The son of Asia's richest man is getting married in one of India's most anticipated — and lavish — weddings of the year
Extravagant pre-wedding celebrations have already sent Indian media into a frenzy and social media feeds are abuzz over what’s to come.
Then, over a weekend in late May, the couple held a four-day Mediterranean cruise for friends and family, which made multiple stops through Europe, and included a bevy of Bollywood A-listers, with performances by Katy Perry, the Backstreet Boys and opera star Andrea Bocelli.
The Mumbai wedding is set to take place July 12 to 14 in the family’s residence called Antilia – as well as the family-owned Jio World Convention Centre, a sprawling venue with a capacity for more than 16,000 people.
Who are the bride and groom?
Ambani, 29, is the youngest son of Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani. His son is responsible for driving the expansion of the energy sector of the family’s conglomerate, Reliance Industries.
The youngest of three siblings, Ambani graduated from Brown University. His brother and sister are on the board of Reliance and manage other parts of the company. Ambani has been concerned about animal welfare since childhood.
Merchant, 29, is the daughter of a pharma tycoon and works for his company.
A graduate of New York University, she met Ambani through mutual friends during a drive in 2017.
Speaking of his wife to-be, Ambani said during a speech in Jamnagar: ‘I am 100% the lucky one. It feels like I met Radhika yesterday, but every day, I fall more and more in love.’
What can we expect at the wedding?
In keeping with Hindu tradition, the couple’s wedding dates were reportedly chosen according to auspicious days on their birth charts.
Hindu weddings typically include several events and take place over more than one day.
The festivities usually include a haldi ceremony, where guests apply turmeric paste on the bride and groom’s arms and face for good luck and protection from evil spirits. Then there’s the mehndi, a ritual where an artist paints intricate henna patterns on to the hands of the bride and guests. The night before the wedding is usually reserved for the sangeet, when the bride and groom’s wedding party dances for guests.
According to a leaked wedding invitation, festivities will kick off on July 12 with the ‘Shubh Vivaah’ or ‘auspicious wedding’ ceremony. The following day is the ‘Shubh Aashirwad’ or ‘divine blessing’ ceremony and festivities conclude on July 14 with the ‘Mangal Utsav’ or reception.
Manish Malhotra, one of the country’s most famous designers, has been appointed as the wedding’s creative director, collaborating with the couple and numerous vendors to execute the family’s vision.
Malhotra said his team has ‘dedicated several months of meticulous craftsmanship to create exquisite pieces.’
What can we expect from the wedding fashion?
The bride and groom are expected to wear statement-making attire showcasing Indian craft and textiles, homegrown talent as well as pieces imbued with symbolism.
The couple’s outfits worn in the pre-wedding events included striking pieces from top Indian designers.
For the July wedding, Malhotra said his team has created ‘striking ensembles that honor our rich cultural heritage while reflecting their personal style. Think of intricate embroidery and innovative silhouettes that capture both tradition and modernity.’
As for the guests, we can expect to see ’timeless sarees and lehengas paired with modern blouses, or traditional sherwanis with a contemporary twist.
‘The key is to celebrate Indian craftsmanship while embracing a sophisticated, stylish aesthetic that feels both timeless and fresh.’
What it takes to pull off a wedding on this scale
An event of this magnitude takes months to plan and likely involves hundreds of people working behind the scenes to make it happen.
‘Any kind of mega project like this usually requires about nine to 12 months of preparation work, and there is the involvement of nearly 40 to 45 big agencies or partners,’ a Mumbai-based wedding planner said in a phone call.
India’s wedding industry has dramatically evolved over the last decade, with Bollywood and celebrity culture inspiring couples to throw grander and even more expensive affairs.
But with the intense public fascination with this wedding, also comes some criticism. To some, the opulence of the event stands in stark contrast to the poverty affecting tens of millions in the country, and points to what critics say is an increasing wealth gap between the rich and poor.
The Ambanis, aware of their privilege, have carried out charitable acts before some of the celebrations. On Tuesday, they staged a mass wedding for 50 ‘underprivileged’ couples in the city, gifting them jewelry as well as household items and groceries for a year.
Now valued at around $130 billion, the wedding sector is country’s fourth largest industry, employing millions of people. In December, the Prime Minister announced a ‘wed in India’ campaign to keep the money spent on weddings inside the country.
‘Areas of specialization have also grown,’ the wedding planner said. ‘Take gift hampers for example. We used to source those and wrap them ourselves. Now there’s a separate agency that does the sourcing and a separate agency that does the packaging.’