Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli got married in a private ceremony in Italy on Monday. It was in the works for a year so how did Virushka manage to keep it a secret for so long?
Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli wedding is the event of the year and nothing proved it like the social media frenzy on Monday evening. As news trickled in that the two will release a statement and photos post their nuptials in a glittering ceremony in Tuscany, Italy, the fans – to use a cliché – just could not keep calm.
There were tweets every second as fans beseeched the couple to end their agony and share Virushka – a combination of Virat and Anushka – photos. The two were soon top trends on social media and when the photos finally came, you could almost hear a collective cheer from the virtual world.
A wedding between a cricketer and a Bollywood star is always a big deal but Virat and Anushka are two individuals at the top of their careers and have a long innings ahead of them. But what really made this a national event – like it or not but it is one – was thanks to its shock value. Nobody expected a wedding right now but as people were wondering will-they-won’t-they, the cricketer and actor turned the conversation to ‘when will they’.
While the wedding was fixed almost a year ago, frantic preparations have been going on for weeks without anyone being the wiser. As wedding planners Shaadi Squad confessed, what we saw in Italy on Monday was the result of weeks of hush-hush prep. They said, “Four months of keeping a secret, hiding even from our own team, the secret recces, midnight meetings, vague conversations, and sleepless nights have finally manifested into this grand moment.
Thank you Anuskha and Virat, for making us part of your family and trusting us to pull off something of this magnitude. You believed in us, even on those sleepless nights that we didn’t! “
Virushka wedding fixed in Sri Lanka
According to an India Today report, the two families met and discussed the wedding in Sri Lanka while Virat and Anushka kept the world busy by releasing photos of them gardening. The family priest announced December was the right time and preparations began from their on.
The couple, however, made sure that they were guarded when they spoke about each other. While Anushka maintained a stoic silence, breaking it only to say that she wants focus on her work and not her personal life, Virat’s adorable posts about his would-be wife kept media busy.
It was Virat-- among the world’s highest-paid athletes and a huge star in the cricket-mad nation – requesting a break from his duties as a captain in December that started the rumours. However, well-placed sources dismissed it and said he wants a break because he needs rest.
As Virat pulled out of India’s limited-overs matches against Sri Lanka, Anushka also ducked out of her busy acting schedule in December. As Anushka was seen leaving India with her parents and priest in tow on Thursday, Virat took an evening flight for Italy from Delhi. Select friends and family followed suit.
The wedding was but a few days away and the media had finally caught on. It was at this time that Anushka’s rep decided to muddy the water by saying no wedding was on the cards and she was not in the know.
Anushka Sharma’s denial through rep
On the day of the wedding – December 11 – Yash Raj Films revealed the wedding has indeed taken place and that they misdirected the media because the couple wanted a ‘private affair’. “We are very happy to announce that Ms. Anushka Sharma and Mr. Virat Kohli got married at a private ceremony in Italy, today. The wedding was attended by close family and a few friends as they wished their wedding to be a very private affair. The wedding was performed as per Hindu rituals.
Top fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee has designed the wedding ensemble for both the bride and the groom. Virat and Anushka will now start inviting all industry friends and colleagues for the celebrations that are set to happen in Mumbai,” they said in the statement.
The couple itself posted on social media, “Today we have promised each other to be bound in love forever. We are truly blessed to share the news with you.”
However, the cloak of secrecy didn’t deter Virat and Anushka who put up a spectacular show in Italy. Their wedding took place at a super-exclusive resort in Italy.
Virat and Anushka’s clothes
“We designed the clothes for both bride and groom for all the functions. From engagement to mehendi and sangeet, for the wedding and post-wedding dinner,” designer Sabyasachi said in a statement. For her wedding, Anushka wore a pale pink lehenga with Renaissance embroidery in vintage English colours embellished with silver-gold metal thread, pearls and beads. The groom looked smart in an ivory raw silk sherwani hand-embroidered in a vintage Benarasi pattern, with an old rose silk kota safa.
Cuisine at the Virushka wedding
Chef Ritu Dalmia was in charge of the catering and served a mix of Indian and Italian delicacies. From porcini mushrooms wrapped in bikaneri roti to stuffed ravioli with paneer kurchan, the menu at Virat and Anushka’s wedding was tailor-made. The spread was extensive south Indian, with Indian desserts like rabdi, etc.
The couple will travel to South Africa where Virat will start prepping for the upcoming series and Anushka will spend New Year’s Eve with him and return in the first week of January to begin the next schedule of Anand L Rai’s film with Shah Rukh Khan in Mumbai. She will also promote her production, Pari, which releases on February 9.
The couple will shift to their new residence in Worli, Mumbai in December once they return from Delhi. But first, they have to prepare for the upcoming reception and this time, media will be parked right outside.
🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹