Dubbed India's "wedding of the year," fireworks lit up the sky as Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra tied the knot on Dec. 1, 2018, at the Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur in front of friends and family, including Nick Jonas, Sophie Turner, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Lupita Nyong'o, and Kelly Ripa. The Bollywood superstar and the Texas singer got engaged in July 2018.
In an interview with Vogue published the day of their wedding, Jonas revealed that he proposed to Chopra on her 36th birthday after just three dates. "No joke—she took about 45 seconds," he recalled. "Forty-five seconds of silence." The former Miss World explained that she was speechless at the time, so Jonas hoped for the best. "I'm going to put this ring on your finger now unless you have any objections." The rest, as they say, is history.
An epic five-day affair that combined Western and Eastern cultures — here are some behind the scenes moments you didn't see at Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra's exciting wedding.
Before we dive into the wedding, let's take a moment to relish Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas' meet cute. They say when you know, you know, and Jonas apparently knew the first time he met the actress in person at the 2017 Vanity Fair Oscar. (The pair spent months texting prior to that moment.) "And I put my drink down," Jonas told Vogue, "get on one knee — this is in front of a bunch of people — and I say, "You're real. Where have you been all my life?' Like, loud."
Talk about a grand gesture, but it wasn't an act. Jonas is completely smitten. "His friends and family have never seen him like this, and they're all really excited for him," a source People.
As for Chopra, she knew the exact moment when she felt Jonas could be the one. While on a date with the "Closer" hit-maker, Chopra said Jonas told her, "I love the way you look at the world. I love the drive you have." She told Vogue, "As a girl, I've never had a guy tell me, 'I like your ambition.' It's always been the opposite." When announcing their engagement, Chopra didn't hold back her feelings for her soon-to-be husband. "Taken… With all my heart and soul," she wrote on Instagram.
Priyanka Chopra and Meghan Markle have been friends since meeting at the Elle Women in Television dinner in 2016. "We bonded as actors," Chopra told People. "We just became friends, like two girls would." The pair is so close that Chopra scored an invite to the royal wedding to see her friend become the duchess of Sussex, and in Time 100's Most Influential People issue, the Quantico star raved about their friendship. "Somewhere among biryani, poutine and endless conversations, I realized just how deeply Meghan Markle cares for the world," Chopra wrote. "Her compassion, evident in the causes she supports, and her drive to break down stereotypes — obvious in her actions — will connect her to a generation in much need of kindness." Everyone deserves a hype man like Priyanka Chopra.
Unfortunately, Markle was unable to share in the joy of her friend's wedding day. "Meghan isn't trying to travel as much as she is pregnant," a source told Entertainment Tonight. "But Priyanka and Nick are extremely happy because their closest friends and family are in India to celebrate their marriage." Something tells us their friendship will be okay.
According to custom, a Mehndi (or Mehendi) ceremony is technically a Hindu bachelorette party. According to People, it;s a wedding ritual "where all of the women in the bride and groom's families, along with close female friends, gather together while the bride has elaborate henna designs applied to her hands and feet." This couple reportedly made it a co-ed affair so everyone could join in on the fun.
"One of the most special things that our relationship has given us is a merging of families who love and respect each other's faiths and cultures. And so planning our wedding with an amalgamation of both was so so amazing. An important part for the girl in an Indian wedding is the Mehendi," Nick Jonas posted on Instagram, including several photos from the ceremony. "Once again we made it our own, and it was an afternoon that kicked off the celebrations in the way we both dreamed."
"THE MEHNDI. The job of us bridesmaids was to make sure the bride was happy and comfortable at all times. But we didn't have to worry about it – coz Nick promised to do it all his life," Chopra's cousin and bridesmaid Parineeti Chopra wrote on Instagram. "Welcome to the family Nick jiju!! I'm so so happy that the Jonas and Chopra family are now united!!!"
"It is super important to Priyanka to have an Indian ceremony that honors her heritage and culture, just as it's important to also have a Western ceremony that honors Nick's Christian upbringing," a source told People. "They are doing both." Before the traditional Hindu ceremonies kicked off, Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra became husband and wife during a Christian ceremony officiated by Nick's father, ordained minister Paul Kevin Jonas. With the entire wedding party decked out in Ralph Lauren, Nick's eleven groomsmen (per E! News) included his brothers Joe Jonas, Kevin Jonas and Frankie Jonas, Nick's "Kingdom co-star Jonathan Tucker and Priyanka's brother Siddharth Chopra."
According to the Hindustan Times, the newlyweds' first dance was to Roberta Flack's "The First Time I Saw Your Face," and "they left the venue in a classic red car, owned by the hotel." Then came the massive fireworks display. The couple literally started their marriage with a bang.
During the safa ceremony, Nick Jonas wore a traditional Hindu turban and "arrived on an elaborately decorated horse," reported the Daily Mail. Before that, in the haldi ceremony, Jonas and Priyanka Chopra's hands, feet, and "sometimes their faces and necks" were "covered with a paste made from turmeric" by "close family and loved ones as a gesture to ward off evil spirits." According to tradition, Jonas reportedly arrived on the horse to pick up Chopra. The pair then hopped on an elephant.
"He then joined his bride as they both took a ride on an elephant around the premises of the palace and arrived at the main wedding area," reported the Bombay Times. "The varmala (garland exchange) ceremony took place at 8.30 pm, followed by an elaborate dinner." We wonder if any Jonas Brothers songs factored into this special evening? Regardless, this wedding sounds absolutely amazing.
As part of their traditional Indian wedding, the families of Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas kicked off the festivities with a Sangeet. According to Entertainment Tonight, Sangeet translates to "sung together," and is a way for family and friends "to bond and celebrate joy, spirituality, love and happiness over singing, dancing, food and good music." Each family was a "team," and they performed "their own version of how" Chopra and Jonas met, reported E!.
"It all began as a fierce song & dance competition between the families but ended, as always, as a huge celebration of love," Chopra posted on Instagram, along with a video and photos from the event. "And what a performance it was. Each family telling our stories through song and dance, filled with lots of laughter and love. We were both filled with gratitude for the effort, the love and the laughter and will carry the memories of this special evening for the rest of our lives. It is an amazing start to a lifetime of togetherness for our families and friends. #grateful."
If you think this cultural clash sounds like it would be ripe for some good-natured fun, you're be right. "The entire evening was like a competition between the girl and boy's side," a source told the Bombay Times. "They were pulling each other's leg and asking questions like, 'Hey, I can pronounce your name, can you pronounce mine?' and 'Can you do this Bollywood thumka?'"