Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s wedding: Everything you need to know about the Indian wedding of the year

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Billionaire heir Anant Ambani is set to marry his longtime girlfriend Radhika Merchant later this month in a lavish ceremony widely described as the country’s wedding of the year.

The extravagant pre-wedding celebrations have already sent the Indian media into a frenzy and social media feeds are abuzz with anticipation for what will come next.

In March, the couple threw a three-day pre-wedding party in the western city of Jamnagar, attended by 1,200 A-list guests, including Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates. An elaborate light show featuring 5,500 drones lit up the sky above a custom-built glass palace, where partygoers danced the night away to a performance by Rihanna.

Then, over a weekend in late May, the couple hosted a four-day Mediterranean cruise for friends and family that made several stops in Europe and included a host of Bollywood stars, with performances by Katy Perry, the Backstreet Boys and opera star Andrea Bocelli.

The Mumbai wedding is scheduled to take place from July 12 to 14 at the home of Anant’s parents, Mukesh and Nita Ambani – a 27-storey residence called Antilia – as well as at the Jio World Convention Centre, a sprawling venue that can accommodate more than 16,000 people.

Details have been kept under wraps, but if the events leading up to the wedding are anything to go by, the upcoming nuptials are set to be grand. Here’s what we know.

Who are the bride and groom?

Mukesh Ambani, 29, is the youngest son of Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, whose fortune is estimated at $118 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. His son is responsible for expanding the energy business of the family conglomerate, Reliance Industries.

The youngest of three siblings, Ambani graduated from Brown University. His brother and sister sit on Reliance’s board of directors and manage other parts of the company. Anant has been concerned about animal welfare since childhood.

He recently launched his passion project, Vantara, a 3,000-acre animal sanctuary, which was visited by VIP guests dressed in jungle-themed outfits at the pre-wedding party in Jamnagar.

Merchant, 29, is the daughter of pharmaceutical tycoon Viren Merchant and works for his company, Encore Healthcare.

A graduate of New York University, she told Vogue that she met Ambani through mutual friends during a car ride in 2017. “That first meeting sparked something special between us, and it wasn’t long before we started dating,” she said.

Merchant also received formal training in Bharatnatyam, a form of Indian classical dance.

Speaking about his bride-to-be, Ambani said during a speech in Jamnagar: “I am 100 per cent lucky. It feels like I met Radhika yesterday, but every day I am falling more and more in love.”

As per Hindu tradition, the couple’s wedding dates are said to have been chosen based on the auspicious days on their birth charts.

Hindu weddings usually consist of several events and take place over several days.

The festivities usually include a ceremony called haldi, in which guests apply turmeric paste to the bride and groom’s arms and faces to bring them good luck and protect them from evil spirits. Then there’s mehndi, a ritual in which an artist paints intricate henna designs on the hands of the bride and guests. The night before the wedding is usually reserved for sangeet, in which guests dance for the bride and groom.

According to a wedding invitation published by ANI, one of India’s largest news agencies, the festivities will begin on July 12 with the “Shubh Vivaah” or “auspicious wedding” ceremony. The next day will be the “Shubh Aashirwad” or “divine blessing” ceremony, and the festivities will end on July 14 with the “Mangal Utsav” or reception. The invitation was placed in a red box decorated with a depiction of the Hindu god Vishnu on the front, according to a video published by ANI.

Manish Malhotra, one of the country’s most celebrated designers, was appointed as the creative director of the wedding, collaborating with Nita Ambani and a host of vendors to execute the family’s vision.

Malhotra told CNN that he relied on Nita’s “visionary approach,” with his team creating themes and experiences for the wedding that “embody the essence of India while reflecting the couple’s distinct personalities.”

“Every detail, from the décor and cuisine to the attire and ambiance; every event, from the lively Sangeet to the ceremonial wedding day and grand reception, is designed to immerse guests in an atmosphere of joy, love and celebration,” he explained via email.

The bride and groom are expected to wear statement outfits that showcase Indian crafts and textiles, local talent and pieces imbued with symbolism.

The couple’s outfits for pre-wedding events included striking pieces from top Indian designers including Malhotra, Sabyasachi Mukherjee and Tarun Tahiliani.

Malhotra designed two lehengas that Merchant wore to the pre-wedding party. The gold garment was studded with 20,000 Swarovski crystals and involved the craftsmanship of over 70 artisans, while a blue Art Deco-inspired lehenga took 5,700 hours to complete.

Ambani’s looks were also bold. At one of the events in Jamnagar, he wore an ivory sherwani, a traditional two-piece Indian suit, designed by Rohit Bal, with a custom brooch by Lorraine Schwartz.

Luxury fashion brands were spotted alongside emerging brands. Merchant wore a Versace gown to the March celebrations — a custom pink version of the dress previously worn by Blake Lively at the 2022 Met Gala.

On her Mediterranean cruise, Merchant wore a black and white dress designed by Hong Kong-born Robert Wun, with a love letter from her fiancé printed on the chiffon skirt. Coordinating with Merchant, Ambani also wore a bespoke black suit designed by Wun, encrusted with jewels.

For the July wedding, Malhotra said his team had “devoted several months of painstaking work to create exquisite pieces.” While he couldn’t reveal details of the garments ahead of the occasion, he said work on some of them had begun before the pre-wedding celebrations.

At the upcoming wedding, guests are expected to dress in “traditional Indian” attire on Friday, according to the wedding invitation, which could include a sari for women and a kurta — loose-fitting pants with a tunic — for men.

Guests were asked to wear “Indian formal” attire the next day and “Indian chic” attire for the reception on Sunday.

Malhotra described the “Indian chic” dress code as something that “marries traditional Indian elements with contemporary fashion”.

For the couple, this translates into “striking ensembles that honor our rich cultural heritage while reflecting their personal style. Think intricate embroidery and innovative silhouettes that capture both tradition and modernity.”

As for the guests, Malhotra said, we can expect to see “timeless saris and lehengas paired…