Wedding of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant
 | This article contains content that is written like an advertisement. (July 2024) |
| Date | 12 July 2024 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Antilia Jio Convention Center |
| Location | Mumbai, India |
| Participants | Anant
Ambani Radhika Merchant |
The wedding of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant was a 3-day event that took place from 12 July 2024 until the 14th of July 2024 in the city of Mumbai, India at the Antilia building and Jio Convention Center.[1][2] The groom was the son of Indian businessman Mukesh Ambani, the richest man in Asia, and Nita Ambani. Mukesh Ambani is the chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries, while the bride is the daughter of Viren Merchant, the CEO of a healthcare company.[1][3]
The wedding was described as India's "wedding of the year"[1][4] and "India’s own royal wedding".[5] The New York Times described it as introducing "the world to [India]'s Gilded Age".[6] Estimates for the wedding's cost range from $300 million[7] to $600 million,[8] leading to criticism regarding wealth inequality in India.[9]
Background
[edit]Anant Ambani is the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani, who has an estimated net worth of $123.3 billion, making him the richest man in Asia and ninth in the world.[1][7] Mukesh Ambani is the head of Reliance Industries and Anant is in charge of Reliance's energy business and is the director of other boards of Reliance subsidaries.[3][7] He also runs Vantara, an animal rescue center in Jamnagar.[1] He graduated with a bachelor's in business management from Brown University in 2017.[7]
Radhika Merchant is the daughter of Viren Merchant, who is the CEO of Encore Healthcare and has been described as a pharmaceutical tycoon.[1] Radhika has served as the marketing director for her father's company after graduating from New York University.[1][3]
The two said they met in 2017 during a drive after being introduced by mutual friends.[1][3] On 29 December 2023, Ambani proposed at the Shrinathji Temple in Rajasthan.[3][10]
Pre-wedding festivities
[edit]The first pre-wedding celebration was held in Jamnagar, with around 1,200 invited guests at the beginning of March 2024.[11] A number of entertainers performed, such as Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone, as well as Rihanna, who gave her first full-length concert in eight years.[11] Guests were told to wear jungle fever outfits when visiting Vantara, the animal rescue shelter run by Anant Ambani.[12] The second celebration was a four-day cruise through the Mediterranean in late May 2024.[11] Guests saw surprise performances from the Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry, and Pitbull.[11]
Leading up to the ceremony on 2 July 2024, the Ambani family organized a mass wedding ceremony for more then 50 underprivileged couples,[13] and the week after held a pre-wedding concert with performances by Justin Bieber, and Bollywood stars Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh, and Salman Khan.[14] The sangeet ceremony for the couple, where the bride and groom, and their families performed choreographed dances on July 5, with several poojas and a mehendi ceremony following. On July 11, the bride and groom celebrated their haldi, where the couple are covered in turmeric paste as a blessing.[15]
Bride's attire
[edit]Lehenga
[edit]
The wedding dress was designed by the fashion house "Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla" owned by fashion and costume designers Sandeep Khosla and Abu Jani (who had won the National Film Award for Best Costume Design for their work in Devdas (2002 Hindi film)), Radhika's bridal lehenga featured zardozi cut-work with Gujarati cultural significance, a trailing ghagra with a second detachable trail, a 5-meter head veil, a blouse, and a tissue shoulder dupatta.[16] The ghagra, adorned with three borders of red, showcased the finest amalgamation of naqshi, saadi, and zardozi, with intricate floral booties decorated with stones, sequins, tamba tikkis, and red resham.[17] The head veil (dupatta) featured delicate jaali and cut-work, while the detachable trail boasted an 80-inch zardozi marvel. The fully embroidered red shoulder dupatta added maximal drama to the silhouette.[18][19]
Her lehenga also featured a personalised "AR" brooch which represents the initials of her name and her husband Anant's name.[20]
Jewelry
[edit]The jewelry pieces worn by Merchant on her wedding day included a central emerald and diamond necklace that was designed by Nisha Mehta of the Nisha M company based in Mumbai. The necklace was reportedly a five strand of diamonds with a large pendant of Zambian emerald and diamond suspended from it. She was also wearing heirloom family jewels gifted to her by her mother Shaila.[21]
Critical appraisal
[edit]India Today described the lehenga as "fairytale to life".[22] Another newspaper company described the lehenga as "Radhika's bridal ensemble was a vision of elegance and tradition, featuring a beautifully embroidered lehenga that showcased the designers' signature craftsmanship."[23][24]
Pinkvilla stated that the "Bride looks like a royal queen in her FIRST LOOK".[25]
Wedding
[edit]The reported $600 million,[26] four day wedding rituals began on 12 July 2024 with a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony followed by a reception that was planned to run through the weekend.[14] The wedding festivities were be split between Antilia, the home of the Ambanis, and the Jio World Convention Centre (Jio is a subsidiary of Reliance).[9]
The venue was decorated with floral designs and sculptures created by florist Preston Bailey who was hired in April 2024. Among the designs by Bailey were 60 floral animal sculptures including tigers, elephants, monkeys and replicas of the couples two dogs. Each sculpture, reportedly required between 100,000 to 200,000 flowers, which were majorly sourced from India. [27]
The guest list is estimated in the "few thousands" with Mumbai Police preemptively rerouted traffic around the Mumbai venue.[9] The guest list, although not confirmed by the Ambani family, included Bollywood celebrities Amitabh Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor, and Indian cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Jasprit Bumrah, and Suryakumar Yadav. Along with former British Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Boris Johnson, Saudi Aramco CEO Amin H Nasser, US politician John Kerry, and celebrities like Adele, David Beckham, John Cena and the Kardashians.[14]
Response
[edit]Some Indian politicians criticised the amount of money spent on the wedding, with Shahid Siddiqui, a former member of the upper house of Parliament, calling it the "most vulgar and ostentatious marriage ever seen" and Thomas Isaac, a former finance minister for Kerala and member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), stating that "...such ostentatious expenditure is a sin."[9]
Members of the Indian public were divided about the wedding. Some called the wedding an "awe-inspiring showcase" while others pointed to how it highlighted the uneven development, as its budget could possibly eclipse the yearly education budget of several small Indian states. Reportedly the most common reaction in the working class of Mumbai, was frustration on the system which has allowed the inequality of resources. One worker echoed a common strain of "Ambani earned his money, and it’s his right to spend it on his own children", but bemoaned how the city could find resources to assist in the wedding security, but not keep up infrastructure concerns like potholes or flooding.[28]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h "Asia's richest man Mukesh Ambani is set to throw a grand wedding for his son. Here's what to know". AP News. 6 July 2024. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ "Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant: Bieber performs at India's mega wedding". BBC News. 8 July 2024. Archived from the original on 10 July 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Hasan, Sadiba (4 June 2024). "What We Know About the Ambani Wedding". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ Mogul, Rhea (3 July 2024). "The son of Asia's richest man is getting married in one of India's most anticipated — and lavish — weddings of the year". CNN. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (12 July 2024). "Ambani wedding: after months of celebrations, the 'Windsors of India' finally set to marry". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 25 July 2024. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
- ^ Das, Anupreeta (12 July 2024). "A Wedding Puts India's Gilded Age on Lavish Display". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 13 July 2024. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d Mudambi, Veer. "Brown University alum to have wedding of the year. It's estimated to cost $320 million". The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on 13 July 2024. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
- ^ Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (12 July 2024). "Ambani wedding: after months of celebrations, the 'Windsors of India' finally set to marry". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 25 July 2024. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d Aggarwal, Mithil; Chhetri, Aishwarya Thapa (12 July 2024). "'The crazy richest wedding ever': Son of Asia's richest man marries after months of lavish events". NBC News. Archived from the original on 13 July 2024. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
- ^ Dolan, Leah (11 July 2024). "A timeline of the 7-month-long Ambani mega-wedding". CNN. Archived from the original on 13 July 2024. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d Wickman, Kase (5 July 2024). "Everything to Know About the Ambani Wedding". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on 25 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ Mehta, Tanvi; Pandya, Dhwani; Shah, Aditi (1 March 2024). "Ambani son's pre-wedding bash to feature Rihanna, tycoons and Bollywood stars". Reuters. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ Indian billionaire organises mass wedding for over 50 underprivileged couples. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024 – via apnews.com.
- ^ a b c Maqbool, Rafiq; Kakade, Rajanish (12 July 2024). "The son of Asia's richest man is set to marry in the year's most extravagant wedding". AP News. Archived from the original on 24 July 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ "The Ambani Wedding, a timeless celebration of love, heritage and unity that will be remembered for years to come : A look at how this cultural opulence led to economic boost". The Times of India. 21 July 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 21 July 2024. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
- ^ "How Radhika Merchant's Panetar lehenga symbolises Gujarati connect". Indian Express. 13 July 2024. Archived from the original on 15 July 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ "'Dulhan' Radhika Merchant Wore A 'Panetar' Lehenga With A 5-Meter-Long Trail For Wedding Day". Bollywood Shaadis. 13 July 2024. Archived from the original on 13 July 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ "Radhika Merchant's wedding lehenga decoded: From designer to stylist, know all about her bridal look". Economic Times. 13 July 2024. Archived from the original on 13 July 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ "Inside the Ambani wedding: Radhika Merchant makes for a stunning bride". Lifestyle Asia. 13 July 2024. Archived from the original on 24 July 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ "Radhika Merchant wore a personalised 'AR brooch' on her 'Panetar' wedding lehenga and a stunning AR ring too!". Times Of India. 13 July 2024. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ "Everything We Know about the Bride's Emerald Jewelry at the Ambani Wedding". Town & Country. 13 July 2024. Archived from the original on 24 July 2024. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
- ^ "Radhika Merchant brings a fairytale to life in dreamy lehenga for wedding with Anant Ambani". India Today. 13 July 2024. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ "Radhika Merchant looks nothing short of a dream in her wedding attire". Deccan Herald. 13 July 2024. Archived from the original on 13 July 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ "First glimpse of Radhika Merchant's dreamy bridal look goes viral". DNA India. 13 July 2024. Archived from the original on 15 July 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ "Anant Ambani-Radhika Merchant Wedding: Bride looks like a royal queen in her FIRST LOOK; see pics". Pinkvilla. 13 July 2024. Archived from the original on 24 July 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ Burback, Emily (19 July 2024). "Exclusive: See New Photos of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's Opulent Wedding". Town & Country. Archived from the original on 21 July 2024. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
- ^ Kim, Leena (18 July 2024). "The Ambani Wedding's Floral Designer Tells All". Town & Country. Archived from the original on 20 July 2024. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
- ^ Shih, Gerry; Gupta, Anant (16 July 2024). "Across river from lavish Indian wedding, frustration and flooded streets". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 21 July 2024.