(From top): Bhaichung Bhutia and Madhuri Tipnis seen recently at a bash; the couple shares a cosy moment in 2001

The groom: Bhaichung Bhutia. Captain of the Indian football team, youth icon, this pocket-sized dynamo from Sikkim is one of our most eligible bachelors.

The bride: Madhuri Tipnis. A hotel industry professional, originally from Manipur, has been Bhaichung?s love interest for seven years, without an itch. She presently works for a star property on the Bypass.

D-Day: Marriage, on the cards since last year, is finally happening on December 30 in Tinki Tam, Bhaichung?s village in south Sikkim. The traditional Sikkimese-style ceremony in the morning will involve family and close friends. The predominantly Sikkimese menu is being decided by the Bhutia family. This will be followed by a mega party on the last night of the year. The newly weds will be back in town on January 2.

The venue: Outside the house Bhaichung grew up in. ?I wanted to go back to my roots and have the ceremony at the place where I was born and where I grew up, in the presence of all my childhood associates, family and friends,? says the soccer star.

Bridal army: A contingent of Madhuri?s family from India and abroad is travelling to the quaint village. ?My cousins from the US, friends from around India, my family from Manipur are all going to be there,? says Madhuri, who is completely in love with the place from where she can ?see the Kanchenjunga just lying on the bed in his room?.

That apart, around 1,000 guests are expected between December 30 and 31. ?Just family and friends, which might include a few of my friends from England? stresses the striker.

Wedding wear: They live in denims and sneakers, but for the wedding vows it?ll be traditional to the T. ?Both of us are going to wear Baku, the traditional Sikkimese outfit,? reveals Bhaichung. It was Madhuri who picked up the fabric for the outfit on one of their trips to Singapore. ?The fabric has got brocade work on it and looks pretty ornate,? explains Madhuri. ?We are almost going to look like royalty,? smiles Bhaichung.

Green card: Has been designed by a city-based ad agency that specialises in wedding card designing. ?The base of the card is made from interwoven leaves. This depicts that their lives are going to be one from now on,? said Shreyansh Baid of the agency. ?We?ve kept the card simple since Bhaichung is such a simple person,? reasons Baid.

The journey so far: It was seven years ago when the two met through common friends. Being in two different cities with different and very demanding professional careers, it was ?the caring for each other? that kept them going.

?It hasn?t been easy, and we have gone through a lot of ups and downs,? confesses Madhuri. But it?s her man?s ability to make her laugh and his simplicity that have kept her attached to him through the years. ?Bhaichung is like a child, he needs to be pampered but he does mother me a lot too, so it?s the mutual care that has kept us together,? she says.

For Bhaichung, who plays and parties hard, Maddy has been the first and last word in love. ?It just couldn?t be with anyone else. Ever since I met her, it has been and will always be her,? he shoots.