Esha Deol Marries Bharat Thatkani; Amitabh Bachchan, Manoj Kumar Attend the Wedding [PHOTOS]

Veteran actors Hema Malini and Dharmendra Deol's daughter Esha tied the knot with businessman Bharat Thaktani in South-Indian style at the Iskon temple in Juhu, Mumbai, on Friday morning.

The wedding was a private affair just as Hema Malini said it would be. "We want the wedding to be a comparatively private affair with relatives and close friends from both sides in attendance. It is not possible to have the wedding at our home. We chose a temple because it is a perfect place for matrimony," the actress said earlier this month.

Keeping in mind the South-Indian traditions, wedding preparations began as early as around 7.30 am at the temple.

Esha's parents stood at the temple entrance to welcome the groom, who in true wedding style arrived at the venue on a white horse.  

The bride donned a beautiful Lehenga-choli for the Sangeet and Mehendi ceremonies. For the big day, Esha stuck to the South-Indian theme of the wedding by wearing a gold and red Kanjeevaram sari remodeled by designer Neeta Lulla. The sari, which was sourced from Chennai, was gifted by her mother.

The customary gold jewellery coupled with the diamond necklace around Esha's neck gave a classic finishing touch to her traditional look on the grand day.

Meanwhile, the groom looked dapper in a cream-coloured sherwani which was also designed by Neeta Lulla.

Hema and sister Ahana Deol also wore beautiful Kanjeevaram saris remodeled by the same designer.

Friday's big-fat wedding marked the climax of the four-day grand celebrations that involved a 'sangeet' (music), 'haldi' and 'mehndi' ceremonies. The entire event began on June 25 with a star-studded sangeet followed by the haldi and mehendi parade.

The wedding was more of a family-oriented occasion involving the presence of only close friends and relatives. 

Several of Esha's friends from the film industry made their presence felt at the gala. Cousin Abhay Deol, Abhishek Bachchan, Fardeen Khan and Luv Sinha were amongst those attended the event.

The guest list also featured many of Dharmendra and Hema's celebrity friends. Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, Manoj Kumar, Vinod Khanna, Vyjayanthimala, Ramesh Sippy, Madhoo, Anu Malik, Neeta Lulla and her daughter Nishka were also amongst the guests at the wedding.

"It's a very happy occasion and I am very much happy for Esha and all of us. I am happy that she is getting settled," Abhay told reporters.

Surprisingly, Esha's step-brothers Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol were missing from the entire wedding ceremony.

A grand reception will take place tomorrow at a suburban five-star hotel where both Bollywood and political bigwigs are expected to turn up.