In Udaipur, all roads lead to Isha Ambani-Anand Piramal wedding, establishments get a facelift

When it comes to a big fat Indian wedding by a tycoon for his only daughter, a makeover for an entire city is par for the course. This weekend, all roads in Udaipur seem to be leading to the Isha Ambani-Anand Piramal wedding fiesta, quite literally. For a picture-perfect backdrop to the pre-wedding ceremonies being held in the City of Lakes, not only the interiors of luxury properties — Oberoi Udaivilas and City Palace — but roads leading up to these have also been given a face lift.

"Establishments at Hari Das Ji Ki Magri, the road that takes one to Udaivilas, have been worked upon," a source in Udaipur said. Several structures along the road have been painted anew and fitted with lights to please the high-profile guests.

Local sources say the Ambanis have leased a 90-flat complex at Udaipur's Transport Nagar to accommodate Reliance staff involved for the ceremonies. "The residential structure has been reworked to comfortably lodge the staff over the next four days. Two flats inside the building have been demolished to create a bigger dining hall for guests staying at the property," a source told DNA. The hosts are to reportedly reconstruct the same after use, once the weekend affairs in Udaipur are over, before handing it back to the

The Ambanis have hired a fleet of luxury cabs, including BMWs and Mercs, to transfer guests to venues. The hosts have shortlisted 10-12 routes for plying these vehicles. Chauffeurs who will be ferrying guests will follow marked routes that will be tracked via GPS by security personnel. "A customised app has been commissioned to guide the chauffers just like app-based cabs Uber and Ola use to facilitate customer trips," a source said. If any of the vehicles deviated from course, the security staff will get an alert about the diversion.

With around 50 chartered flights expected to bring Ambani guests to Udaipur's Dabok airport over the weekend — including Tata's Vistara fleet — the air traffic controller is gearing up to handle heavy traffic. Once the guests alight at Dabok, the flights will be diverted to Jaipur, Indore and Ahmedabad airports where the aircraft will be parked until they fly back to collect their passengers.

Beyoncé or Tay Tay?

Rumour is doing the rounds that an international celebrity is to perform at the pre-wedding ceremony. One of the two names shortlisted by the host families — American singer-songwriters Beyoncé and Taylor Swift — could perform in Udaipur