30000 guests, helicopter in gift to groom and….: Inside details of Delhi’s most expensive wedding, it was hosted by….

India’s capital Delhi witnessed one of the most lavish weddings when Congress leader Kanwar Singh Tanwar’s son Lalit tied the knots with former Sohna MLA Sukhbir Singh Jaunapuria’s daughter Yogita in March 2011. The big fat wedding was marked by grand festivities and lavish gifts.

Lavish Gifts

Among all the wedding gifts, the gift that grabbed everybody’s attention was a Bell 429 helicopter given to the groom by the bride’s family. At that time, the five-seater chopper was valued at around Rs 33 crore. Responding to the wedding gift, Kanwar said, “True, a Bell 429 helicopter was given but it was a simple wedding.”

The Tanwar family’s wedding celebrations included a pre-wedding ‘lagan’ ceremony at their Asola farmhouse, attended by appox 2,000 guests.  Each guest received a 30-gram silver biscuit, a safari suit, and Rs 2,100.  The groom’s ‘tika’ ceremony involved gift-giving totalling Rs 2.5 crore, with a further Rs 1 crore distributed among 18 other family members.

The big fat wedding ceremony took place at Haryana’s Jaunpur village and was attended by 15,000 guests. As per several media reports, attendees received a return gift of Rs 11,000. The wedding menu had over 100 different dishes which were served to guests by 1,000 workers. Not only that, 12 giant LCD screens were installed so that all the guests could watch the ceremony.

Star-Studded Performances

The wedding festivities featured Bollywood entertainment, with Neha Dhupia among the performers.  A subsequent lavish reception at a Delhi luxury hotel included notable guests like former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other Bollywood celebrities.

Excessive Spending

Reports suggested that wedding expenses at approx USD 22 million, while another suggested a figure as high as USD 55 million.

News