2005 hit Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya, also starring Salman Khan, with whom she would go on to have a long relationship.

Kaif, 38, has since established herself as one of the most commercially successful actors in Bollywood, beloved by fans for her looks and dance moves. In 2013, she was ranked ninth on Forbes' list of India's best-known entertainers, with an estimated annual income of $8.5 million.

Who is Vicky Kaushal?

The son of an action choreographer for Bollywood films, Kaushal, 33, made his debut in the 2012 film Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana. But it was his role in the acclaimed 2015 film Masaan that would turn him into a star. Kaushal then followed it up with critically lauded performances in films such as Raman Raghav 2.0 (2016), Love Per Square Foot (2018), Raazi (2018) and the 2019 blockbuster Uri: The Surgical Strike.

The in-demand actor recently shot a travelogue in Abu Dhabi.

"I'm very excited to share a sneak peek of Finding Vicky, a show about my unforgettable trip," the actor said, sharing a clip of his three-day visit to the city on Saturday. The show will air on Zoom TV soon.

The wedding venue

A two-and-a-half-hour drive from Jaipur International Airport, the Six Senses Fort Barwara is a converted 14th-century fort with more than 700 years of history. Located next to the Barwara Lake, with views of the Chauth Mata temple, which sits on top of a hill, the resort includes two palaces, two original temples and 48 suites within the fort walls. Guests have the options of three restaurants with menus that emphasise locally sourced ingredients.

The property faces the village of Barwara to the west and a forest to the east. The famed Ranthambore National Park, known for its tigers, is a 30-minute drive away.

Prices for suites at the Six Senses Fort Barwara start from Dh3,122 per night.

– This article was first published on December 8, 2021