Udaipur wedding: When Raveena Tandon arrived in the Queen of Mewar’s 100-year-old doli on her wedding day with Anil Thadani in 2004

Udaipur wedding: When Raveena Tandon arrived in the Queen of Mewar’s 100-year-old doli on her wedding day with Anil Thadani in 2004

Raveena Tandon has lived several lives in the public eye: action heroine, comedy star, National Award winner, and one of the most recognisable faces of 90s Hindi cinema. Yet her wedding to film distributor Anil Thadani in 2004 carved out its own place in pop-culture memory. Udaipur had seen royalty for centuries, but this wedding felt like the moment the lake city stepped into a new era.

The celebrations took over Jag Mandir Palace on Lake Pichola, with pre-wedding rituals held at Shiv Niwas Palace. The setting alone was cinematic, but the details made it unforgettable. For her mehndi, Raveena wore a Mughal-style keri-work sharara paired with a delicate spaghetti-strap choli. Every function leaned into a different chapter of Rajasthan’s regal aesthetic.

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The scene that stunned everyone came on the wedding day.
Raveena arrived in a 100-year-old palanquin once used by the Queen of Mewar. It wasn’t a gimmick. It was heritage carried forward. The visual – a modern Bollywood star entering a royal venue in a century-old doli – became one of the most iconic bridal entries of its time.

Her lehenga carried the same blend of tradition and artistry. Delhi designer Manav Gangwani transformed her mother’s 35-year-old wedding sari into a richly embroidered ensemble, set with semi-precious stones and gold threadwork. The outfit captured the emotional core of the day: grandeur tied to legacy.

How One Wedding Shifted Udaipur’s Place on the Map

Udaipur was always admired for its palaces and marble-lined lakes. But Raveena and Anil’s wedding created a ripple effect. Suddenly, the world wasn’t just looking at Udaipur as a tourist postcard. It became the aspirational venue for anyone dreaming of a royal-style celebration.

Planners, venues and creatives often cite this ceremony as the turning point. By 2020, Udaipur’s destination-wedding economy crossed the Rs 500-crore mark, a figure unimaginable before the mid-2000s boom.

Celebrity Weddings That Followed the Udaipur Trail

Once the gates opened, the big weddings kept coming.

In 2007, Elizabeth Hurley and Arun Nayar drew global attention when they chose Udaipur for a multi-location celebration, stretching from Umaid Bhawan Palace to the spectacular Mehrangarh and Nagaur forts.

Neil Nitin Mukesh and Rukmini Sahay followed years later, opting for a three-day wedding at Radisson Blu Palace Resort and Spa. Their functions blended traditional rituals with modern hospitality, exactly the formula Udaipur had perfected.

Parineeti Chopra and Raghav Chadha chose The Leela Palace for their intimate 2023 ceremony, surrounded by Lake Pichola on all sides. Their mehndi, haldi and sangeet stayed true to the city’s calm, regal charm.

Other prominent families who celebrated weddings here include Prafull Patel’s daughter Niyati, businessman Sanjay Hinduja, Kangana Ranaut’s brother Akshit, actor Rajat Tokas, Vikram Chatwal, Priya Sachdev and actress Shriya Saran.