One of the finest women in the world is getting married.....

[JohnnyWalkerBlackLabel]

Aishwarya Rai is getting married in a few hours.....................

UGH



Bollywood's biggest wedding in years is on Friday when actress Aishwarya Rai will wed rising star Abhishek Bachchan.

The evening ceremony is due to be held at Bachchan's residence in India's film capital, Mumbai (Bombay).

The bride is a former Miss World, while the groom is son of film superstar Amitabh Bachchan and famous actress turned politician, Jaya Bachchan.

The film industry's first family has gone out of its way to keep the wedding a strictly private affair.

A temporary wooden structure has been built around the house to ensure that no prying eyes or cameras ruin the private moment for the family.

And up to 400 security guards will be on duty to keep strangers away.

'Small affair'

Only a few, very select guests have been invited to the wedding.

Guests leave after a musical night at Bachchan's bungalow early on Thursday
The wedding party has been going on since Wednesday

Close friends, namely industrialist Anil Ambani and politician Amar Singh, as well as fellow actors Kajol and her husband Ajay Devgan, Preity Zinta and Sanjay Dutt are among those invited to all functions.

The groom's childhood friends, including directors Apoorva Lakhia and Rohan Sippy, made it to the list as well.

However, many top Bollywood stars such as Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Rani Mukherjee did not.

A friend of the family said the Bachchans wanted to keep it small as the groom's grandmother is unwell and undergoing treatment in hospital.

The wedding will take place according to Hindu traditions.

It will begin in the afternoon with a procession led by the groom along the road between one of his bungalows, Jalsa, to another, Pratiksha (Wait, in Hindi), where the bride will be waiting for him.

The two will then wed according to Hindu marriage rites. These include walking around the fire seven times which signifies that the couple will reunite for the next seven births.

Since this is the significant part of a Hindu wedding, the couple will do so at 1730 hours local time (1200 GMT), which is considered an auspicious hour on this particular day.

Eleven priests have reportedly been called in to conduct the marriage.

'No honeymoon'

Rai is expected to wear a special outfit created by her long-time designer, Neeta Lulla, while Bachchan is thought to have opted for an ensemble designed by duo Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla, who are close to the Bachchan family.

The big day was preceded by the sangeet, or music night, on Wednesday, when relatives and friends joined the couple to dance and sing songs.

Amitabh Bachchan and his wife Jaya reportedly performed a special waltz for the couple, while their friends gave special performances.

Thursday evening was the mehndi, or henna night, when the bride's hands and feet are painted with henna in preparation for the big day.

While this function took place at Rai's residence in Bandra, a dinner party took place at the Bachchan bungalow.

Reports say the couple will not go for a honeymoon since Abhishek Bachchan wants to be close to his grandmother and spend time with her.

This pic is of the wedding party which has been going on since Wednesday

[Quinn]

I don't think I'm familiar with her.

-Quinn

[Hara_Juku Tgirl]

I bet that's a fixed marriage common to Indian culture/people! LOL

~Kisses.

HTG

[Fox]

Miss World 1994 and Queen of Bollywood.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aishwarya_Rai

[Quinn]

Ahhhhh. The image is far more familiar to me than the name. I've definitely seen her before. Very beautiful.

-Quinn

[JohnnyWalkerBlackLabel]

turned Will Smith down twice on movie proposals

[Hara_Juku Tgirl]

She also did a shampoo (Pantene) commercial?

~Kisses.

HTG

[dskreet2]

At first glance I thought that was the GG from the early Rodney Moore videos.

[JohnnyWalkerBlackLabel]

I'm sure my grandmother would understand if I wanted to spend a week on a honeymoon banging her every day

[whatsupwithat]

I found some pictures of her and her husband on a date!