Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s wedding is a multi-day, mega-million affair featuring a star-studded guest list. Celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Priyanka Chopra travelled to India for the grand event, witnessing the son of Asia’s richest man tie the knot on Friday.
The couple, engaged since December 2023, have been celebrating extensively. Their pre-wedding festivities began in March with a party for 1,200 guests, including Ivanka Trump and Mark Zuckerberg. In May, 800 guests joined them on a four-day European cruise along the Mediterranean coast.
Earlier this month, the couple hosted a mass wedding for over 50 couples and a private “haldi” ceremony with close friends and family. The main wedding ceremony on Friday occurred at the JIO World Convention Center in Mumbai.
Anant, the son of billionaire Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries, and philanthropist Nita Ambani, received his father’s $80 million, 10-bedroom villa in Dubai as a wedding gift. Radhika is the daughter of pharmaceutical tycoons Viren and Shaila Merchant. The couple, both 29, were childhood friends whose relationship turned romantic in 2017 and went public in 2018 after they graduated from Brown University and New York University.
Anant proposed to Radhika at the Shrinathji Temple in Nathdwara, Rajasthan, in December 2023, followed by an extravagant engagement party in January. Their pre-wedding celebrations included a “Samuh Vivah” on July 2 and a “sangeet” night on July 5 at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Center.
The wedding festivities continued with a red carpet event on Friday, followed by a “Shubh Ashirwad” ceremony at the Ambani family’s residence, Antilia, on Saturday. The grand reception, or “Mangal Utsav,” is set for Sunday at the same 27-story skyscraper mansion.
The Guardian estimates the wedding’s cost exceeds $600 million, a fraction of the Ambani family’s fortune. The entertainment lineup is just as extravagant, with Justin Bieber performing for $10 million and Rihanna for $6 million at the March bash.
Kim Kardashian shared her appearance at the wedding on Instagram, wearing a ruby red lehenga, while Priyanka Chopra attended with husband Nick Jonas.
Rihanna’s performance at the March pre-wedding event faced criticism, but the celebrations continued with performances by David Guetta, Pitbull, and the Backstreet Boys during the May cruise.
Justin Bieber also gave a behind-the-scenes look at his performance earlier this month. According to CNN, speculations suggest Adele and Lana Del Rey might perform at the wedding.
Guests received a detailed dress code for the “jungle fever” party in March, with hair and makeup artists and traditional Indian draping experts on-site. The red carpet event on Friday required “traditional Indian attire,” with “Indian formal” outfits for the next day’s event and “Indian chic” looks for the reception.
