Jodhpur to be venue for Liz-Arun grand dinner

Jaipur, Mar 1: Jodhpur's majestic 548-year-old Meherangarh Fort March decks up to host the grand wedding of celebrity couple Hollywood actor Liz Hurley and her tycoon fiancee Arun Nayar on March 9.

The actual wedding will take place on Mar 3 in a London church.

Thereafter the celebrations will shift to Mumbai and Jodhpur, where high profile guests including Hugh Grant, actor and ex-flame of Liz, England footballer David Beckham and his wife Victoria and several others are likely to be present.

The couple and their guests will be in Jodhpur from March 7 to 10.

Sources reveal the gala dinner March 9 at Meherangarh fort, built by Rao Jodha in May, 1459, will have a typical Rajasthani feel with folk singers Manganiars and Langas enhancing the settings.

Rajasthani folk dances like Ghoomar, tehra taali will also be a part of festivals. Different sections of the fort like Chokhe Lau, Daulat Khana, Moti Mahal will be the venue for a variety of programmes like sangeet, food, disco etc.

There's a special dress code for the guests - pink sarees for all women and Kesariya safas for the men to lend an authentic Rajasthani feel to the wedding.

Jodhpur's Meherangarh Fort is going to be closed for tourists on March 9 for the special dinner there. The entire fort will lighted up and security arrangements have been intensified.

Preparations are said to be on in full swing at two other scenically grand heritage hotels for what could be termed as 'Wedding of the Year'.

The guests are to be put up at the 65-year-old Umaid Bhavan Palace. At least 347 rooms and suites of Umaid Bhavan Palace hotel spread over 26 acres have been booked for the rich and famous guests. The newly-weds would be guests of the royal family in their private quarters. Erstwhile Maharaja Gaj Singh and his family reside in one part of the palace, while other part is a museum. The hotel here is being run by Taj group.

One of the other venue for the celebrations is Balsamand Palace, another heritage hotel, around five km from Jodhpur. The Palace built along a lake has an enchanting ambience. The party will be held on the banks of this cosy, ancient palace.

The Nagaur Fort has also been enlisted for the festivital.

The food for over 200 guests will include Indian, Mexican, Italian and Continental cuisine, which will be prepared by chefs from Britain.

Liz is so fascinated by India and particularly Rajasthan that even her wedding gown costing around 7,800 dollars has been prepared by Indian designer Tarun Tahiliani.

Liz and Nayar have been visiting Udaipur's Devigarh fort, a heritage hotel, for the last three-four years since their courtship began.

Wowed by Devigarh's awesome architecture and beauty, model Liz had initially decided to tie the knot there. But being small, the hotel would not have been able to accommodate all her guests. That is why Arun and Liz settled for Jodhpur.

UNI