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THE Indian city of Mumbai will host what is likely to be the world’s most expensive wedding in history when Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant tie the knot in a three-day Hindu ceremony, which starts on Friday.
The two lovers, who are both 29, have captured the imagination of the world with their two ceremonies so far ahead of the final wedding ceremony this weekend.
Anant is the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani, the chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries, the richest person in Asia with an estimated net worth of US$123 billion.
Already millions have been spent on the two ceremonies, in which pop stars like Rihanna and Justin Bieber have performed while a Mediterranean cruise also cost a fortune.
The three-day cruise from Italy to France on the Celebrity Edge Cruise included performances by Katy Perry, Pitbull and David Guetta.
The invitation card costs about the average annual income in India.
The cost of the wedding is expected to eclipse the US$137 million which was spent when Emirati royal Bin Rashid married his first cousin, Princess Sheikha, in the United Arab Emirates.
The week-long extravaganza was accompanied by a five-day nationwide holiday and there were over 20 000 guests.
It is the most expensive wedding in history.
Six year ago, the Ambanis hosted India’s most expensive wedding to date when Isha Ambani married Anand Piramal in a ceremony which cost US$100 million.
Bieber was paid US$10 million to perform at last weekend’s ceremony and the amount is significantly higher than his usual fee which ranges from US$2.5 million to US$6 million for private events.
In March this year, Rihanna, 36, was paid US$6 million to perform at the couple’s pre-wedding bash attended by billionaires who included Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg.
India is no stranger to opulent weddings but the preparations and parties for this particular union have transfixed the country.
Jaw-dropping guest lists, which have included Silicon Valley billionaires and Bollywood stars, have underscored Mukesh Ambani’s growing influence in the global economy.
Asia’s richest family has also shown off its wealth with a display of jewels evoking the long-gone era of maharajahs and Mughal emperors.
The Ambanis have set a new benchmark for big, fat Indian weddings, which are bound to grow bigger and louder than ever before as the number of the ultra-rich swells in the world’s fastest growing major economy.
“The Ambani wedding parties have … had a multi-faceted impact on the wedding industry in India, influencing trends, boosting demand for wedding vendors, promoting cultural heritage and even driving economic growth,” Tim Chi, CEO of The Knot Worldwide, a wedding planning service, told CNN.
The Indian wedding industry has boomed since the country emerged from the pandemic.
Estimated at about US$130 billion, it’s now nearly twice the size of America’s, although still smaller than that of China’s, according to a report by Jefferies last month. – Agencies.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter