After seven months of extravagant pre-wedding celebrations, Anant Ambani, son of India’s richest man, married pharmaceutical heiress Radhika Merchant on Friday in a grand ceremony attended by thousands of guests.
The star-studded event in Mumbai attracted international celebrities like Kim and Khloé Kardashian, Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Prominent Indian figures from Bollywood, sports, business, and politics were also in attendance, including Rajinikanth, Sanjay Dutt, former President Ram Nath Kovind, and various chief ministers and cricket team members.
Held at the Ambani-owned 16,000-capacity Jio World Convention Center, the wedding spared no expense, showcasing the extravagant wealth of the Ambani family, who run Reliance Industries. Founded by Anant’s grandfather and now run by his father Mukesh Ambani, Forbes lists Mukesh’s worth at over $122 billion.
Despite the rain-soaked streets, attendees arrived in custom traditional attire, with many honoring the dress code in designs by major Indian fashion designers. Celebrities like John Cena and Nick Jonas walked the red carpet in elaborate sherwanis, while Priyanka Chopra sparkled in a yellow sari. The Kardashians, too, embraced the occasion, with Kim in gold and Khloé in red saris.
Inside the venue, transformed to resemble the holy city of Varanasi, guests danced and celebrated, as documented on social media. Anant Ambani donned a golden sherwani paired with sneakers, while Radhika Merchant wore a hand-embroidered bridal ensemble by Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla, adhering to the Gujarati tradition of wearing red and white.
In a poignant moment, Anant’s mother, Nita Ambani, shared a video recounting her recent trip to Varanasi, where she sought blessings for the couple and hoped to reflect the city’s “purity, positivity, and beauty” at the wedding.
Nita Ambani’s custom peach silk ghagra, created by designers Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla and artisans Vijay Kumar and Monika Maurya, took more than 40 days to complete. The event’s creative direction was led by renowned designer Manish Malhotra, who curated bespoke outfits for the Ambanis throughout their month-long celebrations.
Leading up to the ceremony, the couple engaged in several pre-wedding rituals. Justin Bieber performed at their “sangeet,” and they participated in a private “haldi” ceremony. The wedding dates were chosen based on auspicious days from their birth charts.
Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant, both 29, share a background of affluence and influence. Anant, a Brown University graduate, serves as director at a Reliance energy business, while Radhika’s parents founded Encore Healthcare.
The exact cost of the wedding remains undisclosed, but industry estimates place it in the hundreds of millions of dollars, with high-profile musical performances adding to the grandeur.
The celebrations continued over the weekend at the Ambani residence, Antilia, with a “Shubh Ashirwad” ceremony and a Sunday reception with an “Indian chic” dress code, concluding seven months of festivities.
The wedding spree began with an engagement party in January, followed by a communal dinner for 50,000 villagers, a pre-wedding bash attended by leaders like Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, and a Mediterranean cruise featuring performers like the Backstreet Boys.
Anant’s sister, Isha Ambani, also held a famously lavish wedding in 2018, attended by global celebrities and featuring a private concert by Beyoncé.