Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant tied the knot in Mumbai on Friday at an over-the-top celebration that pulled out all the stops, and more than a few A-list guests from around the world.
Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant:
The much-awaited wedding of Anant Ambani, son of India’s wealthiest man, finally culminated before thousands of guests after seven months of superlative pre-wedding festivities.
Kim and Khloé Kardashian, Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra attended the event in Mumbai, as did former British prime ministers Tony Blair and Boris Johnson. The wedding also drew a string of Indian celebrities from Bollywood giants Rajinikanth and Sanjay Dutt to former president Ram Nath Kovind, the chief ministers of various states and a bevy of members of the country’s adored cricket team.
No expense was spared by the Ambanis, the family behind India’s largest private corporation, Reliance Industries. That’s because Anant’s grandfather founded the conglomerate; now, it’s run by his dad, Mukesh, whose net worth is over $122 billion, according to Forbes.
In a rain-sodden Mumbai, police had shut down roads around the Ambani-owned, 16,000-capacity Jio World Convention Center, ahead of a red carpet-style arrival event. Attendees mirrored the affluence, streaming past photographers in custom sarees, lehengas, and kurtas designed for the event—the leading look that is set to prompt the trends in Indian wedding shopping this season.
Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra: At Ambani Wedding:
Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra on the red carpet at the wedding of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant in Mumbai, India.
Mr. John Cena entered the red carpet: John Cena embroidered in blue sherwani
In addition to the B-town brigade, there were more international guests who adhered to the traditional dress code that evening. A diverse group of people, Mr. John Cena entered the red carpet in an embroidered sky blue sherwani, teamed with white pants. Jonas followed by adding the right touch of bling with a baby pink version made in a bouclé-style woven fabric, embedded with sequins, and matching satin trousers. He arrived with his wife and actor, Priyanka Chopra, who looked resplendent in an intricately embellished sunshine yellow sari.
Stylist Law Roach: Stylist Law Roach styled up his traditional Indian ensemble with a pair of Schiaparelli shoes.
The fashion crowd were out in full force too. Her loyal stylist Law Roach had a mauve velvet jacket on, purple tunic, and a pair of Schiaparelli gold-toed shoes. Across the way there was designer extraordinaire and New York Fashion Week front row staple Prabal Gurung in a rose colored sherwani with aviator sunglasses.
Kim and Khloé Kardashian, who skipped the red carpet altogether, showed up on social media in gold and red saris, respectively. Kim’s was an off-the-shoulder tasseled bodice and Khloé’s had long ornate sleeves, stacked necklaces, and an opulent maang tikka. In an Instagram story, Kim intended to hint that the film crew was in tow for a shoot for an episode of the show “The Kardashians.”
Actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was glittering with jewels on her nuptials:
Inside the venue, which had been transformed into a replica setting of the holiest Indian city of Varanasi, the likes of Chopra and Cena were seen celebrating. Videos posted on social media also captured the moment at which members of the Ambani family stormed the stage, eventually rocking it out in unison with Indian singer, Daler Mehndi. Other acts of the night were Afro beats sensation Rema, who sang his viral song, “Calm Down”.
For the bride-groom duo, the groom first appeared on the red carpet in a golden sherwani paired with sneakers, which he then replaced with another pair for the ceremony. With the bride shining in hand-embroidered bridal couture by Indian label Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla, their groom followed the Gujarati tradition of wearing red and white in an opulent, red-trimmed ivory ensemble. “It had a 16-foot-long veil with stones and sequins and a long ghagra, or traditional skirt, having a detachable train nearly seven feet long,” her stylist Rhea Kapoor shared on Instagram.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and wife Cherie Blair hit up the red carpet in traditional Indian dress:
An Extravagant Event
The Ambani family has not publicized much about the proceedings in the run-up to Friday’s wedding, although guests and star performers had been in the thick of speculation for weeks. Local press and Indian social media users have also pored over speculation on everything from the dinner menu to items of jewelry that might be on display from the family’s sizable collection.
The creative director for the event was none other than one of India’s most celebrated fashion designers, Manish Malhotra. The noted couturier crafted for the subsequent Ambani family, custom creations that were part of the nuptials that spanned over a month.
