Anant Ambani, the son of Asia’s richest man, and his fiancée Radhika Merchant, the daughter of a billionaire, attended a traditional pre-wedding ritual on Wednesday.
Anant and Radhika, both 29, will tie the knot on July 12 after several months of lavish pre-wedding celebrations and they glowed brightly during the “Mameru ceremony,” which the couple said was Hindustan Times go to the bride’s maternal uncle to give him the wedding gifts.
The event, which is traditional in the Gujarati community, is believed to have taken place at Antilia, the 27-storey Mumbai residence of Anant’s parents Mukesh and Nita Ambani, which is located on the city’s Billionaires’ Lane.
Mukesh Ambani, 67, is the chairman of conglomerate Reliance Industries Limited, and Nita Ambani, 60, founded and heads the Reliance Foundation, one of India’s largest nonprofit organizations.
Childhood sweethearts Anant and Radhika were dressed in orange, a colour that holds special significance in Hindu culture and signifies warmth, energy and good omen.
Nita Ambani (left), mother of Anant (back, centre) greets guests as Radhika (front, centre) looks on.
Radhika, who studied political science at New York University and has worked as a business consultant, wore a custom-made lehenga by noted Indian designer and couturier Manish Malhotra, which she accessorized with gold jewelry.
Meanwhile, her husband-to-be wore a beaded nehru jacket with a kurta underneath.
The couple got engaged on December 29, 2022, and will tie the knot later next week. Starting July 12, the wedding celebrations will take place at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai for three days.
The couple’s pre-wedding celebrations began in March with a glamorous party in Jamnagar, India, estimated to have cost them more than $128 million.
In May and June, the festivities continued when the couple embarked on a four-day Mediterranean cruise with 1,200 guests, including CEOs of international tech companies, Bollywood stars and Hollywood legends.
The trip included parties across Europe with performances by stars including Katy Perry, Pitbull and the Backstreet Boys.
During the four-day expedition, the future couple, together with their guests, experienced the European cities of Sicily and Rome in Italy and Cannes in France.
Evening entertainment included lavish parties and star-studded celebrity performances.
Anant Ambani, 29, pictured at the event, wore an orange beaded Nehru jacket with a kurta underneath.
Nita Ambani, 60, greets guests during the traditional wedding ritual ahead of her son and Radhika’s nuptials next week.
The Ambani family’s Antilia residence on Mumbai’s Billionaires Lane was decorated with floral arrangements and lights.
A band played at the event, which comes after several months of lavish pre-wedding celebrations.
Anant and Radhika (center) wore orange, which has a special significance in Hindu culture.
“It was a retreat for people who have contributed to our lives in different ways,” Radhika said. Fashion.
The magazine reported that the couple had decided to host the cruise because “many of their close friends” “were unable to attend” the first party.
Faced with the difficulty of finding a place that could accommodate such a large group, they opted for a cruise.
The holiday began in Palermo, Sicily, on May 29, where guests enjoyed a welcome lunch before boarding the cruise ship.
The ship they chose is called the Celebrity Ascent and is said to have cost $900 million to build.
The massive ship features 32 restaurants, bars and lounges, as well as a rooftop garden, a casino, a spa, several pools and a theater.
On the first night, the couple hosted a “formal starry night-themed party,” according to Fashion.
For the dazzling soiree, Radhika opted for a custom black and white Robert Wun gown that had a love letter from Anant stitched into the skirt.
Anant’s father Mukesh Ambani (left), 67, the billionaire chairman of Reliance Industries Limited, is pictured with industrialist Ajay Piramal (right) and their respective grandchildren.
Mukesh is pictured with his daughter, Isha Ambani (left) and granddaughter at the event on Wednesday.
Mukesh Ambani (centre) poses with his son-in-law, Anand Piramal and son Akash Ambani (right), 32.
“He wrote me a long letter for my birthday (22) about what I mean to him,” Radhika recalled.
‘I wanted to save it for posterity. I want to be able to show it to my children and grandchildren and say, “this is what our love was like.”
The Backstreet Boys also took to the stage to perform for guests.
The next day, the group arrived in Rome, where guests explored the city before returning to the cruise ship for a second party: a toga party on the deck of the ship.
Radhika donned another custom outfit, this time created by Grace Ling.
It contained ‘an aerospace-grade aluminum shell, made to mimic a curtain, which the designer carved, sculpted, and then 3D printed.’ Fashion reported.
French DJ David Guetta entertained the crowd throughout the night.
The third day was spent in Cannes, where the couple hosted a masked ball at the famous Château de la Croix des Gardes, the palace that appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s film To Catch a Thief.
Radhika wore a custom Versace gown with a diamond-encrusted chest piece and a long, flowing blue skirt, which reportedly took a year to make.
She paired the dress with a stunning blue opal necklace on a diamond chain, the work of Lorraine Schwartz.
Katy Perry performed during the final party and, as she performed her hit Firework, an impeccable fireworks display lit up the Cannes sky.
Back on the boat, the festivities continued with an after-party hosted by Pitbull.
The trip ended in Portofino, where the event organizers turned the main square into an “open-air market with food stalls.”