The youngest son of Mukesh Ambani, Asia’s richest man, married his longtime girlfriend in a grand ceremony dubbed by many as the wedding of the year. Attended by global celebrities, business tycoons, and politicians, the event showcased the billionaire’s immense wealth and growing influence.
The celebrations of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant took place at the Ambani-owned Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai, as well as the family home. The marriage marked the culmination of months of extravagant wedding events, featuring performances by pop stars such as Rihanna and Justin Bieber.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended a reception organised by the Ambanis, where they hosted a “blessing ceremony” for friends and family to meet the newlyweds and extend their good wishes. Anant and Radhika's wedding cost approximately Rs 5000 crore (£500 million).
The groom, 29-year-old Anant,oversees his family's conglomerate's renewable and green energy expansion. Additionally, he manages a 3,000-acre (about 1,200-hectare) animal rescue centre in Jamnagar, Gujarat, the family's hometown. The bride, Radhika Merchant, also 29, is the daughter of pharmaceutical tycoon Viren Merchant and serves as the marketing director for his company, Encore Healthcare.
From the beginning, the Ambani family's pre-wedding celebrations have been lavish and star-studded. In March, the Ambanis hosted a lavish pre-wedding bash for Anant, attended by 1,200 guests including former world leaders, tech tycoons, and Bollywood stars. Performances by Rihanna, Akon, and Diljit Dosanjh kicked off months of extravagant celebrations that dominated headlines and social media.
In May, the Ambani family organised a three-day cruise from Italy to France with performances by the Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry singing "Firework," and Pitbull. The festivities included a mass wedding for over 50 underprivileged couples on July 2, followed by a star-studded pre-wedding concert featuring Justin Bieber and Bollywood icons Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh, and Salman Khan.
Renowned for blending tradition with contemporary elegance, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, the maestro of Indian bridal fashion, was noticeably absent from the affair. His non-appearance is tied to strategic business decisions and investments within India's fashion industry, including a significant 51% stake held by the Aditya Birla Group, a corporate powerhouse with interests spanning fashion and textiles.
Reliance Brands Limited (RBL), a subsidiary of Reliance Industries, acquired a substantial 40% stake in MM Styles Private Ltd, led by designer Manish Malhotra. Additionally, Reliance secured a majority 52% stake in the esteemed designer label Ritu Kumar. In 2022, the Ambanis also acquired a 51% stake in the Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla label.
Shubh Vivaah ceremony
The four-day wedding celebrations commenced with a traditional Hindu ceremony, to be followed by an extended weekend of festivities. Once inside the venue, transformed into a miniature version of the holy Indian city of Varanasi. Social media footage widely shared captured members of the Ambani family joining Indian singer Daler Mehndi on stage for a dance. The evening's entertainment lineup also featured Afrobeats star Rema, who performed his popular track "Calm Down."
As for the couple themselves, the groom initially arrived on the red carpet in a golden sherwani paired with sneakers, later changing into more traditional attire for the ceremony. The bride looked resplendent in hand-embroidered bridal couture by the renowned Indian label Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla. Following Gujarati traditions, Merchant wore an opulent red-trimmed ivory ensemble, complete with a 16-foot-long veil embellished with stones and sequins. Her ensemble also featured a long ghagra, or traditional skirt, with a nearly seven-foot-long detachable train.
Anant, on the other hand, donned a red sherwani embellished with intricate gold work, complemented by emerald and diamond buttons. His ensemble was accessorised with a regal necklace and a massive diamond brooch featuring a panther crouched on a large 720-carat emerald.
The following day, various dharma gurus gathered to bless the young Ambani couple as they embarked on married life, receiving wisdom and blessings from spiritual leaders of the Vedic tradition. Jagadguru Rambhadracharya, Swami Sadananda Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of Dwarka Peeth, and Jyotirmath Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand were among the prominent seers who attended the 'Shubh Aashirwad' ceremony, which was attended by dignitaries from entertainment, politics, sports, business, and the spiritual world.
International personalities graced the wedding events
The guest list boasts former British Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Boris Johnson, John Kerry, the former US special envoy for climate, Saudi Aramco CEO Amin H Nasser, along with prominent figures such as Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Mona Kattan, global president of Huda Beauty, with her husband Hassan Elamin, Singer and Actor Nick Jonas, WWE wrestler John Cena, Samsung chairman Jay Y Lee, FIFA President Giovanni Infantino, stylist Law Roach, Canadian singer and rapper AP Dhillon, Author and life coach Jay Shetty and his wife Radhi Devlukia, Imagination Technologies Chairperson Bert Nordberg and many others.
Political dignitaries present at wedding celebrations
In a grand display of unity and goodwill, the wedding ceremony of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant drew a host of political dignitaries from across India. The Prime Minister was warmly welcomed into the venue, where celebrities, cricketers, business tycoons, and politicians had already gathered to celebrate the occasion.
The event was attended by a wide array of high-profile dignitaries, including Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal and President of TMC, Lalu Prasad Yadav, former Chief Minister of Bihar and President of RJD, along with former Chief Ministers Akhilesh Yadav of Uttar Pradesh, Sharad Pawar of NCP-SP, Digvijaya Singh and Kamal Nath of Madhya Pradesh, prominent Congress leaders Salman Khurshid and Kapil Sibal, and others like Abhishek M Singhvi, Sachin Pilot, Supriya Sule of NCP-SP, and DK Shivakumar of Karnataka Congress. The guest list showcased a diverse representation from across the political spectrum at this grand event.
From actors to cricketers attended the wedding festivities
Bollywood icons like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Ranbir Kapoor graced the wedding with their presence, delighting guests with their dance performances to popular Hindi movie songs. Other actors such as Disha Patani, Suhana Khan, Janhvi Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Rashi Khanna, Genelia D’Souza and Riteish Deshmukh, Alia Bhatt, Athiya Shetty and her partner who is a cricketer KL Rahul, Govinda were among the invitees.
South Indian personalities including Rajinikanth, Suriya, Jyotika, Ram Charan, Yash, Mahesh Babu, Rana Daggubati, Venkatesh Daggubati, Prithviraj, Atlee, and Nayanthara were also in attendance. Indian cricket legends such as Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and Suryakumar Yadav added to the star-studded guest list.
Lavish wedding culminates in grand reception
A wedding reception concluded the months-long celebrations for Anant Ambani the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani. Held at Mumbai’s Jio World Drive, a convention centre owned by the Ambani family, the event marked the "Mangal Utsav" (Festival of Bliss), widely regarded as the wedding of the year. Anant Ambani reportedly gifted his groomsmen exclusive luxury watches valued at ₹2 crore ( £138,000) each.
The newlyweds were warmly greeted by friends and relatives, alongside world leaders and celebrities who graced both the wedding and reception. Even influencers attended the wedding reception. Popular content creators such as Dolly Singh, Kusha Kapila, Ankush Bahuguna, Apoorva, Komal Pandey, Siddharth Batra, Ritvi Shah, Juhi Godambe Jain, Parul Gulati, Ahsaas Channa, Ranveer Allahbadia, Tanmay Bhatt and more.
Oscar-winning music composer AR Rahman and National Award-winning singer Shreya Ghoshal reunited on stage, performing several of their hit songs at the Mangal Utsav wedding reception.
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Dr Vinay Raniga joins Anant-Radhika wedding celebrations
Dr Vinay Rangia who is a NHS dental surgeon and was a prospective parliamentary candidate for Oxford West & Abingdon from Conservative party. Speaking to Asian Voice, Vinay said, “It was a pleasure to attend the wedding functions of Anant & Radhika Ambani last weekend. There is no doubt that it was a spectacular celebration, the likes of which the world has never seen. However, what impressed me the most was how the Ambani family welcomed each and every guest with love, gratitude and humility regardless of who they were. That’s a testament to their character, and how they were able to imbibe India’s culture of atithi devo bhava perfectly. I wish Anant & Radhika many years of happiness.”
