Anant Ambani, the son of India’s richest man, and Radhika Merchant’s three-day pre-wedding celebration earlier this year in India stood out even in a nation known for extravagant weddings.
Photos and videos began to flood social media hours into the extravagant event, where Rihanna performed and guests like Mark Zuckerberg and Ivanka Trump wore sherwanis and saris. Critics and observers from all over the world were drawn to India’s most powerful business family’s display of wealth and power.
From that point onward, the couple facilitated a few more pre-wedding occasions, which included exhibitions by Justin Bieber and Katy Perry. Online entertainment has been on fire photographs and recordings from the apparently endless wedding.
The actual wedding weekend, the grand finale, took place from July 12 to July 14. What we know about the extravagant celebration is as follows:
The Groom
Mukesh Ambani, chairman of the megacorporation Reliance Industries, and Nita Ambani are the parents of Anant Ambani. According to Forbes, the family is worth approximately $120 billion.
Mr. Ambani, 29, is in charge of Reliance Industries’ energy division, which is based in Mumbai, India. He has two older twin siblings, both of whom serve on the Reliance Industries board of directors. He holds a Brown degree and is an animal welfare and rehabilitation advocate. A visit to Mr. Ambani’s animal sanctuary, Vantara, was part of the March pre-wedding ceremony. During the celebrations, he stated in a speech, “This was my giving back to society.”
The Bride
Radhika Vendor is a little girl of Viren and Shaila Trader. Encore Healthcare, which also has its headquarters in Mumbai, is led by Mr. Merchant as chief executive officer and vice chairman.
Ms. Merchant, 29, is a director at the health care company owned by her family. She moved on from N.Y.U. what’s more, prepared in Indian traditional dance.
The Love Story
Ms. Merchant revealed to Vogue that she and Mr. Ambani met on a drive in 2017 through friends. She stated, “That first meeting just sparked something special between us, and we started dating not long after.”
In 2023, Mr. Ambani proposed to Ms. Trader at the Shrinathji Sanctuary in the northwestern Indian province of Rajasthan.
Mr. Ambani stated in a March pre-wedding speech, “There is no doubt about that,” that “I am 100 percent the lucky one.” It seems like I met Radhika yesterday, however consistently, I fall increasingly more enamored. According to what my brother-in-law claims, he experienced fountains and volcanoes rising in his heart whenever he saw my sister. I would agree that I have seismic tremors and waves happening in my heart when I see Radhika.”
The Wedding Date
The wedding was held from July 12 to July 14. Based on the couple’s birth charts, the Hindu custom of getting married on an auspicious day was used to set the dates.
On Friday, an auspicious wedding, known as the “Shubh Vivaah,” took place; the Saturday “Shubh Aashirwad” (diving blessings); and the Sunday “Mangal Utsav,” or wedding reception.
The Location
The wedding celebrations happened at the Jio World Center, a 18.5-section of land business and social focus in Mumbai that is possessed by the Ambanis.
The Pre-Wedding
For the weekend festivities, more than 1,000 members of the international elite flew to Jamnagar, a city in the western state of Gujarat in India, on March 1. Services like makeup artists, top chefs, and chauffeured limousines for pick-up and drop-off were provided to guests. For the occasion, a glass palace was built, and over 5,000 drones put on a light show.
Among the visitors had been Bill Doors; Zuckerberg, Mark; the modern and former top ministers of Sweden, Qatar, and Canada; Bhutan’s king and queen; what is more, Bollywood’s best stars, as Deepika Padukone, Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan.
On the first night time, Rihanna done and there was plenty of amusement. On the second night time, Diljit Dosanjh, the first Punjabi singer to perform at Coachella, took the degree. What’s greater, to complete off the quit of the week, Akon finished.
Custom outfits from Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, and Manish Malhotra made the party a fashion show. In advance, guests received a 10-page dress code with a “jungle fever” theme for a visit to the animal sanctuary.
The Second Pre-Wedding
The couple held their second pre-wedding celebration on a cruise ship in May. The ship left Palermo, Italy, on May 29 and arrived in Rome, Cannes, and Portofino on June 1. A masquerade ball and a toga party were two of the events that were held onboard. Katy Perry, Pitbull, and the Backstreet Boys performed.
On the primary evening of the voyage, Ms. Vendor wore a Robert Wun outfit with an affection letter Mr. Ambani kept in touch with her when she was 22 imprinted on the chiffon.
The Sangeet
The sangeet, or night of music and dancing, that the couple held on July 5 was at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Center. It was Justin Bieber’s turn.
On his Instagram account, Mr. Bieber posted pictures and videos from the weekend, including footage of the audience singing along to his songs “Love Yourself” and “Where Are U Now.” He also shared a few pictures of himself with Mr. Ambani and Ms. Merchant.
On July 8, the Ambani family’s Antilia residence hosted the haldi, a ceremony in which turmeric paste was applied to the bride and groom’s bodies.
We anticipate significantly more opulence for the couple’s upcoming wedding weekend given the extravagant pre-wedding celebrations that Ms. Merchant and Mr. Ambani hosted.
The Wedding
On Friday, July 12, the reggaeton singer Luis Fonsi performed his hit song “Despacito” during the wedding ceremony. In addition, Sukhbir, a Bhangra singer, and Rema, a star of Afrobeats, performed. In the event hall, which was surrounded by confetti, Indian actor Ranveer Singh danced vigorously to a song whose music video he starred in, “Tattad Tattad.” To “Zoobi Doobi,” Bollywood superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan danced alongside Bollywood actress Ananya Panday and Indian cricketer Hardik Pandya.
Over the course of the wedding weekend, approximately 2,000 guests were in attendance, as stated by the Ambani family’s megacompany Reliance Industries. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi was one of them; Tony Blair, a former British prime minister; Stars from Bollywood like Anil Kapoor and Janhvi Kapoor; Priyanka Chopra and Scratch Jonas; The Kardashians, Kim and Khloe; likewise John Cena.
