Beaming with joy at fairytale wedding

After a “fairytale” wedding with American singer Nick Jonas, actress Priyanka Chopra is beaming with seamless joy.“On a scale of 1 to 10 in happiness, I’m on 12,” Priyanka said on stage at her wedding reception at the Taj Palace Hotel on Tuesday night, as Nick smiled away.“I’m a fan of Indian weddings,” said Nick, who has embraced Indian traditions since his ‘roka’ ceremony with Priyanka in Mumbai in August.There was no trace of tiredness on the newly married couple’s face despite almost a week full of celebrations.But like Priyanka said, “It’s all merry time... No time to be tired.”Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the reception to congratulate the newly-married couple. He was was escorted on stage by Priyanka’s mother Madhu Chopra, and remained on stage for about 10 minutes, meeting Nick and Priyanka’s families with folded hands and exchanging pleasantries.Priyanka first made India proud by winning the Miss World crown in 2000, and then became a leading Bollywood actress with films like Fashion, Dostana and Mary Kom, followed by a rare successful crossover into Hollywood with American TV show Quantico, while Nick and his brothers Kevin and Joe are known for having formed a pop-rock band, The Jonas Brothers, in 2005. The band split up in 2013.For the reception, Priyanka dazzled in an elegant and shimmering Falguni and Shane Peacock ensemble with a multi-layered diamond necklace and earrings, with her hair neatly tied in a bun complete with white roses. She flaunted the “choora” – traditional red bangles worn by a Punjabi bride – and sported vermillion. Nick was dressed in a velvet dinner jacket and completed the look with a bow tie.The couple of the night posed with panache, but also engaged in banter throughout the party even as guests queued up to meet them one after another.The venue, the Durbar Hall at the Taj Palace Hotel, was done up elegantly with exotic white and soft pink flowers. The “NP” icon, which has remained a staple throughout the couple’s wedding, stood out on the elaborate stage.Candles flickered away at different spots of the venue which was enlivened by the sound of live music as well as a wide variety of food.There was also an element of quirk with a vintage car which read “Just Married”, apart from exotic flower arrangements adorning the hall.Guests, which mostly included Priyanka’s family members, also saw designers like Ritu Kumar, Rohit Bal, Ritu Beri, Anju Modi, J J Valaya, Raghavendra Rathore, Gaurav Gupta, Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna, along with Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) President Sunil Sethi, in attendance. Key mediapersons were also invited.Kumar was touched by Priyanka’s invitation.“I remember Priyanka had come to me first before she was going for the Miss World pageant, and I had told her to wear a lot of ethnic wear. She wore some of my designs. I am very happy for her. She has come a long way,” Kumar said.Priyanka and Nick have had three-day wedding festivities at Jodhpur’s royal Umaid Bhawan Palace, where they exchanged wedding vows as per both Christian and Hindu rituals in two separate ceremonies.Their pre-wedding rituals at the celebrations, which saw participation from just a little over 200 guests, included a “mehendi” ceremony. There was also a friendly cricket match between the two families, as well as a glitzy and power-packed musical evening.Of her wedding, Priyanka, a National Award-winning actress who has made her name in Hollywood as the lead star in American show Quantico, told people.com: “I love that our wedding was a religious mash-up.“We took beautiful traditions that we both grew up with and personalised them in a way that made sense for us. It’s been incredible to find the commonalities between our beliefs and figuring out how to blend them in a respectful and meaningful way.”Priyanka will be having a separate celebration for the film fraternity in Mumbai on a later date. For now, she will divide her excitement a bit towards work too as she gears up to launch dating app Bumble in India. She has invested in the company. – IANS