The most anticipated and coveted wedding ceremony of the season has finally been performed; Katy Perry and Russell Brand are finally husband and wife.
Due to the media hype surrounding the nuptials, it is, at times, difficult to remember that the couple has only been together for a little over a year. However, in typical Brand and Perry style, the event lived up to the hype and became a literal, not metaphorical, circus.
The affair, the details of which were spilled by R&B singer Rihanna a couple weeks back, was a seven day event in India, where Brand had presented Perry with an engagement ring this past New Year’s Eve. Friends and family enjoyed local entertainment, including horseback rides and a safari in the days leading up to the ceremony, at the Aman-i-Khás resort and tiger sanctuary.
And on October 23rd, the bride and groom greeted guests while dressed in traditional Indian garb, including a blue sari for Perry and a nude colored kurta for Brand. The bride later changed into a gray Elie Saab gown, while the groom donned a long embroidered coat to exchange wedding rings in a traditional Christian ceremony.
However, the two have never been able to resist a bit of embellishment. Brand, who rode down the aisle on horseback, was led by a procession of elephants, camels, and horses. Other entertainment for the 85 guests in attendance, which did not include Perry’s best Hollywood buddy, Rihanna, included a fortune-telling parrot and speeches from both the bride and groom.
In traditional wedding fashion, the bride and groom exchanged wedding gifts from one another, however not so traditionally they were a tiger for her and a baby elephant for him. No word on where the elephant will reside, but the tiger already calls Ranthamblore national park, in India, home. Machli, a female Bengal tiger, will remain at the park, and proceeds will go to towards its conservation efforts.
Reportedly, the couple exchanged more tangible and portable gifts as well; a ruby containing healing powers for her, and a vintage, red ford Capri sports car for him.
The wedding was as big and bold as possible, and now the couple is trying to keep it as private as possible too. Unlike many celebrity couples, the pair will not be selling their wedding photos to the press, and opted instead to simply both tweet, “WE DID.”
Katy’s rep released a statement confirming the nuptials stating that, “Russell Brand and Katy Perry are overjoyed to confirm that they were pronounced Mr. and Mrs. Brand on Saturday, October 23.”
The couple proceeded on to the Maldives for a honeymoon, but with a wedding like that, who needs another