Indian wedding functions begin for Liz Hurley, Arun Nayar

British actress Elizabeth Hurley and her new husband Arun Nayar kicked off their Indian wedding festivities with a private dinner party in the country's financial capital Mumbai, news reports said Tuesday.

Photo: Indian wedding functions begin for Liz Hurley, Arun Nayar

The Hindustan Times newspaper reported that 60 friends and relatives traveling with Hurley and Nayar from Britain attended the party in downtown Mumbai late Monday and some guests were taken on a yacht ride around Mumbai.

The couple was married Friday in a private civil ceremony at Sudeley Castle in Winchcombe, 125 miles (200 kilometers) west of London. They held a blessing and party at the castle Saturday evening, with guests including Elton John, Kate Moss, Elle Macpherson and Hurley's ex, Hugh Grant.

The couple's Indian friends hosting the parties in Mumbai were tightlipped about other events, but the Indian Express newspaper published details of planned festivities.

The newspaper quoted guests saying a "haldi" ceremony followed by a black-tie dinner earlier scheduled for Monday was shifted to late Tuesday. The function will be hosted by Parmeshwar Godrej, wife of well-known Indian industrialist Adi Godrej, at their beach-front home in suburban Mumbai.

Indian weddings include a traditional "haldi," or turmeric ceremony, in which the bride and groom are covered in a paste of turmeric, milk and cream believed to cleanse and beautify them, reports AP.

The couple arrived in Mumbai early Monday to begin six days of celebrations, which will end with a ceremony at Umaid Bhavan Palace, the Maharaja of Jodphur's palace-turned-luxury resort in the state of Rajasthan in western India.