There was something about Aurangzeb Road tonight. Traffic on the stretch from the Claridges Hotel till the Race Course Metro station was diverted. No pedestrian entry was allowed either. The 31, Aurangzeb Road bungalow, decorated in a cream-and-rose Mughal theme, was crammed with guests. And media stood guard outside. The entrance glowed with hanging diyas and was decorated with jasmine flowers.

Muffled vocals of singer Sonam Kalra were audible despite the cacophony of fans eager to get a glimpse of the stars. The building was surrounded by almost 100 police personnel, a source said. The venue was set for one of the most talked-about events of Bollywood — the wedding reception of actors Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor.

Cricket legend Kapil Dev, who attended the event with his daughter Amiya Dev, was all smiles as he strode out of the reception. “The bride and groom looked lovely together, what more should I say? I hope they have a long and happy marriage,” said Dev who was dressed immaculately in a black bandhgala suit.

Among other high-profile guests were politicians such as Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Union ministers Farooq Abdullah and Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sitaram Yechury of CPM, BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Ravi Shankar Prasad, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, MPs Rahul Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor with wife Sunanda Pushkar. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s wife Gursharan Kaur also made a brief appearance.

Representing the film circuit were director Madhur Bhandarkar, actor Nandita Das, ad-man Prasoon Joshi, independent filmmaker Ashvin Kumar. Director Imtiaz Ali, who directed Khan in the film Love Aaj Kal and Kapoor in Jab We Met expressed his best wishes to the couple. From the fashion fraternity were designers Ritu Kumar and Manish Malhotra, who had designed Kapoor’s sangeet outfit. Musician Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and artist Anjolie Ela Menon were also spotted.

One of the attendees said the groom was beautifully kitted out in a black sherwani, reportedly designed by Raghavendra Rathore, while the bride glowed in pink. Kapoor was introduced to the guests by her mother-in-law Sharmila Tagore, dressed in a gold saree. The couple had a court marriage on October 17 in Mumbai.