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Sonam Kapoor Wedding: Namrata Soni EXCLUSIVELY reveals all the deets that went behind the actor’s bridal looks
Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja tied the knot in an intimate Sikh wedding on May 8th
The handsome couple Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja are finally married and Bollywood celebrated this union in full spirits. Sonam made for a stunning bride and the hero behind all her wedding looks was none other than celebrity makeup and hair artist, Namrata Soni. The talented artist who has been working in the industry for the longest time and also closely with Kapoor, gave us an insight into what went behind creating those breathtakingly beautiful wedding looks, what were Sonam’s inputs, how was she as a bride and more.
When did you first get to know about the wedding?
I knew about the wedding since a long time. There were quite a few changes in the dates and the locations. I think around 20-25 days ago the Mumbai wedding dates got confirmed. It was quite chaotic but I think they pulled off a brilliant wedding in that much time and I have to give that to Sonam’s mother, Mrs Kapoor and Rhea. Every location was stunningly done up, the decor was out of the world, it was simply beautiful. So to see something so stunning in such a short span of time was an amazing thing.
(Celebrity artist Namrata Soni with Sonam Kapoor)
How was Sonam Kapoor as a bride?
She was amazing!! Came on time, sat on time, happy as ever. It was amazing to see her, she was glowing and beaming from ear to ear. She was a beautiful, happy bride and no tantrums, no bridezilla. We had a complete blast getting ready and it was awesome.
Tell us about the whole wedding preparation journey
The main makeup look started on the 7th, where she wore the beautiful Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla, so we did a very soft beautiful fish braid with lots of mogras in it. The whole concept of the beautiful look was that she was wearing a backless Abu-Sandeep blouse and instead of keeping it a typical open big messy braid or open hair in the front; we just wanted to keep it extremely soft and beautiful. For her make up, we went for slightly defined eyes, lips and cheeks because the whole point was to bring out her natural beauty as she is so beautiful and she does not need so much makeup. When Rhea and Sonam spoke to me about it I was immediately on board because today brides are open to experimenting and do out of the box stuff but I think keeping it simple which is my style and also as a makeup artist. It is a pleasure for me when someone tells me to keep it simple.
What inputs did Sonam give for her looks?
She just wanted to be herself, wanted to have fun. She didn’t want to be tied down or go crazy with hair and makeup. Her looks were very understated and very classy and that’s how Sonam is.
How did you’ll decide upon the 3 wedding function looks?
There were 3 completely different outfits and for none of them, we (Sonam, Rhea and Namrata) wanted heavy makeup. We just wanted her to glow and be happy. For her Mehendi, she donned a beautiful Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla outfit in pastel colours. I knew I wanted to do flowers in the hair because it looks so lovely on Sonam.
(Sonam Kapoor wore Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla for her Mehendi Function)
Mehendi
Sonam wanted her mehendi to be very traditional and wanted to look like a traditional bride and that’s why we went for a khajoor choti (hair pleats), flowers, a gorgeous maang-tika and kept everything else very muted. So, we literally just went for a beautiful eyeliner, a little bit of bronze in the eyes, soft pink cheeks and lips and that was it. She didn’t need anything more and when she wore the outfit she looked even more beautiful. Less is more and I think Sonam knows it really well as she is a fashion icon, someone who experiments with her looks and makeup. I think she is the only one on whom I’ve done every possible eye look on her. Sonam and I create insane stuff together but I think I love her with the least amount of makeup.
We were sitting together and designing the hair look and she was like she just wants really soft hair in the front and that she doesn’t want anything severe that’s why I did those beautiful soft twirls and braids in the front and a fishtail braid and flowers at the back. We just wanted it to look really intertwined and very princess-y.
(Sonam Kapoor wore Anuradha Vakil for her wedding)
Wedding
She looked simply stunning! I barely did any makeup on her. I think at the mehendi, she had more makeup on her eye than the wedding. I just did a very delicate eyeliner like literally non-existent and applied two coats of mascara, a tinted red lip balm for her and just soft peach cheeks, that’s it. She was wearing such an insanely heavy headpiece, I think it’s a vintage headgear from one of the Maharanis and it was so stunning; that’s why going OTT with the makeup would have been a mistake. She wore such a beautiful Anuradha Vakil outfit so, we just kept a simple middle parted bun and we put that huge headpiece on her. The minute we put that headpiece came, she looked like a bride. You know maang-tikas and matha-pathis are so beautiful but I got tears in my eyes after I saw her with that headpiece.
(Sonam Kapoor wore Anamika Khanna for her wedding reception)
Reception
For her reception, she wore a stunning Anamika Khanna and that is the only time when we wanted to keep it modern and chic. We decided to go with super long and really straight silk hair, we wanted her hair to look like silk and that’s what I think we achieved. For her makeup, I did a really long extended winged eyeliner and one of her favourite red lipsticks. I just did a wash of champagne eyeshadow on the eyes and a heavy coat of mascara, because that was the only function where we levelled up the makeup. I don’t even think I needed to add too much glow because she was already so happy.
Who all were working on the wedding looks and how did you’ll go about it?
Honestly, it was just Sonam, Rhea and me. Rhea, I must say is extremely hands-on when it comes to styling and getting everything together. Rhea and I had a conversation, we discussed it. Post that, I met Sonam and we started doing the looks and Sonam said that she wanted a soft and beautiful look and that’s precisely what Rhea had discussed with me right from the beginning.
Like you said that the wedding was planned 20 days ago so how did you sync up with the designer?
So, the outfits were ready, they were decided a little bit in advance as she was supposed to get married some time before. I remember, I’ve been working with Sonam for the longest time and she had always said that she always wanted to wear Anuradha Vakil for her wedding, she absolutely loves her. She also always wanted to wear red for her big day so instead of doing that typical red lip which everyone ends up doing, we just kept it like a red stain which I think looks so much softer.
(Sonam Kapoor-Anand Ahuja make for an adorable couple)
This was one big kept secret so how did you manage to keep mum for so long?
I feel being a part of this industry, there’s so much that we have to keep because that is how it works. But this is something that she wanted to keep really private and for me she is a friend and I’m really glad that she kept it very small and sacred. I’m also glad that she did it in Mumbai because you’re in your hometown and everything is easy access and it just makes such a huge difference.
The reception saw the whole of Bollywood coming together under one roof, how was it?
The reception was a gala affair with almost the whole of Bollywood coming down for the couple.
I have to say that Anand, Sonam’s husband, has to be one of the nicest people in the Universe. You can see the love radiating from both of them and it’s amazing to see that in person. Everybody came in and supported and showed up for the happy couple. Almost the entire industry was there and it is very rare for all of them to be under one roof. Everyone was having a blast, people were performing and dancing. It was extremely informal and not like a staged set-up where you go and meet the bride and groom. I don’t even remember what time they wrapped up, it was that crazy but it was spectacular to see so many people have so much fun without it being, “Oh My God! I’ve to keep myself in check”. It was pure fun.
(The happy couple at their wedding)
Sonam’s mother, Sunita Kapoor, is a jewellery designer herself, so did she wear anything from her collection?
Everything was her mother’s. Every single piece of jewellery that she wore was her mother’s. Her mother is one of the most amazing jewellery designers and every single piece was better than the other. I honestly don’t know which one I loved more.
Was the headgear too designed by her mother?
It’s a vintage headpiece and I don’t think anyone has ever done that. Sonam is the only one who would set that trend and now this trend is going to go crazy. The reason that the traditional headpiece looks modern is that she kept it simple. She was so excited about the headgear, I cannot even tell you. The minute she showed it to me I was speechless because it was so stunning. She honestly looked like a total and complete Maharani and I don’t think anyone can look like that. I mean the ability to carry off something like that and make it look effortless is so difficult.
Sonam Kapoor sure did make for one stunning bride and we absolutely loved all the three looks. What do you guys think? Comment and let us know.
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