Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant married over the weekend, and no expense was spared for the youngest Ambani heirs lavish nuptials.
The couple tied the knot during a lavish three-day celebration in Mumbai, which was attended by prominent celebrities and political figures. The nuptials come after months of glitzy and expensive pre-wedding events, which saw performances from Rihanna, Katy Perry, and Justin Bieber.
The estimated cost of the current wedding, which encompasses the pre-wedding parties and the payment for the pop-star performances, as determined by The Guardian, is $600 million. Although it appears to be a substantial sum, it is only a fraction of the estimated value of $123 billion that Anant's father, Mukesh Ambani, holds, as per Forbes.
The substantial cost encompasses the couple's pre-wedding celebration held at the opulent Ambani Estate in Gujarat, where they commenced the wedding festivities. According to Forbes, Rihanna was paid $6 million for her performance at the soirée.
The celebration also included a jungle-themed party and a light show featuring 5,500 drones. Numerous prominent and affluent individuals attended the event, including Ivanka Trump, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and members of Bhutan's royal family.
Ambani and Merchant also procured a cruise ship for a pre-wedding voyage through Europe in May. According to The Sunday Times, the couple and their guests travelled to various European cities, including Rome, Cannes, France, and Portofino, Italy, for special events.
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According to The Guardian, Perry performed at the Cannes bash, and other performers included Andrea Bocelli, the Backstreet Boys, and Pitbull. The outlet estimated that the cruise and parties cost another whopping $150 million.
During the couple's sangeet in early July, they also tapped Bieber to perform for an estimated $10 million, according to Entertainment Tonight. In clips posted on Instagram, the entertainer appeared onstage singing hits like "Love Yourself", "Where Are You Now", and "I'm the One". Guests danced and cheered along.
Before the highly anticipated three-day wedding ceremony, guests received invitations hinting at the lavish nuptials. According to the Guardian, they sent an engraved box depicting a Hindu deity, which was filled with gifts and played Hindu mantras.
During the weekend, the family wore an abundance of exquisite jewels, with Anant sporting a custom-made lion brooch adorned with jewels, including a massive diamond weighing more than 50 carats.
Jewellery designer Lorraine Schwartz, who created the brooch, shared a few photos on Instagram on July 11, including pictures of Ambani wearing the brooch and pictures of the brooch being made. According to Vogue India, Anant's mother wore a 100-carat yellow diamond necklace to the wedding.
According to The Guardian, expenditures were also incurred in order to transform the Jio World Convention Center into the waterfront steps of Varanasi, as per the couple's request. The convention center was reported to have local craftsmen, street food stalls, bangle sellers, puppeteers, and astrologers available to guests.
According to the media outlet, wedding ceremonies were also held at the Ambani's multi-billion dollar residence in Mumbai, which boasts a 27-storey height and numerous high-end amenities such as a cinema, a pool, and a ballroom.
According to The Guardian, it appears that Ambani's nuptials are significantly more costly than his sister Isha's wedding to Anand Piramal in 2018, which cost approximately $100 million. The wedding costs also included the $6 million the family paid Beyoncé to headline a show during the ceremony.
