|
Bride: Katy Perry (Singer, song writer, actress)
Groom: Russell Brand (Comedian and actor)
Venue: Aman-i-Khas luxury resort near the Ranthambhore tiger sanctuary,
Rajasthan, India
Date: 23 October, 2010
Vows: The couple were married by a Christian minister, who is a friend
of Katy’s family. The wedding procession known as the ‘bharat’ was very colourful
and included a troupe of 21 camels, elephants and horses. Fire-eaters, drummers
and a dancing supermodel. Trees lined the path lit with white and gold lights.
Indian musicians sang and played the sitar and Rajasthani kettle drums and the
guests cheered and clapped.
Indian royalty use elephants to arrive at such events, Russell considered it too, but in the end choose to arrive on a white horse. He then walked with his relatives to where his bride was waiting.
The couple then sat in gold wedding thrones under a traditional wedding canopy called a ‘mandap’. They both later made speeches, Katy talking at length about reincarnation and that she is sure Russell and herself have been together in a previous life. Vedic chanting could be heard around the resort.
Dress by: Elim Saab – dove grey with lace sleeves – although no images
have been released, this is the designer and dress Katy is said to have chosen
for her marriage vows. Earlier in the day she had been seen wearing a blue sari.
Both Russell and Katy had traditional Henna tattooes applied to their hands before
the ceremony. Although Katy was photographed apparently wearing an Indian bridal
nose ring, known as a ‘nath’, it is thought that it may actually have been attached
to her sunglasses rather than her nose. Traditionally the bride’s nath is removed
by her husband on their wedding night.
Jewellery: Cartier - Indian designer Hanut Singh worked with Russell on
the vintage-inspired engagement ring with a 3 carat round old-cut single Golconda
diamond. Said to be the most magical of Indian diamonds from the Golconda mine.
The stone was set on a vintage yellow gold band from Cartier. Value estimated
at £55,000.
The matching wedding rings were wide yellow gold, micro pave-set diamond bands. Valued at approximately £35,000 each.
Groom’s attire: Russell wore a traditional long, heavily embroidered coat.
Reception: At the reception an exotic parrot picked out cards in answer
to guests questions and predicted the couple will have a long life together and
long, successful careers. The wedding feast was traditional Indian and vegan –
over 1,300 cans of soft drink and 5,000 bottles of mineral water.
It was followed by a six-day celebration which included a gala reception at the Taj Rambagh Palace Hotel, a 100 miles from the wedding venue. The hotel is the former home of the Maharaja and Maharani of Jaipur, converted in 1957 to a 5-star hotel.
Honeymoon: The couple spent their wedding night in a tent and after their
extended celebrations; they flew to the Maldives and honeymooned in the £8,000
a night Soneva Fushi resort. Unfortunately, Katy had to seek medical attention
after receiving a bite from a spider that left her with a rash on her legs. The
medication is reported to have left Katy too exhausted to consummate the marriage,
which was bad news for Russell as she had already imposed a month long s*x ban
before their marriage.
Cost: £300,000, plus a further £125,000 on rings.
Number of guests: 85 the majority of them wore Indian dress
Special guests: P. Diddy (who also did a turn at the celebrations), David
Baddiel, David Walliams, Jonathan Ross, supermodel Jesse Randhawa (danced at the
wedding). Katy’s best friend Rihanna was unable to attend the wedding, due to
her work commitments – though she did organise the hen do in Vegas.
Engagement: Russell proposed to Katy outside the Taj Mahal, while on a
romantic holiday in December 2009. The location was chosen by Russell as his Christmas
gift to her, because she had told him how much she admired Indian culture.
The couple had been dating for just 3 months when he popped the question on New Year’s Eve, after a romantic dinner and fireworks display.
“I knew moments after meeting her that I wanted to marry her,” he said. “I think the time was right and I was ready to live in a different way. And Katy’s very strong and wilful but gentle too. I’m just living out every day and I’m so happy to have met someone like her.”
As a wedding gift Russell bought Katy a female Bengal tiger called ‘Machli’, who will continue to live in Ranthambore National Park. He thought it would make the perfect gift for Katy after he heard the large cat is known as the ‘epitome of beauty’ by the park’s rangers.
Katy’s wedding gift to Russell was a baby elephant.
Where did they meet? They first met in 2008 when Katy had a cameo role
in Russell’s film ‘Get Him to the Greek’. However they didn’t start dating until
after they met up again in September 2009, when he was the host at the MTV Video
Music Awards. He said at the time, "Katy Perry didn’t win an award and she’s staying
at the same hotel as me, so she’s gonna need a shoulder to cry on. So in a way,
I’m the real winner tonight."
History:
Katy has apparently written a rulebook to follow throughout their marriage; the first rule is that they are not allowed to go nightclubbing without each other.
|
