MUMBAI: The wedding festivities of Bollywood actors Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan have already begun – the couple will reportedly exchange wedding vows in a private affair Tuesday.

After a sangeet ceremony Sunday at Kareena’s Bandra residence, the Kapoor and Khan clans gear up for the mehndi ceremony Monday.

According to sources, the couple will have a registered marriage Tuesday at Saif’s house in Mumbai and it will be attended by close friends and family members.

However, the celebrations do not end with that.

Saif’s ancestral home Pataudi Palace in Haryana is being readied for ‘nikaah’ Oct 17, followed by a reception Oct 18.

While Raghuvendra Rathore has designed an achkan for Saif, Kareena is said to be wearing a traditional sharara designed by veteran designer Ritu Kumar.

Raghavendra Rathore designs Saif Ali Khan’s wedding achkan:

Raghavendra Rathore calls Saif Ali Khan “most stylish” but “non-fussy” and says he has created a Benarasi brocade ‘achkan’ for the actor’s wedding with inputs from the groom and references from his father’s wardrobe.

Saif is tying the knot with his longtime girlfriend Kareena Kapoor Oct 16 and Rathore says “I’m working with him for almost an year now.”

“Few months ago, he mentioned that he is probably going to get married soon. So I told him to let me know the right time. Then, three months ago, we spoke and finalised the dates,” Rathore, also known as the Nawab of Fashion, told IANS.

He has readied an achkan sans any embroidery for the main function apart from working on “eight-nine other looks”.

“We have given him a lot of ‘bandgalas’ and lots of breeches for three to four days of functions. He is free to wear whenever he want. The only thing that has been fixed is the main function attire – an ‘achkan’,” said Rathore.

He says for the achkan, he took references from attires and styles of Saif’s late father, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi.

“The outfit for the main function personifies Saif’s personality. We also discussed about what his father wore and what he looked like in the old-world theme. We spoke about his father’s outfit and saw a couple of clipping too.”

“One can see very classy, tight-fitted, customised pieces that can be called ultimate couture. He was very keen to carry the brocade idea forward so the outfit is made in Benarasi brocade and is paired with Jodhpuri breeches and turban. The look is classic and he is wearing his set of dual buttons with that. Also, to match the outfit of his wife, we have given him a pocket scarf,” said Rathore.

“Gold has been the theme for the ‘achkan’. Also, lot of classic and bio-degradable fabrics, including Benarasi brocades, silk, cotton and velvets have been used. We have avoided fabrics like polyster. Everything has been sourced from specific regions of the country,” said the designer.

Rathore, who styled Saif in the film “Eklavya”, describes the actor as a “stylish” person.

“In my opinion, he is one of the most stylish people in our generation. Also, his understanding of style is superb and lines well with our brand. Therefore, it’s been a great association. I think he understands styles and that is why lot of inputs have actually come from him.

“He is not very fussy. Also, he wanted me to stick with my craft work and asked me to use that. There is hardly any embroidery in any of the clothes and to me that is very appealing,” he said.

It’s not just the groom. Rathore has also styled Saif’s relatives.

“We are also doing a lot of stuff for his relatives, including his son Ibrahim, who will wear an ‘achkan’ inspired by his grandpa. We wanted to make sure they all look smart. I have designed for some other people who is attending from Bollywood.”

Rathore says he was tight-lipped about his involvement in designing Saif’s wardrobe because he wanted to be “discreet” about the talked-about wedding.

“I choose to keep my mouth shut on particular thing as I feel, it’s good to be quiet. The order of our country right now demands that the less you speak, the more wisdom you will get. I always wanted to be discreet about Saif’s wedding but somehow it didn’t happen,” he said.