They have been celebrating for four months, and today the most expensive wedding in history is taking place in India. And numerous celebrities are celebrating with them.
Anant Ambani (29), the son of the richest man in Asia, is marrying his long-time girlfriend Radhika Merchant (29) this Friday. This means that the wedding celebrations are entering their glamorous and expensive finale, the dimensions of which have already reached unprecedented proportions. The bride and groom are said to have spent over 600 million US dollars to keep themselves and their wedding guests happy since March. 1,200 guests will not miss the most expensive vows in history. And countless celebrities from business, politics and society have confirmed their attendance.
Groom’s father worth over 100 billion
Menu or buffet? Solo entertainer or music from a tape? Such mundane questions from other prospective brides played no role for groom Anant Ambani and his future wife. After all, Anant is the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani (67), the chairman of the Indian multinational Reliance Industries. Ambani senior is said to have a fortune of 113 billion US dollars. Anant’s future wife does not have to worry about the rupee either: Radhika Merchant is the daughter of the pharmaceutical magnate Viren Merchant (58) and, like Anant, works in her father’s company.
Beckham, Clinton – and the second richest man in Asia
The guest list for today’s celebration in the company’s own “Jio World Centre” in Mumbai is long and high-profile. Political greats such as former Prime Ministers Boris Johnson (60) and Tony Blair (71) and former First Lady Hillary Clinton (76) have announced their attendance. FIFA President Gianni Infantino (54) and the society sisters Kim (43) and Khloé Kardashian (40) are celebrating, as are sports legends Miky Tyson (58) and David Beckham (49) and singer Adele (36). The dress code for today’s wedding is “Indian traditional.” The physical well-being of the 1,200 guests is well taken care of: the Ambanis are having 2,500 different dishes served over the weekend. They were also generous towards a competitor: Asia’s second richest man, Gautam Adani (62), also received an invitation, along with gifts worth 6,500 euros.
Celebration trilogy since March
The celebration weekend starts with today’s wedding ceremony of the “Shubh Vivaah”. This continues into the celebration of the divine blessing on Saturday, before the wedding reception on Sunday. The wedding weekend, however, only represents a fraction of the entire wedding marathon. Back in March, the bride and groom invited Mark Zuckerberg (40), Bill Gates (68), Ivanka Trump (42) and leading politicians from all over the world to father Mukesh Ambani’s western Indian hometown of Jamnagar. The Ambanis had a glass palace specially built for the event, in which world star Rihanna (36) subsequently performed.
Cruise trouble and Justin Bieber
The Ambanis celebrated pre-party number two with a four-day sea voyage with 800 guests on a cruise ship between Italy and France. The Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry (39) and Andrea Bocelli (65) provided the varied and loud on-board program – much to the annoyance of other tourists in the bay of Portofino. Part three of the party trilogy began last weekend. The bride and groom’s family and friends got in the mood for the wedding with the traditional Sangeet ceremony. Justin Bieber (30) flew in for a private gig for a reported 10 million US dollars. There he sang his hit “Love Yourself,” among other songs.
Now the lavish climax of what is probably the most lavish and expensive wedding in history has begun. Numerous private jets are available for the 1,200 guests to arrive and depart. Top Indian designer Manish Malhotra (57) is responsible for the look of the entire event as the wedding designer. The celebration locations are designed in such a way “that the guests are immersed in an atmosphere of joy, love and celebration.” We hope that the bride and groom will find some time for themselves amidst all the hustle and bustle and that their mutual love will be the focus.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
