Breaking Down The Ambani Wedding For Everyone As Confused As Me
If you’re anything like me, you were mildly confused to see Kim and Khloé Kardashian donning sarees all over your social media over the weekend.
Thankfully, I don’t think we need to cancel the sisters for cultural appropriation (on this occasion), as it turns out they were among the star-studded guest list of the Ambani Wedding.
Image Credit: @khloekardashian Instagram
Who? What? Where? How? Why, you ask? Same.
Apparently, the Ambani in question is Anant Ambani, the 29-year-old son of India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani. Forbes estimates the businessman’s net worth to be a modest $123.9B, which feels like it shouldn’t be real but apparently is.
Anant’s partner, 29-year-old Radhika Merchant is “the daughter of a pharmaceutical tycoon” according to The Guardian, which again, feels made up, but apparently is legit.
Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant. Image credit: Getty
The power couple got engaged in December 2023, and the lead-up to their nuptials has been lavish, to say the least. “Whether that meant a European cruise featuring performances by the likes of Katy Perry and Andrea Bocelli, or a pre-wedding party with a rare appearance by Rihanna, the two have spared no expense,” Harper’s Bazaar elaborates.
The wedding took place in Mumbai, and while there’s no official confirmation on the price of this love story, The Guardian notes that “Estimates say the five-month wedding spectacle is likely to cost upwards of $600m – an eye-watering sum that still accounts for only 0.5% of the Ambani fortune.” Can confirm, my eyes are watering.
Just to be real for a moment before I rattle off silly celeb guests etc, I need to acknowledge that the economic inequality in India is staggering, and if you’d like to learn more about it you can do so here.
Okay, back to the glitz.
The event took place across three days (not uncommon in Indian culture), and while there are varying reports about the itinerary, it appears that the wedding ceremony took place on Friday at the Ambani-owned Jio World Convention Centre (16,000 people capacity), as well as events at their $2b family home (probably similar capacity).
In an exclusive interview with Vogue, Radhika explained the significance of the dates the wedding took place. “[They] were strategically chosen from the 12th, 13th, and 14th of July upon the advice of our family pujari, who identified synchronic moments for our celebrations based on auspicious astrological alignments in both my charts as well as Anant’s.” I personally love any occasion that incorporates astrological alignments.
According to CBS, “The guest list includes former British Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Boris Johnson; John Kerry, the former U.S. special envoy for climate, Saudi Aramco CEO Amin H. Nasser; and Adele, Lana Del Rey, Drake and David Beckham, according to local media.” Not Drake being included!!? Proof these two are not Kendrick fans.
Other notable guests included the aforementioned Kardashian sisters, Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra-Jonas, Nicky Hilton, Law Roach and my favourite guest of all, John Cena. It is simply ridiculous that we live in a world where John Cena attends the Ambani wedding and I love it.
Justin Bieber performed at a pre-wedding ceremony, and as per the footage, fans were having a ripper time. It’s reported he was paid $10m for the gig, which is pretty good I reckon.
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While the bride wore several looks, her final dress was a custom Dolce and Gabbana Alta Moda Sardegna 2024 (I don’t know what that means tbh) paired with a Anamika Khanna custom sari. A gorgeous lewk.
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Congrats to the happy couple, and may we continue to see John Cena randomly appear at extravagant weddings all over the world.
Written by Lil Friedmann, who assumes that her invite to the wedding got lost in the mail. You can follow her at @lilfriedmann on socials.
Image credit: Instagram, Getty + Punkee