Indian weddings are festivals in themselves. The three-day extravaganza is an adventure of a lifetime. Indians believe marriage happens only once in each person’s life, so it should be celebrated as grand as possible. One of India’s most costly weddings was when former Karnataka Minister Janardhana Reddy spent over Rs 500 crores on his daughter’s wedding.
The wedding of Brahmani, daughter of Janardhana Reddy, was held on November 6, 2016. The five-day wedding was attended by around 50,000 guests. More than 1500 rooms at Bengaluru’s five- and three-star hotels were booked for the celebration.
LCD screens playing the invitation cards were sent to the guests. The LCD screen came in a box, and on being unpacked, a song started playing. The video shows the Reddy family inviting guests to the wedding.
40 opulent bullock carts carried the guests inside after they were received at the gate. Numerous sets of temples in the Vijayanagara style have been created by Bollywood art directors. The design of the dining area is inspired by a Bellary village. 15 helicopters and approximately 2000 taxis were hired to transport guests.
The venue was equipped with 3,000 security personnel. All the members of the Reddy family dressed like kings and wore gold and diamond jewellery worth crores of rupees.
The bride wore a Kanjivaram saree worth Rs 17 crore. Pure gold threadwork adorned the saree. She was wearing jewellery that was worth Rs 90 lakhs. Over fifty top makeup artists were hired, including one who was specifically contacted from Mumbai. The whole deal was worth Rs 30 lakh.
It is interesting to note that Janardhana Reddy served as a minister in the BJP government in Karnataka. As a result, the marriage took place immediately following demonetisation and became a target for all opposition parties, including Congress. Congressman Anand Sharma had questioned the BJP government in the Parliament about where Reddy obtained a whopping Rs 500 crores for the wedding.