Bollywood Wedding Story: Genelia and Riteish Deshmukh
Riteish Deshumkh: “In a relationship the most important thing is to respect the other person and that’s what will get you unconditional love. There is no love without respect… Love and respect will lay a good foundation for a great relationship.”
Bollywood’s most beautiful and cutest looking couple, Riteish and Genelia, tied the knot on February 3, 2012. They made their debut together in 2003 in Tujhe Meri Kasam and soon fell in love. And, rest as we all know is history. Their journey from being friends to best friends to now fondly called Mr. and Mrs. Deshmukh is indeed very mesmerising. And, equally beautiful is their wedding story.
Riteish Deshmukh is a Maharashtrian- Hindu, while Genelia D’souza is a Mangalorean Catholic. Their wedding saw a beautiful amalgamation of both the traditions right from the pre-wedding bash to the wedding ceremony itself. Riteish and Genelia’s marriage story is one of the best examples of a perfect inter-faith love marriage, where both the families gave equal respect to each other’s traditions and rituals.
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Sangeet Ceremony
The grand Sangeet ceremony held at the Taj Lands End hotel in Bandra on January 31, 2012, was a star-studded event. Genelia looked elegant in her white lehenga, beautifully embellished with stone work and Riteish looked no less than a prince in a royal blue sherwani.
The fun part of the event was the skit that Aftab Shivdasani put up using a cardboard cut-out featuring Riteish. This grand affair was made even more special by Riteish and Genelia’s performance on a Marathi song Kombdi Pallali, along with their respective families.
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Traditional pre-wedding rituals
One day before the wedding, Genelia had a traditional function called Umbracha Paani at her home. Umbracha Paani is an East Indian tradition in which women, dressed in sarees, dance all the way to a well to get water. Traditionally, women went to collect sap of fig tree to mix in the water used to bathe the bride and groom. Genelia, looking radiant in a pink kashta saree, gajra and green bangles, danced with her brother and relatives on the streets. She also rode a horse, a mock tradition that is meant to symbolise a bride taking her baraat to get her groom.
Our beautiful bride Genelia, also had a ceremony called Roce/Rose, another Konkani ritual. In this, pure coconut milk and oil are applied on the bride/groom and given a hot water bath. This ritual signifies the last bath a person takes before getting married. Prior to the wedding, both Riteish and Genelia had a haldi ceremony as well.
The Maharashtrian wedding
Riteish and Genelia had two wedding celebrations, clearly showing respect to each other's unique traditions. The first wedding happened in Marathi-style at the Grand Hyatt Hotel on February 3, 2012. Amidst friends and well-wishers, the couple went through all the rituals associated with a traditional Maharashtrian wedding.
Dressed in a white sherwani, Riteish rode on a ghodi to the wedding. Family and friends who were a part of the baraat procession danced to the music of lezim (a folk dance of Maharashtra) and Marathi songs. Folk dancers accompanied the baraat, dancing energetically to traditional tunes. Genelia looked beautiful, dressed in a red and gold bridal saree, designed by Neeta Lulla. Her look was complete with a nath and a pearl chain on the forehead, which made her look no less than a traditional 'Marathi mulgi'. The ceremony progressed in a typical Marathi style.
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A Church Wedding
The Deshmukhs reciprocated the D’Souza’s appreciation of their culture by indulging enthusiastically in a Christian wedding held at St. Anne’s Roman Catholic Church in Bandra. Genelia was a true vision in her white wedding gown. Holding a bouquet of traditional white roses, she walked down the aisle with her dad, as Riteish, looking dapper in a bow-tie suit, waited for his beautiful bride at the altar. The couple exchanged vows and their wedding was solemnised by the catholic priest.
The couple looked completely in love and made for each other when they said “I Do”. The Christian wedding was infused with cultural elements, including celebrative dances. After the wedding ceremony, there was a small reception where the newlywed lovebirds cut the traditional multi-tier white wedding cake. Towards the end, friends lifted the couple on chairs and carried them around dancing to the tunes of English melodies.
While the Maharashtrian wedding transported guests into the world of Marathas, the Christian wedding was every bit infused with beautiful catholic traditions. Complete justice was done to both the cultures.
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A star-studded grand reception
The wedding reception was a complete Bollywood party. Held at the Grand Hyatt, the occasion saw numerous celebrities from the film fraternity. Genelia wore a dark peach lehenga and uncut diamond jewellery, while Riteish choose a black embellished sherwani with white trousers.
The grand reception of this sweet Bollywood couple was attended by who's who of the Bollywood and political world. From the film industry- Shahrukh Khan, Bachchan family, Ambani family, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor, Aamir Khan and Kirron Rao, Juhi Chawla, Rekha, Imran Khan, John Abraham, Akshay Kumar, Sajid Khan and many more attended Riteish and Genelia's reception party.
Riteish and Genelia's secret marriage mantras
The husband speaks: “Every time we need to find something that is out of the ordinary.. if you are in a life that you are spending together, and if every day becomes routine, it’s important to break that routine. And, once you break that routine, it will add freshness to your life. And that routine should be a surprise…“Oh are we doing this today?” That ‘Oh’ factor in a relationship, always keeps it going.”
The wife speaks: “We enjoy our time together. Romance and all are big words. Just the fact you enjoy each other, love each other and you 'can' spend 24 hours of a day with each other is important.”
Here is wishing Riteish and his baiko (as he fondly addresses Genelia as) a life full of many good surprises and eternal bliss!
