Indian billionaire heir Anant Ambani weds at lavish, star-studded ceremony

After seven months of extravagant pre-wedding celebrations, Anant Ambani, the son of India’s richest man, completed his long-awaited marriage to pharmaceutical heiress Radhika Merchant before thousands of guests on Friday.

Kim and Khloé Kardashian, Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra and former British prime ministers Tony Blair and Boris Johnson were just some of the famous faces who flew in to Mumbai to attend the star-studded event. The wedding also attracted many of the biggest names in Indian entertainment, sport, business and politics, from Bollywood stars like Rajinikanth and Sanjay Dutt, to former president Ram Nath Kovind, the chief ministers of various states and numerous members of the country’s revered cricket team.

No expense was spared by the Ambanis, the family behind India’s largest private corporation, Reliance Industries. Founded by Anant’s grandfather, the conglomerate is now run by his father Mukesh, who is worth over $122 billion, according to Forbes.

In a rain-soaked Mumbai, police closed roads in the area surrounding the Ambani-owned, 16,000-capacity Jio World Convention Center ahead of a red-carpet-style arrival event. Attendees dressed the part, streaming past photographers in custom sarees, lehengas and kurtas at an event that may set forthcoming trends in Indian wedding fashion.

International guests also honored the traditional dress code, with many seen wearing designs by major Indian fashion designers. John Cena walked the red carpet in an embroidered sky blue sherwani and white pants, while Jonas sparkled in a baby pink version — made from a bouclé-style woven fabric embedded with sequins — and matching satin trousers. Jonas arrived with his wife and actor, Priyanka Chopra, who opted for an intricately embellished sunshine yellow sari.

The fashion crowd were out in full force too. Zendaya’s longtime stylist Law Roach arrived in a mauve velvet jacket, purple tunic and a pair of Schiaparelli gold toed shoes, while designer and New York Fashion Week staple Prabal Gurung wore a rose-colored sherwani and aviator sunglasses.

Kim and Khloé Kardashian, who skipped the red carpet entirely, were seen on social media dressed in gold and red saris respectively. Kim’s ensemble featured an off-the-shoulder tasseled bodice, whereas Khloé opted for long, ornate sleeves, stacked necklaces and an opulent maang tikka. In an Instagram story, Kim teased that their film crew was in tow for an episode of their show “The Kardashians.”

Once inside the venue, which was transformed into a miniature version of the holy Indian city of Varanasi, celebrities including Chopra and Cena were seen dancing and letting loose. Footage widely shared on social media also showed members of the Ambani family dancing on stage with Indian singer, Daler Mehndi. The night’s other performers included Afrobeats star Rema, who performed his hit song “Calm Down.”

As for the couple itself, the groom first arrived on the red carpet in a golden sherwani paired with sneakers, which he later changed for the ceremony. The bride dazzled in hand-embroidered bridal couture by the Indian label Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla. Merchant followed the Gujarati tradition of wearing red and white in an opulent red-trimmed ivory ensemble. It featured a 16-foot-long veil adorned with stones and sequins and a long ghagra, or traditional skirt, with a nearly seven-foot-long detachable train, according to her stylist Rhea Kapoor, who shared a first look on Instagram.

Ahead of her “vidai,” the ceremony in which Indian brides symbolically bid farewell to their relatives before joining their groom’s family, Merchant changed into an opulent red and gold outfit featuring a woven blouse, lehenga, veil and embroidered head covering.

In a video posted to social media on Friday morning, Anant’s mother Nita Ambani recounted a recent trip to Varanasi, in India’s Uttar Pradesh state, where she sought blessings for the pair. She said she hoped to “reimagine and present the purity, positivity and beauty of Varanasi at the wedding,” adding that the event would “pay a tribute to India’s glorious culture and heritage, brought to life by thousands of artisans… weavers and craftspeople.”

It was also revealed that the gown Nita Ambani wore on the event red carpet took more than 40 days to create. The custom peach silk ghagra was designed by couture house Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla and artisans Vijay Kumar and Monika Maurya.

A lavish affair

The Ambani family has remained tight-lipped about proceedings in the build-up to Friday’s wedding, though rumors about the guest list and the identity of star performers have swirled in recent weeks. Local press and Indian social media users have also pored over speculation over everything from the dinner menu to the items of jewelry that might be on display from the family’s sizable collection.

One of India’s best-known fashion designers, Manish Malhotra, served as the event’s creative director. The celebrated couturier produced bespoke outfits for various members of the Ambani family throughout the month-long wedding celebrations.

“Each detail, from the decor and cuisine to the attire and ambiance; each event … is designed to immerse guests in an atmosphere of joy, love and celebration,” he told CNN via e-mail ahead of the wedding.

In the days leading up to Friday’s ceremony, the couple took part in several traditional pre-wedding rituals. Justin Bieber performed at the pair’s “sangeet,” a night of music and dance, last Friday. The couple then attended a private “haldi” ceremony, which traditionally sees friends and family bless the bride and groom by applying a turmeric paste to their heads, faces or bodies.

As per Hindu tradition, the wedding dates were reportedly chosen according to auspicious days on the bride and groom’s birth charts.

A Brown University graduate, 29-year-old Anant Ambani is Mukesh’s youngest child and serves as director at an energy business operated by Reliance. His bride Radhika Merchant, also 29, is the daughter of Viren and Shaila Merchant, the founders of pharmaceutical company Encore Healthcare.

It is not known precisely how much money the Ambani family has spent on the pair’s wedding celebrations. Industry estimates have placed the total firmly in the hundreds of millions of dollars, with musical performers reported to be receiving seven- or even eight-figure sums.

On the streets of Mumbai, residents spoken to by Reuters had mixed feelings about the extravagant event — and the wealth on display. “It’s their wealth but it is beyond ridiculous what they are doing,” said preschool teacher Devanshi Zaveri, adding: “There’s no need to show off that much.”

Banker Jenica Kothari meanwhile welcomed the boost to local businesses: “It’s helping the economy, it’s helping everyone… So, I think if they have the money, they should spend it.” Local hotel rates reportedly soared as the thousands of guests prepared to jet to Mumbai, a financial hub that serves as India’s commercial capital.

Months of celebrations

Festivities are set to continue through the weekend at the Ambani family’s soaring 27-story Mumbai residence, Antilia. Saturday is expected to see a “Shubh Ashirwad,” or divine blessings ceremony, while a Sunday reception (with an “Indian chic” dress code) will give guests a final chance to celebrate with the couple.

The weekend schedule concludes seven months of build-up to what has been described as India’s wedding of year. Celebrations kicked off with a celebrity-filled engagement party in January. Two months later, the Ambanis hosted a communal dinner for more than 50,000 villagers and a 1,200-guest pre-wedding bash — attended by the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and Ivanka Trump — featuring a rare live performance by Rihanna.

In May, the family then chartered a cruise ship to take guests on a four-day trip around the Mediterranean. The schedule included multiple stops through Europe and on-deck concerts from the Backstreet Boys and Pitbull, among others.

Anant’s older sister, Isha, also held a lavish wedding in 2018. Her marriage to businessman Anand Piramal was watched by celebrities, politicians and business tycoons, while her pre-wedding bash featured an intimate private concert by Beyoncé.

CNN’s Rhea Mogul, Esha Mitra, Gladys Tsai, Wayne Chang and Will Ripley contributed to this story.

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