Anant Ambani, Radhika Merchant Wedding: Everything We Know

The wedding of Anant Ambani—the youngest son of Asia’s richest man—and his longtime girlfriend, Radhika Merchant, has attracted a host of well-heeled guests, including celebrities, politicians, and prominent businesspeople.

In what has been dubbed the society wedding of the year, Ambani and Merchant, both of whom are 29, will be celebrating their union at Mumbai’s Jio World Convention Centre, which is owned by the groom’s family, from Friday. The event will also see guests converging on the Ambani family home for lavish soirées.

In the leadup to the nuptials, there has been much coverage in the local press of every detail, given the family’s prominence. The groom’s father, Mukesh Ambani, ranks as the 11th richest man in the world with an estimated net worth of around $120 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Much of the senior Ambani’s fortune was made at the helm of Reliance Industries, India’s largest public company and a multinational conglomerate whose businesses include petrochemicals, energy, natural gas, entertainment, textiles, retail, telecommunications, and mass media.

Mukesh Ambani is also the owner of the cricket team Mumbai Indians. He and his family famously live in a $1.2 billion 27-story home called Antillia, which is the world’s most valuable private residence and features three helipads, a 160-car garage, private movie theater, swimming pool, and a snow room that spits out snowflakes from the walls to keep the Ambanis cool.

Merchant also hails from a prominent business family, with her father, Viren Merchant, boasting his own fortune as a billionaire tycoon. The patriarch is the CEO of private pharmaceutical company Encore Healthcare, where the bride-to-be serves as a board member.

With the nuptials being months in the making, Newsweek has put together a list of all the details surrounding the lavish celebrations.

Celebrity Guests

While the couple will tie the knot as part of a four-day celebration over the weekend, it actually serves as a grand finale following months of events. The two were feted in a luxurious pre-wedding event back in March.

That three-day event saw a host of famous names descend on the Ambanis’ 750-acre compound in Jamnagar, Gujarat, for the weekend gathering and hastakshar, a traditional Indian prenuptial event.

With guests hailing from Bollywood and beyond, some of the Americans lucky enough to land a coveted invitation were billionaire tech moguls Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, as well as supermodel Karlie Kloss.

For this weekend’s celebrations, Kim Kardashian and her younger sister, Khloé Kardashian, shared Instagram Story posts of themselves being presented flowers as they were welcomed to the party in grand style on Friday.

Given the guests included at the pre-wedding celebrations, it’s fair to say that the Kardashians will not be the only celebrities on hand. According to the Times of India, a host of Bollywood’s biggest stars will be in attendance, including Shah Rukh Khan, Ranveer Singh, Amitabh Bachchan, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

The publication has reported that Mike Tyson, John Cena, David Beckham, Adele, Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra Jonas are among those also expected to be seen among the attendees.

Performers

When the couple held their pre-wedding celebrations back in March, they were treated to a performance by none other than Rihanna. The performances since have certainly been no less lacking in star power.

Last week, the ongoing celebrations saw Justin Bieber entertain a crowd of revelers in Mumbai after being flown in especially for the festivities. In an Instagram post that went viral, the Canadian star shared footage of himself singing to a glamorous crowd.

As a testament to his global appeal, the guests were seen doing most of the work, as they enthusiastically belted out the lyrics to his 2015 track “Love Yourself.”

Bieber graced the stage following other events that saw performances by Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and “California Gurls” hitmaker Katy Perry, who performed at a masquerade ball for the couple and their guests in Cannes last month.

The Backstreet Boys and Pitbull were also among the listed pre-wedding performers.

Musicians haven’t been the only ones hired to entertain the couple and their nearest and dearest. According to CNN, magician David Blaine was on hand to show off the best of his talents at the pre-wedding event in March.

Luxury Details, The Cost

While it is not known how much the wedding celebrations have cost the couple and their families in total, the Daily Mail has reported that the pre-wedding celebrations in March lightened their pockets by an eye-watering $128 million.

According to reports, the stars’ performances alone account for a fair portion of the costs, with Rihanna and Perry reportedly being paid around $6 million apiece to treat the couple and their guests to private performances.

In May and June, the festivities also included a four-day Mediterranean cruise with an estimated 1,200 guests. The group partied at a host of ritzy locations in Italy and France, with Pitbull, the Backstreet Boys, and Perry popping up for performances along the way.

Outside of the performances, the no-expense-spared approach was taken to other elements of the celebrations. For the first night of the couple’s March event, the bride-to-be was resplendent in a blush pink custom Versace dress, which she complemented with bespoke jewelry by Parthiv Mehta of Kantilal Chhotalal. Her partner, meanwhile, cut a dapper figure in custom Dolce & Gabbana.

On arrival, the lovebirds were surprised with a specially constructed glass palace, built to evoke the Palm House in New York City’s Brooklyn Botanic Garden—a place enjoyed by the bride when she was a college student in the Big Apple. The construction included flowers from celebrity florist Jeff Leatham.

Guests were transported on a mini train to and from the event, before they were treated to a post-dinner drone show—with Vogue reporting that it marked India’s largest display of its kind.

Those attending any part of the wedding are sure to have expected unfettered luxury at their every turn. The invitation alone, which was presented in a mini red postbox, needs to be seen to be believed.

The Ambani family certainly has form when it comes to throwing lavish weddings. When the groom’s sister, Isha Ambani, tied the knot with her partner, Anand Piramal, back in 2018, the featured performer was Beyoncé. At the time, it was reported that she was also paid the princely sum of $6 million for her efforts. Those nuptials are reported to have cost a total of $100 million.