India’s most spectacular wedding has begun, with the son of billionaire Mukesh Ambani, Anant Ambani, marrying Radhika Merchant, the daughter of a pharmaceutical tycoon. The wedding is expected to cost more than 5 billion baht, with brand-new outfits for the bride and groom. Billionaire businessmen, politicians, and celebrities, including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Kim Kardashian, have attended.
On July 13, 2024, CNN and BBC reported the start of the lavish ceremony, widely considered the Indian wedding of the year.
The pre-wedding celebrations sent the Indian media into a frenzy, with social media buzz regarding the upcoming event.
The couple held a pre-wedding party in Jamnagar in March. Around 1,200 high-society guests, including Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, attended. An elaborate light show with 5,500 drones illuminated the Glass Palace, guests danced to music performed by Rihanna.
Then, at the end of May, the bride and groom organized a Mediterranean Cruise Party for four days, inviting friends and family. The cruise included performances by Bollywood stars, Katy Perry, the Backstreet Boys, and opera singer Andrea Bocelli across various European locations.
The Mumbai wedding took place from July 12 to 14 at the Ambani family home, “Antilia,” a 27-story luxury residence. The event also took place at Jio World Convention Center, owned by the Ambani family, which can accommodate over 16,000 people.
Guests included reality TV stars like Kim Kardashian, former British Prime Ministers Tony Blair, and Boris Johnson. Pop stars Drake, Lana Del Rey, and Adele also performed.
The Ambani family has not disclosed the wedding budget. However, wedding planners estimate it to cost between 1100-1300 million rupees, or regarding 4700-560 million baht. Rumors suggest Rihanna was paid $7 million (regarding 250 million baht) and Justin Bieber $10 million (regarding 360 million baht) for their performances.
Bride and groom
Anant Ambani, 29, the youngest son of Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani (worth $118 billion or 4.2 trillion baht according to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index), oversees the expansion of the family’s energy business at Reliance Industries, which owns subsidiaries in oil, retail, financial services, and telecom.
Anant has three siblings. His brother and sister, graduates of Brown University, are on the Reliance board and run other company divisions. Anant, concerned regarding animal welfare since childhood, opened Vantara, a 3,000-acre animal sanctuary, which was visited by VIPs in jungle-themed outfits at a pre-wedding party in Jamnagar.
Radhika Merchant, also 29, is the daughter of pharmaceutical tycoon Viren Merchant. She works for her father’s company, Encore Healthcare, and graduated from New York University. In an interview with Vogue magazine, she said the couple met through friends in 2017 during a road trip.
“I knew there was something special between us the first time we met. And it didn’t take long. We started dating,” the bride-to-be says.
“I am 100 percent lucky and it feels like I met Radhika,” Mr Ambani said of his future wife at a pre-wedding party. “It was yesterday but every day I fall more and more in love.”
Preserving Hindu traditions, Hindu weddings usually hold multiple events in one day. ANI, one of India’s major media outlets, reported that the festival would be held on July 12, with the blessing ceremony of the gods held the next day. The ceremony will end with a wedding banquet on July 14.
Mr. Manish Malhotra, one of India’s most renowned designers, was appointed as the Creative Director, along with the groom’s mother, Mrs. Nita Ambani, to curate the wedding based on the family’s wishes. It embodies Indian flavors while reflecting the couple’s unique personalities.
Top designers
It was believed that the couple dressed to showcase their love for Indian craftsmanship and the skills of talented Indian people, with the many clothes full of symbols.
The outfits worn by the couple for their pre-wedding celebrations were designed by some of the country’s top designers like Mr. Malhotra, Mr. Sabyasachi Mukherjee, and Tarun Tahiliani, and were jaw-dropping.
Mr. Malhotra designed two langa skirts, which Ms. Merchant wore to pre-wedding events. The gold fabric embroidered with 20,000 Swarovski crystals required more than 70 artisans to create, while the blue langa skirt, inspired by the Art Deco period, took 5,700 hours to make.
Mr Ambani also made a striking appearance, wearing a traditional long-sleeved coat of Sherwani, designed by Mr Rohit Bal, attached to a brooch designed by Lorraine Schwartz.
The businessman wore a Versace brand traditional pink robe at last March’s ceremony.Hollywood star Blake Lively wore it to the 2022 Met Gala.
Reuters reported that the bride-to-be wore a black and white gown designed by Hong Kong-born fashion designer Robert Wun while on a Mediterranean cruise. The chiffon dress was printed with a love letter from her fiancé. Mr Ambani wore a matching black dress by the same designer, embellished with gemstones.
At the wedding this month, Mr Malhotra said the team spent months meticulously crafting the beautiful pieces. Some of the outfits were made before pre-wedding festivities, with details kept secret until the event.
Large events take months to plan and often require hundreds of people behind the scenes to pull off, with preparation usually taking 9 to 12 months. About 40-45 large companies or partners with several separate teams handle restrictions, entertainment, production design, logistics, and other elements on the day of the event.
Abhisit Chan
The public was excited by the grandeur of the Ambani house’s decoration. But there was also criticism. The lavish wedding was in stark contrast to the poverty faced by tens of millions of Indians, widening the gap between the rich and the poor.
The Ambanis are aware of their family privilege. So, they held a mass wedding for 50 needy couples before the celebrations, gifting jewelry, home appliances, and groceries.
India’s wedding industry is the country’s fourth-largest, worth regarding $130 billion or regarding 4.6 trillion baht. It employs millions of people. Last December, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a campaign to encourage weddings in India to keep wedding funds within the country.
Executives of Ambani family companies said the wedding was a powerful symbol of India’s growing success on the world stage. However, Indian opposition politician Mr Thomas Isaac criticized it, calling it disgusting. “Legally, the money may belong to them. But the cost of bragging is a sin once morest Mother Earth and the poor.”
Read original news: The wedding of the father of Asia’s richest man, the “Ambani heir”, was extremely luxurious and is expected to cost more than 5 billion.
Follow the latest news here every day.
– Website: https://www.prachachat.net
The Ambani Wedding: A Billion Dollar Celebration
**AFP Photo**
The most spectacular Indian wedding has begun. The son of Ambani, the heir to the billionaire family, holds hands with the daughter of a pharmaceutical tycoon. A budget of more than 5 billion baht is expected to be spent on brand new bride and groom outfits. Billionaire businessmen, politicians, and celebrities, including former British Prime Minister Kim Kardashian, have attended.
On July 13, 2024, CNN and BBC reported that India’s most spectacular wedding had begun. **Anant Ambani**, the heir to a billion dollar empire, married Ms. **Radhika Merchant**, his long-time girlfriend. The lavish ceremony, widely considered the Indian wedding of the year, was a sight to behold.
The lavish pre-wedding celebrations sent the Indian media into a frenzy, with social media abuzz with news reports of the upcoming event.
The couple held a pre-wedding party in Jamnagar in March this year. Around 1,200 high-society guests attended the party, including **Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates**. An elaborate light show took place, with 5,500 drones lighting up the festivities above the Glass Palace. Guests danced to songs by the singer, **Rihanna**.
Then at the end of May, the bride and groom organized a **Mediterranean Cruise Party** for 4 days, exclusively for friends and family. Stops at numerous locations throughout Europe included performances by the Bollywood elite, Katy Perry, Backstreet Boys, and opera singer Andrea Bocelli.
The wedding in Mumbai so far took place from July 12 to 14 at Anand’s parents’ house, **Mukesh and Nita Ambani’s “Antilia, a 27-story luxury residence.”** It is also home to the Jio World Convention Center, owned by the Ambani family, which can accommodate more than 16,000 people.
Guests included reality TV stars, e.g. **Kim Kardashian, with former British Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Boris Johnson.** Later, pop stars Drake, Lana Del Rey, and Adele also performed.
The Ambani family does not disclose the exact **wedding budget**, but how much does a wedding planner estimate it to cost? **They should pay 11000-1300 million rupiah, or regarding 4700-560 million baht.** And there are rumors that **Rihanna was hired for $7 million (regarding 250 million baht), while Justin Bieber was paid $10 million (regarding 360 million baht).**
Bride and Groom
Mr. Ambani, 29, the youngest son of Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, is worth regarding $118 billion, or 4.2 trillion baht, according to Bloomberg’s Millionaires Index. Forbes ranks him as the world’s 10th richest person.
The younger son oversees the expansion of the family’s energy business at Reliance Industries, which owns subsidiaries in oil, retail, financial services, and telecom.
Mr. Ambani has three siblings. His brother and sister, who graduated from Brown University, are on the Reliance board and run other divisions of the company. Mr. Anant has been concerned regarding animal welfare since childhood. Recently, the company opened its passion project, Vantara, a 3,000-acre animal sanctuary that was visited by VIPs in jungle-themed outfits at a pre-wedding party in Jamnagar.
Ms. Merchant, also 29, is the daughter of pharmaceutical tycoon Viren Merchant. She works for her father’s company, Encore Healthcare, and graduated from New York University. In an interview with Vogue magazine, **they met the groom through friends in 2017 during a road trip.**
“I knew there was something special between us the first time we met. And it didn’t take long. We started dating,” the bride-to-be says.
“I am 100 percent lucky and it feels like I met Radhika,” Mr Ambani said of his future wife at a pre-wedding party. “It was yesterday but every day I fall more and more in love.”
Preserving Hindu Traditions
Hindu weddings usually hold multiple events in one day. ANI, one of India’s major media, reported that the festival will be held on July 12, and the blessing ceremony of the gods will be held the next day. The ceremony will end with a wedding banquet on July 14.
Mr. Manish Malhotra, one of India’s most renowned designers, was appointed as the Creative Director along with the groom’s mother, Mrs. Nita Ambani, to curate the wedding as per the family’s wishes. It embodies the Indian flavor while reflecting the couple’s unique personalities.
Including Top Designers
While talking to the newlyweds, it was believed that the couple dressed up to show off their Indian handicrafts. The skills from the talented Indian people and the many clothes full of symbols.
The outfits that the couple wore for their pre-wedding celebrations were designed by some of the country’s top designers like Mr. Malhotra, Mr. Sapyasachi Mukherjee, and Tarun Tahilia Nee, and they were jaw-dropping.
**Mr. Malhotra designed two langa skirts, which Ms. Merchant wore to pre-wedding events. The gold fabric embroidered with 20,000 Swarovski crystals required more than 70 artisans to create. Meanwhile, the blue langa skirt, inspired by the Art Deco period, took 5,700 hours to make.**
Mr Ambani also made a striking appearance, wearing a traditional long-sleeved coat of Sherwani, designed by Mr Rohit Bal, attached to a brooch designed by Lorraine Schwartz.
**The businessman wore a Versace brand traditional pink robe at last March’s ceremony. Hollywood star Blake Lively wore it to the 2022 Met Gala.**
**Reuters** reported that the bride-to-be wore a black and white gown designed by Hong Kong-born fashion designer Robert Wun while on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean. The chiffon dress was printed with a love letter from her fiancé. The dress worn by Mr Ambani matched his fiancée’s dress. The billionaire heir wore an original black dress designed by the same designer. It was embellished with gemstones.
At the wedding this month, Mr Malhotra said that the team spent months meticulously crafting the beautiful pieces. Meanwhile, details of the outfits might not be revealed before the event, with some pieces made before pre-wedding festivities.
Large events take months to plan and often require hundreds of people behind the scenes to pull off a big wedding, which usually takes 9 to 12 months to prepare. There are regarding 40-45 large companies or partners, with several separate teams dedicated to handling restrictions, entertainment work, managing production design, and handling logistics, including other things on the day of the event.
Criticism and Controversy
The public was excited by the grandeur of the decoration of Ambani’s house. But there was also criticism. The lavish wedding was in stark contrast to the poverty faced by tens of millions of Indians. And it widened the gap between the rich and the poor.
**The Ambanis are well aware of their family privilege.** So they did some charity work before the celebration. They held a mass wedding for 50 needy couples and gave away gifts such as jewelry, home appliances, and groceries.
**India’s wedding industry is the country’s fourth-largest, worth regarding $130 billion, or regarding 4.6 trillion baht.** It employs millions of people. Last December, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a campaign to hold weddings in India to allow wedding funds to circulate in the country.
Executives of Ambani family companies **said the wedding was a powerful symbol of India’s growing success on the world stage.** But Indian opposition politician Mr Thomas Isaac criticized it. “That is disgusting. Legally the money may belong to them. But the cost of bragging is a sin once morest Mother Earth and the poor.”
Read original news: The wedding of the father of Asia’s richest man, the “Ambani heir”, was extremely luxurious and is expected to cost more than 5 billion.
Follow the latest news here every day.
– Website: https://www.prachachat.net
