High- flying wedding

When ex- MLA Jaunpuria’s daughter married Congress leader Kanwar Tanwar’s son, fireworks flew &so did the oohs &aahs on the father of the bride’s gift, afive- seater helicopter, to the groom.

Gifting cars, even expensive ones, to the daughter on her wedding is passé. It’s choppers that are in, if you have the moolah to dish out.

Two politicos proved they had the money on Tuesday as they wed their daughter and son in the Capital in a lavish ceremony that is estimated to have cost Rs 250 crore. The father of the bride, Yogita, was former MLA Sukhbir Singh Jaunpuria who has gifted a fiveseater helicopter to the groom, Lalit, the son of Congress leader Kanwar Singh Tanwar, better known as the richest candidate in the last Delhi assembly polls.

On the wedding day, the usual dark roads leading to Jaunapur village near Asola were lined with flowers and brightly lit by decorated bulbs from three kilometres before the village started. Almost 40 traffic policemen were on duty to manage the vehicles of 18,000 guests and 1,000 persons were looking after the arrangements at the grand farmhouse ceremony, touted to be the biggest Gujjar extravaganza in the entire community belt of Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan.

Sources said the gift helicopter was parked at the IGI Airport after the family was denied permission to bring it to South Delhi for the engagement function on February 25 and the marriage ceremony on Tuesday.

However, Yogita’s family gifted the groom — who wore a garland made of Rs1,000 notes to his wedding — and his family a silver model of the chopper along with the keys. Many guests were found asking for a silver prototype of the same.

As for the wedding food, again, no expense was spared. The menu reportedly had varieties ranging from Italian, to Chinese, South Indian and Rajasthani, to boiled food for senior citizens. A guest said: “ Dishes like pani puri, sweets and pizzas were served on plates made of wood. There was no non- vegetarian food or alcohol.” But the party is not over yet.

According to sources, there will be two receptions — one on Thursday at Tanwar’s farmhouse in Asola and the other on Sunday at a five- star hotel in the Capital. “Actress Neha Dhupia will perform at the first reception with folksinger Gurdas Mann,” a source said.

Invites to the second reception have been sent to Bollywood biggies Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as well as PM Manmohan Singh, who is expected to be in attendance.

The Tanwars relatives said Lalit had finished MBA from London and was taking care of his father’s transport business. The marriage was arranged as the families had known each other for generations and lived close by.