Despite four months of wedding celebrations from March to July, Anant Ambani and his wife Radhika Merchant still have parties planned in the UK.
The couple will supposedly host A-list stars such as former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Prince Harry at Stoke Park, a luxurious seven-star hotel and country club in Berkshire with a Grade I-listed Mansion House and a 27-hole championship golf course.
© Maureen McLean/ShutterstockAnant's billionaire father Mukesh Ambani, who is chairman and managing director of Reliant Industries, purchased the 300-acre pad in 2021 for £57 million ($73 million) and has set out plans to completely overhaul the space. While this may make a wonderful backdrop for a wedding celebration, locals have expressed their concerns that their plans only have his family's personal use in mind.
© InstagramUsing a fraction of his estimated net worth of $116 billion (£89 billion), Mukesh plans to fix the leaking roof and cracks in the walls, stating on the website that "it is suffering from neglect and lack of investment."
It added: "It will require substantial funding to restore the lost fabric whilst upgrading the Mansion for modern requirements."
Meanwhile, the golf course reportedly "does not match the spectacular setting and is not within the World’s top 200 Golf Courses."
They are considering "reopening the east gate and using the area currently used as the green keepers compound to house the new state-of-the-art clubhouse. This area was recently granted planning consent to provide 4 luxury villas."
Hotel controversy
© GettyThe Ambanis have reportedly booked out the commercial property until September for their own use, raising concerns that it is being used as a private residence.
According to the Financial Times, Mukesh has clashed with the local council over the hotel's abrupt closure to the public.
This has been a concern since 2022 when another family wedding celebration saw the property close its doors. Stoke Park’s law firm, Withers, wrote a letter to the council insisting that Reliance Industries representatives and their families had occupied Stoke Park from "time to time", which was "consistent with the permitted hotel use." It stated: "There has been no private residential occupation."
High society wedding
© Vijay Bate/Hindustan Times/ShutterstockAnant and Radhika's wedding, which was estimated to cost $600 million, hit the headlines on several occasions, starting with their three-day pre-wedding party in March 2024. This included a glasshouse dinner and Moulin Rouge-themed do at their palatial home and a performance by Rihanna.
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.
They then invited 800 guests on a four-day European cruise with performances from The Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry, and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli along the way.
© InstagramThe couple had a traditional Hindu ceremony on 12 July followed by a 'shubh ashirwad' ceremony, and a 'mangal utsav' reception in Mumbai which was attended by 14,000 people.
High-profile guests such as Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Priyanka Chopra, Nick Jonas and Kim Kardashian were among the guest list.
The bride stepped out in several striking outfits, including a hand-embroidered bridal lehenga by Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla in traditional red and white colours, and a Dolce & Gabbana corset bodice covered in shimmering embellishments alongside a satin embroidered skirt.
We can only imagine any further celebrations in the UK would follow the same extravagance.
