It’s official! Russell Brand and Katy Perry tied the knot Saturday night in India.
Brand, 35, and Perry, 25, “were pronounced Mr. and Mrs. Brand on Saturday, October 23,” reps for the couple confirmed. “The very private and spiritual ceremony, attended by the couples’ closest family and friends was performed by a Christian minister and longtime friend of the Hudson Family. The backdrop was the inspirational and majestic countryside of Northern India.”
The couple exchanged vows at a luxury resort. Earlier in the day, two elephants named Laxmi and Mala were seen arriving at the resort. As the animals walked into the venue, a red carpet was rolled out for them. “Mala is a bit skittish and hates crowds but she managed to behave herself,” a source told PEOPLE.
In a traditional Indian wedding procession, known as the “bharat,” the bridegroom and his male relatives and friends walk to the spot where the bride awaits. The bridegroom is often on a white horse, but an elephant is considered an even grander, more magnificent mode of transportation – the maharajas, or Indian royals, traditionally arrived at weddings on elephants.
The sound of Indian instruments – including the sitar, the santoor, the tabla and kettle drums – and the singing of traditional Rajasthani folk musicians could be heard from deep inside the Aman-i-Khas resort, along with some sacred Vedic chanting and the occasional burst of applause and cheering by the guests.
At the entrance, the trees lining the path into the venue were lit up with white and gold lights.
The elephants at Katy Perry and Russell Brand’s wedding in India
Multi-Day Celebration
In the days leading up to the nuptials, Brand and Perry have been pulling out all the stops.
The couple celebrated Friday night with a Bollywood-themed party at the Aman-i-Khas. Brand wore a white “kurta pyjama,” an Indian outfit of loose informal trousers and a long baggy tunic, while Perry donned a plain red sari. Many of the guests were also in similar outfits.
“The young children looked very pretty, with the boys wearing small turbans too,” says Rafiq Khan, who was inside the party as part of a musical tribute to the couple.
When guests arrived they were greeted with a colorful welcome: acrobats and jugglers in Indian outfits.
“As the guests entered, my troupe of drum players played the our Nagara drums (Indian kettle drums) to welcome them,” says Khan.
Brand and Perry have have also treated guests to song and dance performances, shopping and even safaris.