The weekend has finally arrived when the son of India's richest man, Mukesh Ambani, will marry Radhika Merchant in front of a slew of A-list stars at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai.
It is unsurprising that the son of a businessman worth $116 billion would have an extremely lavish wedding celebrated with five months of festivities costing an estimated $600 million culminating in the main event this weekend.
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Priyanka Chopra Jonas
© GettyCitadel star Priyanka Chopra Jonas, 41, was seen looking stunning in a pale orange lehenga choli ensemble which was covered in intricate beading to create a floral pattern. She arrived on Friday wearing a chic crochet set alongside her singer husband Nick Jonas.
Nick Jonas
© GettyJonas Brothers star Nick, 31, accompanied his wife, who is one of India's highest-paid actresses, in a blush pink look.
Khloe Kardashian
© InstagramKim's younger sister and Good American founder Khloe Kardashian, 40, was also in attendance rocking a beautiful silver and gold detailed look with layered jewels from Polki.
John Cena
© GettyWWE star and actor John Cena, 47, was spotted wearing a pale blue embellished look.
Nicky Hilton
© GettyParis Hilton's sister Nicky Hilton Rothschild, 40, was seen with her husband James Rothschild in a dazzling blush pink look with tumbling blonde curls.
Tony Blair
© GettyFormer British prime minister Tony Blair, 71, made an unlikely appearance alongside his wife Cherie who looked lovely in red.
Boris and Carrie Johnson
© InstagramTony Blair wasn't the only former PM to attend as Boris Johnson was seen with his wife, Carrie, and their three children.
Anant and Radhika's big day(s)
© GettyThe happy couple, who have been dubbed the 'Windsors of India', has entered the final phase of their wedding festivities. Anant and Radhika, both 29, celebrated their love with a three-day pre-wedding event in March that saw a performance by Rihanna which reportedly set the family back $6.3 million.
© GettyMarch's round of celebrations was held in the family's hometown of Jamnagar in Gujarat, where the Ambani oil refinery is situated. The party, which hosted 1,200 guests including Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, began with a dinner in a bespoke glasshouse before a Moulin Rouge-themed do at their palatial home.
© GettyThe bride and groom's fashion choices were a symbol of their wealth. The bride-to-be wore a number of bespoke looks, including two lehngas - one which was adorned with 20,000 Swarovski crystals and another that reportedly took 5,700 hours to create.
© Hindustan TimesMeanwhile, the groom wore looks by Dolce & Gabbana outfits, his wrist adorned with a Richard Mille wristwatch, worth an estimated $1.5 million.
© GettyThe family then took the celebrations overseas in June when they embarked on a luxury cruise along the azure coastline of the Tyrrhenian Sea in Italy along to the French Mediterranean.
The wedding party, which included a slew of Bollywood stars, stopped off at Rome, Portofino, Genoa, and Cannes, enjoying performances from The Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry, and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli along the way.
© GettyAccording to MailOnline, the wedding is set to cost a staggering $151 million, with the catering contract alone costing $25 million. The celebrations which have been months in the making features an array of dazzling outfits, fairytale decor, and an incredible A-list guest list.
The wedding has been compared to a royal wedding in terms of its opulence and sense of pageantry.
Who is the Ambani family?
© SuppliedAnant Ambani is the youngest son of Nita and Mukesh, the chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries. Mukesh is the richest person in Asia and the 11th richest in the world, hence the incredible magnitude of the wedding celebrations of Anant and Radhika.
The sprawling Ambani business empire ranges from oil and telecoms to chemicals, technology, fashion, and food. Anant's older sister Isha holds the record for the previous most expensive wedding, after her $100 million 2018 nuptials to Anand Piramal, meaning the siblings will have the top two most expensive weddings ever.
© SuppliedMeanwhile, the bride is the daughter of pharma tycoons Viren and Shaila Merchant.
Indian wedding traditions
© GettyWith over 30 distinct cultures within the South Asian region, each Indian wedding will look different. However, here are a few common customs that are typically incorporated into Indian nuptials…
- An astrology-approved date - The Hindu priest, known as a pandit, can consult astrology to determine the most favorable date and time for the ceremony to take place.
- A do spanning several days - The nuptials and reception take place after two days of more intimate events that tend only to be attended by close friends and family.
- Red - The colour is considered lucky and thus is often incorporated into the wedding decor, outfits, flowers - the list goes on.
- A sizeable guest list - A go big or go home approach is taken to the guest list and offending someone by not inviting them to the wedding is a big no-no.
- Outfit changes - Every different element of the day requires a new outfit, and this applies to the groom
- Accomplished dance moves - No dad dancing here. Often guests will celebrate the newlyweds with Bollywood-style dances before the couple themselves put on a performance
- A large party - Everyone invited to the wedding is usually invited to the reception so the evening do is a big one
- No first kiss - Many deem PDA in front of elders inappropriate so there’s almost never a, 'You may now kiss the bride' element to the nuptials, Brides reported.
- The groom's grand entrance and the bride's reveal - The groom gets his own procession, otherwise known as baraat, while the bride prepares for her grand reveal, or the kanya aagaman, after her bridesmaids, flower girl, and ring bearer.
- The couple takes seven steps - in the saptapadi, the bride and groom take these steps to represent the first seven steps you take together as husband and wife.
