Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas have chosen a wedding venue for their forthcoming nuptials and it is, quite literally, fit for a king. Located in the city of Jodhpur, Rajasthan—known for the many houses painted in varying shades of azure situated in the old quarter of the “Blue City”—the Umaid Bhawan Palace, owned in part by Taj Hotels, is one of Jodhpur’s architectural jewels, and the current residence of the former royal family.
The palace was built between 1928 and 1943, during the years of India’s Independence, by King Umaid Singh, who incepted the structure primarily as a means to create job opportunities for farmers and workers during a years-long famine. Singh employed the English architect Henry Vaughan Lanchester for the planning, who looked to his colleague Sir Edwin Lutyens’ work for inspiration. Lutyens had designed many of New Delhi’s key architectural sites, including the capitol’s famous Secretariat complex, which Lanchester chose to reference in the palace’s design through a series of Beaux Arts-influence domes and columns, blended with typical features of Mughal architecture and Hindu temples, in a popular British India style known as “Indo-Deco.”
The place has 347 rooms, a massive vaulted banquet hall, a museum (which showcases the royal family’s impressive classic car collection), a throne chamber, library, ballroom, indoor swimming pool, and tennis and marble squash courts. 26 acres in all, the property is currently the sixth largest private residence in the world, and sits on the city’s highest point, at Chittar Hill—arguably the best vantage point for observing golden sunsets and the sea of beautiful blue-washed houses below.
Of the 26 acres, 15 are picturesque gardens and lawns, reportedly “peppered with peacocks,” and perfect for evening and early morning strolls. The palace, which advertises itself as an ideal venue for those who have long envisioned "a fairy tale wedding,” also offers several special experiences for visitors to get to know Jodhpur more intimately, some of which range from a drive through the town in a vintage car from the royal collection, or a private dinner under the starry skies in the Thar Desert.
While Chopra and Jonas have yet to announce a date, reports suggest that their Mehendi and Sangeet services— preparations that include the bridal party’s henna application, as well as a sort of pre-party for everyone in the days leading up to the wedding itself—will kick off a three day celebration. It’s bound to be soon, as Chopra celebrated her bachelorette party earlier this month, and November is the prime month of India’s winter wedding season. Chopra and Jonas’s big day seems likely to fall near two other high-profile Bollywood weddings, one of which is Deepika Padukone's on Lake Como, in Italy.
A hectic month for the actors’ shared guests, yes…but at least they’ll have a palace to ease their problems.