(Image source from: Instagram.com/radhikamerchant_)
Anant Ambani, the younger son of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani and his wife Nita Ambani, recently exchanged vows with Radhika Merchant, the daughter of Encore Healthcare Viren Merchant, in a highly anticipated ceremony. This high-profile wedding, which took place in Mumbai, marked the culmination of an extensive series of pre-wedding celebrations. The journey began with a roka ceremony 2022 at the Shrinathji Temple in Nathdwara, followed by a grand engagement party hosted by the Ambanis at their luxurious residence, Antilia, in early 2023. This was preceded by a mehendi function in January 2023, held at a prestigious Mumbai hotel. In February 2024, the pre-wedding festivities reached a climax with a Lagan Lakhvanu ceremony. Shortly after, the Ambani family hosted a three-day extravaganza at their expansive Jamnagar estate, which was grd by a distinguished guest list, including luminaries such as Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, a constellation of Bollywood, athletes, business leaders, and diplomats. During these Jamnagar festivities, the guests were treated exclusive concerts by renowned artists Rihanna and Dilj Dosanjh, adding to the grandeur and celebration of this momentous occasion.
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The Ambani family organized an extraordinary cruise vacation for hundreds of guests in late May. Many renowned Bollywood celebrities, such as Rukh Khan, Ranveer Singh, and Ananya Panday, graced the Mediterranean journey. The guests had the privilege of witnessing private concerts by renowned artists like Shakira, Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry, and David Guetta. The week leading up to the grand event on July 12 was equally eventful, filled with a variety of traditional ceremonies, including a sangeet with a performance by Bieber, a mameru ceremony, a garba night, a haldi ceremony, a mehendi ceremony, a mass wedding for the underprivileged, a Shiv Shakti pooja, and a Graha Shanti pooja. The foreign media's coverage of the Ambani wedding was captivating, with The Washington Post describing it as a "spectacular" and "vulgar" star-studded event, where the extensive guest list overshadowed the couple themselves, with pop stars, politicians, tech tycoons, and Bollywood stars generating a social media frenzy with their attendance.
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The British tabloid "The Sun" has dubbed the recent Amb family wedding in India as the "world's most expensive wedding," citing a wealth of statistics. The report reveals that the family booked 100 private jets to transport international guests, decorated the venue with a staggering 20 million flowers, offered over 37,500 meal choices crafted by a team of 500 chefs, and spent a remarkable ₹6 to 7 lakh per invitation. However, the newspaper acknowledged that in a country where the richest 1 own more than 40% of the nation's total wealth, such lavish celebrations may have left many Indians feeling uneasy. Al Jazeera also highlighted the criticism surrounding the extravagant festivities, with a headline reading "Star-studded Ambani wedding highlights India's rich vs poor divide." The news portal further discussed the public backlash over the traffic restrictions implemented in Mumbai for the wedding. Additionally, The Guardian reported on the influx of guests who descended upon Mumbai to participate in the Ambani family's celebrations.
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