The wedding of Anant Ambani, son of businessman Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and MD of Reliance Industries, with Radhika Merchant, daughter of Encore Healthcare CEO Viren Merchant, has been all people are talking about lately. And why not? The pre-wedding celebrations and the wedding itself witnessed a gathering of global celebrities, politicians, industrialists, and of course, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Add to this the grandeur and opulence of the events, which had everyone glued to their social media feed for regular updates. Come to think of it, this high-profile wedding actually involved everyone - from your co-worker to your neighbour, everyone had a point of view. Scroll through any social media platform, and you will see people commenting on the outfits, décor, the guests, and the execution of it. Over the last few months, a phone call with a friend or a relative at some point would surely turn to the wedding. Let’s face it, Indians love weddings, and it is no wonder that the wedding industry is booming.
As per recent industry reports, the Indian wedding industry is valued at $130 billion. Given that Indian weddings are usually multi-event affairs spread over several days, there is a fair amount of employment generated across sectors such as hospitality, tourism, and retail, among others. The scale of the recent Ambani wedding definitely gave a boost to the wedding business and the sectors associated with it. Ahead of the July 12 celebrations, there were reports of hotel room prices in Mumbai skyrocketing, and most of the five-star properties sold out.
Here are some of the aspects of the Ambani wedding netizens absolutely loved.
Vantara Visit
Back in March, the three-day pre-wedding celebrations in Jamnagar, Gujarat, had an impressive guest list that included CEOs of global conglomerates, corporate leaders, Bollywood actors, cricketers, and government leaders. Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Ivanka Trump, Shahrukh Khan, Ranveer Singh, Salman Khan, and Sachin Tendulkar, among others, were present to celebrate the couple. On the itinerary for the guests was a visit to Vantara, a 3,000-acre wildlife rescue centre within the green belt of Reliance's Jamnagar Refinery Complex. Including his passion project as a part of his wedding celebrations was appreciated by many.
Global Music Stars
Renowned global music artists added to the wedding festivities. Fans waited impatiently for images of Rihanna, The Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry, Pitbull, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, Justin Bieber, Luis Fonsi, and AP Dhillon to emerge from the various wedding events.
Bollywood Celebrating
In addition to seeing Bollywood stars all dressed up in their finest, social media videos of Bollywood celebrities Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh, Shahrukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Anil Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, and others dancing at the wedding was something netizens enjoyed because it is rare to see their favourite stars all together letting their hair down.
Dipped In Luxury
From the wedding invite to the guests wearing designer outfits and jewellery, the entire wedding festivities were dipped in luxury.
The wedding invite, a video of which surfaced on social media, showed a beautiful box with shlokas and images of Hindu deities with mantras playing as the box was opened. Inside was a mandir with figurines of Hindu deities, a handwritten note, and a pashmina shawl.
The food during the wedding festivities was reportedly a reflection of the best of Indian and global cuisine. Reports suggest Peruvian chef Virgilio Martínez was flown down to curate a special menu for the wedding.
Talking about outfits, reality television stars Kim Kardashian and Khloe Kardashian wore glamorous outfits designed by renowned Indian fashion designers Manish Malhotra and Tarun Tahiliani. The ladies of the Ambani family also wore creations by celebrated designers Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla, Anamika Khanna, Tarun Tahiliani and Manish Malhotra. A recent social media post that has got the netizens talking is the groom’s gift to his groomsmen of Audemars Piguet watches, each of which is reportedly valued at $250,000.
