Ambani wedding: Inside the lavish, star-studded wedding of Asia’s richest man’s son

Billionaire’s son’s lavish Mumbai wedding draws global leaders and celebrities

The youngest son of Asia’s richest man married his longtime girlfriend after seven months of extravagant pre-wedding celebrations. Celebrities like Kim and Khloé Kardashian, Nick Jonas, Priyanka Chopra, John Cena, along with politicians like Tony Blair, and Boris Johnson were all in attendance.

Anant Ambani, son of Mukesh Ambani, married Radhika Merchant in a traditional Hindu ceremony on Friday (12 July) in Mumbai, the capital of the western Indian state of Maharashtra. This was followed by a “shubh ashirwad” on Saturday — a ceremony held for the couple to receive blessings from guests and elders, culminating in a “mangal utsav”, the reception.

The guest list for the festivities was diverse, featuring Bollywood’s elite such as Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Rajinikanth, and Amitabh Bachchan with their families, alongside stars like Alia Bhatt and Ananya Pandey. Global celebrities including Kim and Khloé Kardashian, Zendaya’s stylist Law Roach, designer Prabal Gurung, and former world leaders Tony Blair and Boris Johnson were also in attendance.

Several Indian politicians and chief ministers, including Mamata Banerjee, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, Aaditya Thackeray, Uddhav Thackeray, Akhilesh Yadav, Devendra Fadnavis, and former president Ram Nath Kovind, were also in attendance.

Anant Ambani, 29, is the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani, the chairman of the Fortune 500 company Reliance Industries, who has an estimated net worth of $113bn (£89.53bn), according to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index.

Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan (C) with his wife Gauri Khan (L) and daughter Suhana Khan (R) pose for photographs prior to attending the blessing ceremony of Anant Ambani (EPA)

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani, third left, stands with his family members from left to right, son Akash, son Anant, wife Nita, daughter Isha and daughter-in-law Shloka at the wedding of his son Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant (AP)

Priyanka Chopra (L) and her husband US singer Nick Jonas pose for photographs (EPA)

John Cena poses for pictures on the red carpet on the day of the wedding of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant (REUTERS)

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife Cherie Blair pose for pictures on the red carpet on the day of the wedding of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant in Mumbai (REUTERS)

Reliance Industries has interests in petroleum refining and marketing, chemicals, organised retail, telecommunications, and digital streaming services.

Radhika Merchant, 29, is the daughter of pharmaceutical tycoon Viren Merchant and serves on the board of her father’s company, Encore Healthcare.

Videos shared widely on social media show the Ambani family dancing with Indian singer Daler Mehendi, while Afrobeats star Rema dazzled the guests with his hit song “Calm Down”.

The guests also enjoyed the baraat, a lively wedding procession for the groom featuring live music and dancing. Videos of Priyanka Chopra and Ranveer Singh dancing to popular Bollywood songs quickly went viral on social media.

The groom wore a red and gold sherwani designed by celebrated fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee, while the bride donned a hand-embroidered bridal lehenga by Indian label Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla. Her lehenga featured a 16-foot-long veil, and her skirt included a seven-foot-long detachable train.

The groom’s mother, Nita Ambani, wore an outfit reportedly crafted over 40 days by designers Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla, along with artisans Vijay Kumar and Monika Maurya.

While the exact cost of the Ambanis’ wedding remains undisclosed, Indian media and wedding planners estimate the celebrations to exceed $300m, sparking both fascination and considerable criticism from the public.

Mumbai police imposed traffic restrictions in the city from 12 July to 15 July around the wedding venue located in the central business district.

Residents have faced traffic challenges, while bankers have had to adjust their plans, opting to work from home.

“It affects our earnings. I don’t care much about the wedding,” Vikram, a taxi driver told Associated Press.

“In a country where the monthly income of 90 per cent of households is below ₹10000 (approximately £94), Ambani wedding of $320m (₹2673 crores) is obscene. Legally it may be their money but such ostentatious expenditure is a sin against mother earth and poor,” Thomas Isaac, an Indian lawmaker and economist, wrote on X.

The cost of the wedding alone is staggering, but when including the pre-wedding celebrations that began in March, The Guardian estimates the total could reach up to $600m. For context, this amounts to just 0.5 per cent of the Ambanis’ net worth.

The couple initiated their celebrations in March with a three-day pre-wedding event in Mukesh Ambani’s hometown of Jamnagar, located in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The guest list featured prominent figures such as Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Ivanka Trump, the king and queen of Bhutan, and several world leaders.

A special glass palace was constructed for the event, featuring a spectacular light show with 5,500 drones and performances by Rihanna, Diljit Dosanjh, and Akon.

In May, a chartered cruise ship hosted 800 guests on a four-day trip through Europe, featuring performances by the Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry, and opera star Andrea Bocelli.