After months of elaborate pre-wedding festivities, India’s wealthiest family is reportedly spending over $100 million, potentially far more, on their son’s wedding, making it one of the most expensive weddings in modern history.
Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s four-day wedding is anticipated to feature stunning decorations, numerous celebrity performances, and guests from various spheres including politics, business, sports, and the arts.
Ambani is the youngest child of Mukesh Ambani, director of Reliance Industries and the 11th richest person globally according to Forbes. Merchant also hails from a prominent family, with her parents being multimillionaire pharmaceutical executives.
Though the Ambanis have not disclosed the exact cost of the wedding, estimates suggest expenses ranging from $150 million to over half a billion dollars, covering musicians, private jet charters, and a feast for underprivileged communities, as reported by the BBC and the India Times.
Given the presence of numerous international and Indian dignitaries, such as former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Mumbai police have classified the wedding as a public event, reported the BBC.
Roads near the event venues were closed to non-wedding guests, and the groom led a convoy of luxury vehicles to commence the weekend festivities.
Related Recipes
This weekend’s wedding is the culmination of several celebrations for Ambani and Merchant. In March, the Ambani family hosted over a thousand people at their estate in Jamnagar, India, with guests including Mark Zuckerberg, Hillary Clinton, and Ivanka Trump.
For this event, the Ambanis constructed a glass palace inspired by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Palm House and featured a performance by Rihanna, her first full-length concert in nearly a decade.
“I wanted to be fun, free, and young,” Merchant told Vogue about the all-night dancing that followed Rihanna’s performance. “An Indian wedding is incomplete without a lot of dancing.”
In late May, Ambani and Merchant celebrated with another pre-wedding event on the Mediterranean Sea, hosting 1,200 people for a four-day cruise starting in Palermo, Italy, with stops throughout the region. During a stop in Cannes, guests were surprised with a Katy Perry concert. After reboarding the ship, there was another performance by Pitbull.
A stop in Portofino featured acclaimed opera singer Andrea Bocelli.
Trending Now
Valorant: Riot Temporarily Removes Neon from PC Queues to Patch Fast Lane Exploit Ahead of Patch 12.09
Kathleen Miller Named Nevada’s 2026 Mother of Achievement as Living Grace Homes Expands to Help Pregnant Teens in Las Vegas
DC Lottery May 8 Draws: Mega Millions Numbers 37-47-49-51-58 (Mega Ball 16) and Daily DC Game Results
Olivia Munn reveals on-set clash over female agency that briefly halted production, underscoring gender tensions in Hollywood
“It was just the most magical evening,” Merchant told Vogue regarding Bocelli’s performance. “I had goosebumps.”
Continue Reading
