Bhaichung and Madhuri after the wedding. Picture by Ashit Rai

Tinkitam (south Sikkim), Dec. 27: Indian soccer squad captain and pin-up star Bhaichung Bhutia today tied the knot with his sweetheart of seven years Madhuri Tipnis in a traditional wedding ceremony in his native village of Tinkitam.

It was a private occasion attended only by family members and close relatives.

Dressed in brocade and silk Khechen (traditional Sikkimese attire), the soccer dynamo brought home his bride late in the morning.

Bhaichung and Madhuri had been staying at Mount Narsing Resort at Ravangla, south Sikkim, for the past two days.

A bongthing (priest) offered prayers at the footballer?s house and chanted mantras to invoking the blessings of the gods for the newly-weds.

Family members then wished them with traditional khadas (silk scarves). Today?s ceremony is considered the most important in a Sikkimese marriage as the bride enters the house of the groom and they are considered a legal couple.

The main wedding reception has been fixed for December 30. A large gold and red banner (the colours of East Bengal, the club Bhutia plays for) adorned one side of the pathway to a gate built to give a traditional welcome to the guests on that day.

?I am happy for having chosen Maddy (as he called Madhuri) as my life partner as she is the only person I could have married,? Bhaichung told The Telegraph.

He had first met Madhuri at a gathering of common friends, seven years ago.

Madhuri, originally from Manipur, is a hotel industry professional with the ITC Group.

Her father, Ashok Tipnis, is a retired army captain who currently works with Village Volunteer Development, an NGO in Imphal.

Madhuri was accompanied by both her parents, her brother, uncles and aunts, including her uncle former chief of air staff A.Y. Tipnis.

The menu for the reception on December 30 will predominantly be Sikkimese, family members said. More than 1,000 people are slated to attend the reception.