Elizabeth Hurley has some unique ideas that she's implementing for her upcoming wedding to Indian millionaire Arun Nayar. For one thing, all the women must wear pink saris. To complement the pink, the male guests must all wear orange turbans.
Women attending the couple's wedding, including Victoria Beckham, have been told they will be expected to wear a pink traditional sari for part of the celebrations. At other times, their outfits should range from " glamorous casual" to "glamorous and fabulous".
Male guests, including David Beckham and Sir Elton John, will have to wear turbans and long tunics known as kurtas in orange.
The instructions are contained in a detailed "orientation pack" sent out with the invitations for the nuptials, which will take place in March in both Gloucestershire and India.
Hurley and Nayar also advise guests on the practical necessities for their visit to India such as mosquito repellent and a travel iron.
The 41-year-old actress and model and the textiles heir stipulate detailed dress codes for the Indian ceremony, which will take place after the English nuptials at Sudeley Castle in the Cotswolds on 3 March.
They have written to friends to say they are opening their own private wedding "shop" at the Hilton Towers Hotel in Mumbai, which will be stocked with saris, turbans, kurtas and bindis, traditional markings worn on the forehead by women.
Guests will be able to buy appropriate attire for the six-day celebrations taking place in Mumbai and the desert in Rajasthan. The couple's letter says: "Please don't panic ... all Indian clothes can be bought when you arrive in India, where they will be much nicer."
Hurley's friends say she has been busy looking for saris to buy to stock the shop, where tailors will be on hand to alter garments. The bride herself will reportedly be wearing a £4,000 pink sari.
The Hindu celebrations will begin with two nights of parties in Mumbai. The dress code for the first night is "glamorous casual" and for the second it is "very glamorous/black tie". There will be more parties in Rajasthan, including a Mendhi ceremony, when Hurley and her female friends will have their hands and feet painted with henna.
This is the most complicated wedding ever. The wedding goes on for days, in India and in England, with dinners, luncheons and other events. The men must play cricket, and on the day of the wedding the groom and his friends engage in a traditional prewedding horse ride while wearing turbans and white kurtas. One hopes that the groom's friends are all polo players or athletes: because it's not just every guy that can sport a turban and kurta not make an ass of himself on a horse.
But back to the clothing requirements. Somehow we just can't imagine Victoria Beckham jetting off to India and not worrying about what to wear, simply trusting that a fabulous outfit will be found when she gets there. Because the whole concept of sartorially "winging it" at such a lavish wedding is just...wrong. So very wrong. No doubt Elton John is already having Stella McCartney or someone whip up a pink sari for his grand entrance. And don't even get us started on the whole pink and orange color scheme. Will Victoria Beckham really wear a pink sari? Has she ever even worn pink in her life? On the bright side, you could dress her husband David Beckham in orange from head to toe and he'd still look mighty fine. And no doubt he can play cricket with the best of them.
