Brand and Perry’s Indian wedding

British comedian Russell Brand and pop singer Katy Perry marry in closely guarded traditional Hindu ceremony in India.

NEW DELHI:

British comedian Russell Brand and pop singer Katy Perry married in a closely guarded, traditional Hindu ceremony at an exclusive hotel resort in India.

The festivities commenced on the grounds of the Amaan-i-Khas resort in the deeply wooded Ranthambore National Park, a tiger reserve some south of the city fort-Jaipur, while media from all around the world strained to catch a glimpse of the most happening wedding of the season.

As the sounds of traditional Rajasthani music drifted across elaborately decorated tents to the moonlit resort, over 80 international journalists were hovering for space with their cameras pasted to the gate to get a glimpse of the newlywed couple.

Private security guards, black screens and a ban on cellular phones ensured a level of privacy and added an element of secrecy to the event. A representative for the couple was reported saying that publicity rights had still not been sold to London magazine.

“The wedding rituals began at seven o clock in the evening, and completed as per schedule,” Kajod Mal, a local police officer, told Reuters by telephone from Kotwali town. “We sent some of our men there for security.”

According to reports Brand was seen with henna patterns on his hands and his arrival was marked by two feature elephants, said a representative. An official statement described the event as a spiritual ceremony attended by the couples’ family and close friends and was conducted by a Christian minister.

Much to everyone’s disappointment, the maid of honour was not pop star Rihanna but a close family friend.

As the sun set through the early evening, the guests made their way two nearby resorts where they were stationed and arrived in cars with blacked-out windows. British singer-songwriter Noel Gallagher was reported to be attending the ceremony, as well as Brand’s close friend, television presenter, Jonathan Ross.

The couple landed in Mumbai on Thursday, and are said to have chosen the resort for their wedding after Brand proposed to Perry at the same location last December, but these reports were denied by a representative who said the celebrity couple had not been engaged there.

A Reuters witness said four photographers were attacked by a member of Brand’s security detail while trying to take pictures of the groom-to-be on his safari trip. One of the actor’s bodyguards smashed camera equipment and injured one of the photographers before taking the keys to their vehicle for trying to capture moments of the celebrity’s private trip.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 26th, 2010.