How Anushka-Virat managed to keep their wedding a secret for almost a year!

There was speculation around Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli and actor-producer Anushka Sharma's wedding until the couple made an official announcement on social media last night. While the nuptials, which took place at the 14th century, nine-bedroom manor, Borgo Finocchieto, in Tuscany, Italy, seemed like a quiet and secret affair, sources say it involved a year of planning.

Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma's wedding

It was speculated that Virat and Anushka got engaged when they travelled to Uttarakhand last year, but the couple had denied it. They did exchange rings then, and the planning for the destination wedding started around that time. A team of event managers, wedding planners, fashion designers and international photographers were brought on board. Virat and Anushka handpicked each of them, and managed to keep the preparation under wraps. Rumours around the wedding rekindled when Anushka's home in Mumbai, Badrinath Towers, was lit up for a week recently, and the families left for Italy from Mumbai and Delhi," says a source.

Among the first people to come aboard the team was award-winning wedding designer, Devika Narain. "She does everything, from consultation to styling and designing the wedding, planning the menu and thinking entertainment ideas and wedding gifts. Since she had the experience of organising weddings across the world [she had helmed events in Mauritius, Thailand and Bali], she was considered the perfect choice for this occasion," says the source

Stories By Joseph Radhik, a leading wedding photography firm, was chosen as the official photographers. The Wedding Filmer, who had shot Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover's wedding last year and South stars Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Naga Chaitanya's wedding in Goa this year, were selected as the official videographers. Flowers Living, a flowers design and styling boutique in Tuscany, known for their unique floral arrangements, took care of prettifying the manor.

Couturier Sabyasachi Mukherjee, the designer behind the striking ensembles and looks sported by Sharma and Kohli for their wedding festivities, says the couple was a delight to work with. Since the wedding took place in Italy, he ensured there was a timeless aura about the clothes and accessories for the bride and groom. "We designed the clothes for both, bride and groom for all the functions. From the engagement to the mehendi and sangeet, for the wedding and post-wedding dinner too," he says.

For her mehendi ceremony, he says, Anushka wanted a look full of bright colours. "Hot pink was her favourite. We created a graphic lehenga in fuchsia pink and Indian orange. It was hand-printed by the famed Calcutta block printers and hand-embroidered with gota and marori work." Kohli went for a signature khadi kurta churidaar with a classic fuchsia pink textured silk Nehru jacket. Tan leather juttis with a zardozi crest were created to match the ensemble.

Sharma wore a redvelvet saree for the engagement. "It was hand-embroidered using miniature pearls and the finest quality zardozi and marori. She wore an uncut diamond and pearl choker with matching studs," says Mukherjee.

For the wedding, the designer wanted to offer a lehenga that went with the Tuscan setting. "So, we chose a colour that would blend in with the whimsical Tuscan surrounding rather than stand out. It was blush pink with tropical flora and fauna, hand-embroidered in silk floss. Exotic birds and butterflies were rendered with needlecraft. It took 67 karigars to work over 32 days to complete the ensemble.

To complement her legenga, jadau jewellery was handcrafted in uncut diamonds, pearls and pale pink spinel. Virat wore ivory -- a hand embroidered sherwani with an ivory tussar stole and a custom woven gold safa," says Mukherjee.

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