Anant Ambani, 29, is the youngest son of Indian tycoon Mukesh Ambani, who is considered the richest man in Asia with an estimated fortune of 121 billion dollars. The much-awaited and luxurious wedding of the heir to his girlfriend Radhika Merchant is set to take place on July 12.IndiaThe pre-wedding festivities lasted over four months and were a grand display of opulence.
The extravagant pre-wedding celebrations commenced in March. During that month, as per CNN, the couple organized a piercing fiesta lasting three days in the western city of Jamnagar, where regarding 1,200 guests, including billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and Sunder Pichai, were in attendance. Ivanka Trump, the daughter of Donald Trump, also graced the occasion.
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For the piercing fiesta, the couple booked the renowned singer Rihanna. Additionally, there was a light show featuring 5,500 drones illuminating the sky above the crystal palace specially constructed for the celebration.
This handout photo released by Reliance Group shows Mukesh Ambani (right), Anant Ambani, Paula Hurd, and Bill Gates at a pre-wedding party, Saturday, March 2, 2024. (Reliance Group via AP)
As part of the celebrations, the guests were attired in jungle-themed clothing for a visit to an animal rescue center facilitated by Anant. The 1,200-hectare site is a sanctuary for abused, injured, and endangered animals, including elephants, as reported by the AP.
The invitation indicated that the guests were required to adopt a new dress code each day. Moreover, a team of Indian hairstylists, makeup artists, and fashion designers were enlisted to assist them with preparations at the hotels where they stayed.
Many of the guests, arriving on chartered planes, were treated to 500 different dishes crafted by approximately 100 chefs.
The Ambani family also organized a community feeding program for 51,000 individuals living in villages near Jamnagar.
CNN reported that towards the end of May, the couple arranged a four-day Mediterranean cruise for 1,200 people, comprising friends and family, making multiple stops in Europe. The cruise was attended by Hollywood and Bollywood stars and featured performances by Katy Perry, the Backstreet Boys, and opera star Andrea Bocelli.
Anant Ambani looks on during a traditional wedding ritual before the ceremony on July 3, 2024. (Photo by Indranil MUKHERJEE / AFP)
A mass wedding for disadvantaged couples
As part of the piercing, this week, The Ambani family organized a mass wedding for “the most disadvantaged” in the western region of India.
Several dozen women dressed in traditional saris with reddish tones, along with their husbands in ivory-colored suits, attended the mass marriage held in the city of Mumbai, as per images from the Indian agency PTI.
A total of 52 underprivileged couples were united in marriage.
Mukesh Ambani and his wife Neeta Ambani greet brides and grooms during a mass wedding ceremony for underprivileged couples, July 2, 2024. (EFE/EPA/DIVYAKANT SOLANKI)
Mukesh Ambani, 67, who leads Reliance Industries, the company with the highest market capitalization in India, took part in this ceremony along with his family. The event was attended by 800 guests.
According to the AFP agency, each couple received gold and silver wedding jewelry, $1,200 in cash, and provisions “sufficient for a year”.
The Ambani company stated that this action highlights the family’s “commitment to social welfare and community support”.
“The family is dedicated to the ongoing support of hundreds more of such initiatives across the country,” the statement added.
The wedding at the tycoon’s 27-story residence
This handout taken on March 2, 2024, features billionaire business tycoon Mukesh Ambani (left), his wife Nita Ambani, and their youngest son Anant Ambani. (AFP)
Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant will tie the knot from July 12 onwards in a three-day Hindu ceremony to be held in Mumbai, the financial hub of India.
The wedding will occur at the parental abode, Anant’s 27-floor domicile named Antilia, along with the Jio World Convention Centre, another family property, a spacious venue with a capacity exceeding 16,000 individuals, as reported by CNN.
The 27-story residence is valued at $1 billion and boasts three helipads, a 160-car garage, a private cinema, a swimming pool, and a gym.
Mukesh Ambani’s 27-storey mansion. (INDRANIL MUKHERJEE / AFP).
According to a leaked wedding invite published by ANI, a prominent news agency in India, and as cited by CNN, the festivities are scheduled to commence on July 12 with the ceremony “Auspicious Matrimony”. The subsequent day will host the ceremony “Best Wishes”, followed by the concluding day on July 14 with the “Mangal Celebration” or reception.
The invite was presented in a red box adorned with an image of the Hindu god Vishnu on its front facade.
The box containing the wedding invitation for Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant. (Photo by Reliance Industries Limited / AFP).The box containing the wedding invitation for Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant. (Photo by Reliance Industries Limited / AFP).
Manish Malhotra, one of the prominent designers of India, has been designated as the creative head for the wedding.
CNN mentioned that Malhotra designed two lehengas donned by the bride Merchant at the pre-wedding gathering. The golden attire was embellished with 20,000 Swarovski crystals and involved the expertise of over 70 artisans, while the other lehenga, a blue one inspired by Art Deco, took 5,700 hours to create.
The rest of the wedding specifics are being kept under wraps.
The Other $100 Million Wedding
It is essential to recall that in 2018, Mukesh Ambani hosted the most extravagant wedding ever seen in India for his daughter, costing around 100 million dollars, where the American singer Beyoncé performed.
During the event held in the city of Udaipur in western India, former US Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry were among the attendees.
Apart from being the wealthiest man in Asia, Mukesh Ambani ranks tenth on Forbes’ list of the world’s wealthiest individuals.
His conglomerate, Reliance Industries, is a colossal entity generating over $100 billion in annual revenue, with interests spanning petrochemicals, oil and gas, telecommunications, and retail, as detailed by the AP.
Anant Ambani and his girlfriend Radhika Merchant pictured on March 31, 2024. (Photo by Vijay Bate/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
What is known regarding the bride and groom?
Anant Ambani was born on April 10, 1995, in Mumbai. Currently, he oversees his father’s empire’s new energy business.
He is the youngest of three siblings, having completed his schooling at the Dhirubhai Ambani International School in Mumbai and graduating from Brown University in the United States.
His elder brother, Akash Ambani, is the chairman of Reliance Jio, and his sister, Isha, manages the retail division.
The bride and groom are both 29 years old.
The girlfriend, Radhika Merchant (29 years old), is the daughter of pharmaceutical magnate Viren Merchant, the CEO of Encore Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., and businesswoman Shaila Merchant.
She holds a degree in political science from New York University, as per her LinkedIn profile.
In an interview with Vogue, Radhika shared that she met Anant through mutual friends during a car ride in 2017.
“That first meeting sparked something special between us, and it didn’t take long before we started dating,” she mentioned.
Currently, Radhika Merchant sits on the board of directors of Encore Healthcare alongside her sister, Anjali, who serves as a director, with their father at the helm as CEO and vice president, and their mother as general manager.
Anant Ambani, at the age of 29, is the youngest son of Indian business magnate Mukesh Ambani, who is considered the richest man in Asia with an estimated fortune of 121 billion dollars. His upcoming wedding to his girlfriend Radhika Merchant has garnered immense attention as it is anticipated to be the most luxurious and extravagant wedding in the world.
The pre-wedding festivities for Anant and Radhika began in March with a lavish three-day celebration in the western city of Jamnagar. The event was attended by around 1,200 guests, including prominent figures such as Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Sunder Pichai, and even Ivanka Trump. The celebration featured performances by Rihanna and a spectacular light show with 5,500 drones illuminating the sky.
Guests were treated to a unique experience as they visited an animal rescue center run by Anant, where they were encouraged to dress in jungle-themed clothing. The couple went all out to ensure their guests had a memorable time, providing them with a diverse selection of 500 dishes prepared by a team of 100 chefs.
In late May, Anant and Radhika organized a four-day Mediterranean cruise for 1,200 people, complete with stops in Europe and performances by stars like Katy Perry, the Backstreet Boys, and Andrea Bocelli. The extravagant celebrations continued when the Ambani family hosted a mass wedding for 52 disadvantaged couples, providing each couple with gold and silver wedding jewelry, cash, and provisions for a year.
The highly anticipated wedding of Anant and Radhika is set to take place over a three-day Hindu ceremony in Bombay, the financial capital of India. The extravagant event will be held at the Ambani family’s 27-story residence, Antilia, and the Jio World Convention Centre, a grand venue with a capacity of over 16,000 people.
Details of the wedding are being kept under wraps, and renowned designer Manish Malhotra has been named the creative director of the event. The bride, Radhika Merchant, has already dazzled in designer lehengas at the pre-wedding party, showcasing intricate designs crafted by skilled artisans.
In 2018, Mukesh Ambani made headlines with the most expensive wedding ever held in India for his daughter, featuring performances by Beyoncé and attended by dignitaries like Hillary Clinton and John Kerry. With a fortune ranking him among the world’s top billionaires, Mukesh Ambani’s company, Reliance Industries, boasts a diversified portfolio ranging from petrochemicals to telecommunications and retail.
Anant Ambani, a graduate of Brown University, currently oversees his father’s new energy business, while his soon-to-be wife, Radhika, has a background in political science from New York University. The couple met through mutual friends in 2017 and have since built a strong relationship, with Radhika serving on the board of directors of her family’s pharmaceutical company.
As the world eagerly awaits the extravagant wedding of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant, it is clear that this celebration will be a true spectacle of opulence and grandeur, befitting the esteemed Ambani family.
