Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma wed in Italy, begin new innings

Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli and Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma -- India's most watched couples -- sealed their relationship with a wedding in Italy amidst close family and friends on Monday.

The happy couple shared their wedding photographs on social media with fans.

A string of congratulatory messages from the film and sports fraternity followed the official announcement. The wedding was solemnised as per Hindu rituals at 2 p.m., with the bride and groom looking resplendent in ensembles by celebrated couturier Sabyasachi Mukherjee.

For the D-day, Anushka wore a pale pink lehenga with Renaissance embroidery in vintage English colours embellished with silver-gold metal thread, pearls and beads. The bridal jewellery, handcrafted with syndicate uncut diamonds, pale pink spinel and baroque Japanese cultured pearls, was by the Sabyasachi Heritage Jewelry collection.

The groom looked smart in an ivory raw silk sherwani hand-embroidered in a vintage Benarasi pattern, with an old rose silk kota safa. The couple, who has been together for four years, is said to have chosen a luxury heritage resort Borgo Finocchieto, a little over 100 km away from here, for their nuptials. They appointed boutique wedding planning and production experts Shaadi Squad to ensure their celebrations were special and classy.

A host of photographs and video clips from the gala, which was preceded by a mehendi and engagement ceremony, suggest the decor was minimalistic and sophisticated.

An Instagram post by Shaadi Squad reads: "Four months of keeping a secret, hiding even from our own team, the secret recces, midnight meetings, vague conversations, and sleepless nights have finally manifested into this grand moment."

Anushka and Virat, both 29, set tongues wagging about their wedding when they were seen leaving the Mumbai and Delhi airport respectively with their family members last week. All of them maintained a stoic silence, keeping the secrecy about the much-anticipated union intact.

They will be shifting to their new residence in Worli, Mumbai in December once they return from Delhi.

The couple will then travel to South Africa where Virat will start prepping for the upcoming series and Anushka will spend New Year's Eve with him, read a statement from the actress' representative. She will return in the first week of January to begin the next schedule of Aanand L. Rai's film with Shah Rukh in Mumbai. She will also start prepping for "Sui Dhaaga" as the shooting for the same starts in February 2018 with Varun Dhawan.

That apart, the actress-producer will also be busy with the marketing and promotions of "Pari", which will release on February 9.