Mumbai: Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai will wear a traditional hand-embroidered sari with intricate gold work on her wedding day, said the actress's favorite designer in an interview published Tuesday.

Rai, a former Miss World, is to wed well-known Indian actor Abhishek Bachchan on Friday.

Neeta Lulla said she designed the sari and a red and gold embroidered flowing skirt and cropped blouse for the actress to wear at a ''mehendi'' ceremony on Wednesday. In Indian weddings, mehendi, or henna, is applied in elaborate tattoos on the bride's hands and legs.

Lulla told Mumbai-based DNA newspaper that while she had designed some of Rai's outfits, the actress would also wear a sari created by famous Indian designers Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla.

Both Rai and Bachchan have been practicing a dance routine they plan to perform before a selected group of relatives and friends during a musical ceremony on Thursday, the daily said. Bachchan's friend and Bollywood heartthrob Hrithik Roshan is also expected to entertain guests.

In movie- and music-mad India, it is common for the couple and their family to perform choreographed dance routines during pre-wedding ceremonies.

A red and blue air-conditioned tent with huge mirrors is being readied in a garden adjoining the Bachchan's suburban family home for what is billed as India's ''wedding of the year.''

Bachchan and Rai were engaged to be married in a private ceremony in January. Family friends have told the media to respect the family's wish for privacy.