Well, Esha Deol finally got married to her beau Bharat Takhlani, after her mother Hema Malini decided that it was time she settled down. I saw the photos of the Esha Deol and Bharat Takhlani wedding in the news, and was really impressed with the outfits selected by Esha Deol for her sangeet, mehendi and other marriage ceremonies. I thought I'd write this post about the wedding arrangements, outfits, decor and other services, which would help couples planning to get married in the near future.
This article has photos and information about all the wedding outfits worn by the couple for their various wedding functions, as well as details about wedding jewellery, decor and guests who were invited. Read on for more about the Esha Deol-Bharat Takhlani wedding, one of the greatest Indian filmy weddings of our time.
Esha Deol’s Engagement
Esha Deol got engaged Bharat Takhlani (her businessman boyfriend) on the romantic date of 14th February 2012. This private ceremony was held at Hema Malini’s bungalow in Juhu. It was attended by close friends from Bollywood, such as Jaya Bachan.
For the engagement, Esha Deol wore a pink sari with green designs, together with minimalist jewellery to highlight her sparkling diamond engagement ring. Her fiancé Bharat Takhtani was casually dressed in a white shirt, white jacket and cream trousers, as you can see from the above photo.
Invitation Card for Esha Deol's Wedding
Esha Deol's wedding invitation card came in a golden and cream metal dabba with a beautifully designed matching paper bag. Inside the dabba are the simple cards for the various wedding functions, together with paintings of Radha and Krishna (painted by an American artist), and motichoor ladoos with dry fruits (cheapest sweets ever).
The wedding invitation has been jointly given by Dharmendra and Hema Malini, whose names are printed together on the card, together with the names of Dharmendra's late parents (dada and dadi of Esha Deol).
Esha Deol's wedding card was designed by Multi Creation, one of the invitation card makers hired by the rich and famous of Mumbai. The box in which the cards are placed is reusable, and has a design of a lotus, om/swastik signs, and the couple's initials (E and B) entwined together.
Esha Deol's Wedding Sangeet
The wedding sangeet of Esha Deol and Bharat Takhlani was held on June 25th, at the Hotel Lalit Intercontinental in Andheri in Mumbai. It was attended by around 200 guests, which included Bollywood stars like Ritesh and Genelia (who recently got married), Riya and Raima Sen, Zayed Khan, and cousin-brother Abhay Deol. Esha Deol’s father Dharmendra did not attend the sangeet ceremony, and neither did the Deol half-brothers (Bobby and Sunny).
For Esha Deol’s Sangeet, the wedding venue was decorated in a red-and-black scheme, with a retro 70s touch (for example, there were glittering disco balls hanging down from the ceiling).
For the sangeet, Esha Deol wore a beautiful orange/red lehenga-choli with indigo designs and gold zari work. It was designed by leading fashion designer Rocky S. Her fiancé Bharat Takhlani wore a shining blue velvet sherwani, with gold embroidery, designed by Simone Khambatta (one of his close friends). Click on the photo to view a bigger image, which will show embroidery details.
Esha Deol’s sangeet party, like other Bollywood sangeets, also featured family dance acts put up by family members and friends, this included:
- A dance by Esha, Ahana and Karan (Mani Ratnam’s assistant).
- A dance by Hema Malini (Esha’s mother) to her hit Dream Girl song. This special dance also had side dancers. Hema Malini was wearing a peach sari designed by Neeta Lulla
- Dances by Esha Deol to Tauba Tauba and Dhoom Macha De.
- Bharat Takhtani danced to Jumma Chumma and Maa Da Ladla Bigad Gaya (from Dostana).
Esha Deol’s Mehendi Function
The mehendi function of Esha Deol was held in Hema Malini's bungalow on June 27th (Wednesday morning), and was attended by around 150 women. The décor at Esha Deol’s mehendi ceremony was traditional South Indian, with the mehendi venue decorated with diyas, flowers and agarbatti sticks. The mehendi designs of Esha Deol and Bharat were done by famous Bollywood Mehendi artist Veena, with her team of mehendi professionals doing the designs for the other ladies present at the ceremony.
After the mehendi ceremony, Bharat’s family gave Esha gold bangles that were specially selected by his family for the occassion.
Esha Deol's mehendi function was followed by a mehendi celebratory party in the evening at The Royalty Club, in Bandra, Mumbai. This party was attended by a range of high profile guests, which included Bollywood actresses who are friends of Hema Malini, Esha Deol and her sister Ahana. For the mehendi celebratory party, Esha Deol wore a mango-coloured ghagra-choli designed by Neeta Lulla. Her fiancé Bharat Takhlani wore a yellow and light brown kurta pajama set, with an embroidered waistcoat. The party had Punjabi nagadas and DJ music.
Esha Deol and Bharat Takhlani’s ISKCON Wedding
The wedding of Esha Deol and Bharat Takhlani was held at 7.30 in the morning on June 29th (Friday) at the ISKCON temple (Hare Rama Hare Krishna temple) in Juhu. Only close family members were invited to this traditional South-Indian event at the temple's Padma Palace. Esha Deol's marriage function included ceremonies such as Mangala Snanan, Kashi Yaatrai, Maalai Matral, Oonjal, Kanyadanam/Kannigadhaanam, Muhurtum, Saptapadi and Sammandhi Mariyathai.
For the wedding ceremony, the ISKCON temple was decorated in a traditional red-gold scheme, with a canopy decorated with marigold, mogra and roses. The pillars of the mandap were wrapped in matching silk drapes with garlands of flowers. At the entrance of Esha Deol’s wedding venue were plantain trees, while the doorways was lined with mango leaves and pallikais (small clay pots), in typical south Indian style.
For the wedding ceremony, Esha Deol wore a traditional red silk Kanjeevaram sari with heavy South Indian wedding jewellery. This red and gold wedding sari was designed by Neeta Lulla, after combining three kanchivaram sarees purchased in Tamil Nadu. Bharat Takhlani, on the other hand, was not dressed like a traditional south Indian groom (shirtless, with a lungi) for the wedding. Instead, he wore a white sherwani with heavy zari work, in his trademark glittering style. He also wore a maroon and orange wedding turban designed by Neeta Lulla.
Dharmendra was present to give away the bride, dressed in a simple jacket and shirt. Bobby and Sunny did not turn up for the wedding. Other guests present at Esha Deol's wedding ceremony were Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek (who had not invited the Deols for the Abhi-Ash wedding, yet shamelessly turned up), Vyjayantimala, Vinod Khanna, Fardeen Khan, Nita Ambani and Subroto Roy.
During the wedding ceremony, light vegetarian snacks were served together with coconut water and watermelon juice. After the functions were over, a vegetarian lunch was served on the temple premises.
Esha Deol’s Wedding Reception
The wedding reception of Esha Deol and Bharat Takhlani was held on June 30th (Saturday) at Hotel Lalit, a five-star hotel in Mumbai. It was attended by more than a thousand guests, comprising Hema Malini and Dharmendra’s contacts from politics, business and the film industy (both Bollywood and South Indian).
The décor for Esha Deol’s wedding reception was distinctly European, with a white colour scheme. This included white roses, white curtains and scented candles. The dishes that were served by the wedding caterers were specially selected by Esha Deol and Shilarna Vaz (a chef, and close friend of the bride). The wedding reception menu included Indian dishes (both Punjabi and South Indian), as well as Thai, Chinese and Continental cuisine.
For the wedding reception, Esha wore a light pink corset blouse, with a mermaid-cut lehenga designed by Rocky S. The wedding outfit was embellished with Swarovski crystals, for a really royal look. Wedding jewellery included a diamond and emerald necklace and earrings set. Her groom Bharat wore a suave dark grey tuxedo and white shirt, designed by his friend Simone Khambatta.
Some of the guests who attended Esha Deol's wedding reception were Salman Khan (surprisingly dressed in a black suit), Kajol, Vidya Balan, Sushmita Sen, Raj Thackeray, LK Advani, Zayed Khan, Dilip Kumar, Rekha and Madhuri Dixit.
After a week of partying, Esha Deol and Bharat Takhlani left for a month long honeymoon to a secret location.
Profile of the Couple:
Esha Deol is a 30-year old Bollywood actress who was born in Mumbai on 2nd November 1981 (Scorpio). Her father is Dharmendra Singh Deol (A Punjabi Sikh Bollywood actor), while her mother is Hema Malini (a Tamil Hindu Bollywood actress), both of whom converted to Islam to marry. Esha Deol has one younger sister – Ahana, and two half brothers – Sunny and Bobby. She attended Mithibai College in Mumbai, and was once selected for the Indian national women’s soccer team.
Bharat Takhani is a Sindhi businessman (a diamond merchant), who is based in Bandra in Mumbai. He and Esha have known each other for many years.
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