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MUMBAI. — The world’s most expensive wedding, estimated to have cost more than US$150 million, has now come and gone but it’s very likely we will be talking about it for a long time.
Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s wedding took place in Mumbai and it seemed as if the whole world was watching.
Thousands gathered in the streets of Mumbai to watch the son of India’s wealthiest man travel from the family home of Antilla to the Jio World Convention Centre for his baraat.
Millions more scrolled through on social media as Kim and Khloe Kardashian posted themselves in traditional Indian clothing with a camera crew in tow. News outlets from the New York Times to the BBC sent reporters to cover the affair, and tabloids churned out articles upon articles on the family’s every move.
The fervour was understandable.
Mukesh Ambani, the chairman of Reliance Industries, and Nita Ambani, his wife, hosted a hastakshar for their son and his fiancée in March where Rihanna performed.
In the late spring, they held grand parties for their son and his fiancée in both London and on a cruise ship that sailed the Mediterranean.
One had to wonder: If the pre-wedding events were this grand, what would the actual wedding be like?
Vogue was granted the world exclusive inside the event. Radhika says that their wedding weekend was chosen with the utmost intent.
“The dates were strategically chosen from the 12th, 13th, and 14th of July upon the advice of our family pujari, who identified synchronic moments for our celebrations based on auspicious astrological alignments in both my charts as well as Anant’s,” she said.
“It was a meticulous process.”
The planning was overseen by Nita Ambani alongside her daughter Isha Ambani and daughter-in-law Shloka Ambani.
“My mother-in-law was the C.E.O. of the wedding, as I like to say,” says Radhika. “It was Nita’s commitment and vision that brought our entire celebration to life.”
The family had several teams of event planners, as well as their in-house staff, working around the clock to orchestrate the multi-week affair. Their nuptials kicked off on July 5 with a sangeet—or, a pre-wedding event where both the bride, groom, and their families do choreographed dances on stages to symbolise their upcoming union.
Pinned on his chest was a cheetah brooch, a nod to his 3,000-acre animal rescue sanctuary Vantara in Gujarat.
Isha, meanwhile, wore a custom Schiaparelli saree: a first for the French haute couture house.
As the party grew late—and Justin Bieber took the stage for a private concert—Radhika changed into a metal mesh saree by Manish Malhotra.
“It featured a corset that added a modern twist,” Radhika explains. “Although it was quite heavy, it was worth every moment.”
Then, on July 11, they held their haldi—an auspicious tradition when a soon-to-be-married couple is covered in turmeric paste for prosperity. Then, at the weekend, it was time for the wedding.
The Hindu ceremony began with the traditional jaimala, where Anant and Radhika exchanged garlands symbolising acceptance of one another.
That was followed by the kanyadaan, or, the official moment where Radhika’s parents gave Anant their blessing to marry their daughter.
Then came the phera: or, the actual wedding ceremony where the bride and groom take circumambulations around a ritual fire. — Vogue.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter