Inside Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s Final Wedding Celebration in Mumbai
This weekend, Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s wedding took place in Mumbai—and it’s no exaggeration to say the whole world was watching.
Thousands gathered in the streets of Mumbai to watch the son of India’s wealthiest man travel from the family home of Antilla to the Jio World Convention Center for his baraat. Millions more scrolled through on social media as Kim and Khloe Kardashian posted themselves in traditional Indian clothing with a camera crew in tow. (It’s rumored the family is shooting an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians.) Meanwhile, news outlets from the New York Times to the BBC sent reporters to cover the affair, and tabloids churned out articles upon articles on the family’s every move.
The fervor was understandable. Mukesh Ambani, the chairman of Reliance Industries, and Nita Ambani, his wife, hosted a hastakshar for their son and his fiancée in March where Rihanna performed. In the late spring, they held grand parties for their son and his fiancée in both London and on a cruise ship that sailed the Mediterranean. One had to wonder: If the pre-wedding events were this grand, what would the actual wedding be like?
Vogue was granted the world exclusive inside the event. Radhika says that their wedding weekend was chosen with the utmost intent. “The dates 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,” she says. “It was a meticulous process.”
Also a meticulous process? The planning: overseen by Nita Ambani alongside her daughter Isha Ambani and daughter-in-law Shloka Ambani. “My mother-in-law was the C.E.O. of the wedding, as I like to say,” says Radhika. “It was Nita’s commitment and vision that brought our entire celebration to life.” The family had several teams of event planners, as well as their in-house staff, working around the clock to orchestrate the multi-week affair.
Their nuptials kicked off on July 5 with a sangeet—or, a pre-wedding event where both the bride, groom, and their families do choreographed dances on stages to symbolize their upcoming union. Radhika wore in a crystal outfit by Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla. (“I wanted to make a lasting impression,” she says.) Anant also opted for a look by Khosla, complete with ruby diamond buttons by Kantilal Chhotalal.
Pinned on his chest was a cheetah brooch, a nod to his 3,000-acre animal rescue sanctuary Vantara in Gujarat. Isha, meanwhile, wore a custom Schiaparelli saree: a first for the French haute couture house.
As the party grew late—and Justin Bieber took the stage for a private concert—Radhika changed into a metal mesh saree by Manish Malhotra. “It featured a corset that added a modern twist,” Radhika explains. “Although it was quite heavy, it was worth every moment.”
Over the next few days, the couple had several poojas (or, ceremonial prayers) as well as a mehendi ceremony where the bride and her guests get their hands and feet painted with henna. Then on July 11, they held their haldi—an auspicious tradition when a soon-to-be-married couple is covered in turmeric paste for prosperity. Radhika wore sherara pants from Anamika Khanna and a dupatta (or, a stole) made of flowers. “The atmosphere was filled with joy—and a bit of chaos,” says Radhika. “Our haldi is what I hold most dear to me.”
July 12 was the baraat, or, the groom’s wedding procession. Arriving at the Jio World Convention, there were musical performers and hundreds of dancers as Anant arrived on horseback. “It was out of this world. I’ve never seen anything like this,” designer Prabal Gurung, who was one of over 2,000 guests in attendance along with Tony Blair, Nick Jonas, and Priyanka Chopra, says of the baraat. “The whole room was filled with flowers and Bollywood celebrities. There was all this dancing and singing.” (Those flowers were orchestrated by event planner Preston Bailey, who made over 60 floral animal sculptures, made of Indian flowers, including monkeys, elephants, and tigers. He estimated each one took over 100,000 flowers to make. “It took many sleepless nights,” Bailey tells Vogue, who arrived in Mumbai three weeks ago in order to pull it off. Throughout the evening, people lined up to take photos in front of the installations.)
After a short break, it was time for the wedding. The Hindu ceremony began with the traditional jaimala, where Anant and Radhika exchanged garlands symbolizing acceptance of one another. That was followed by the kanyadaan, or, the official moment where Radhika’s parents gave Anant their blessing to marry their daughter. Then came the phera: or, the actual wedding ceremony where the bride and groom take circumambulations around a ritual fire. Radhika describes the act as “somber yet mesmerizing.”
“Each vow encompasses promises of love, fidelity, prosperity, and mutual respect, creating a foundation for our married life,” she says. Afterward came the sindoor daan and mangalsutra ceremonies, where Anant put vermillion in Radhika’s hair and tied a mangalsutra, or sacred necklace, around her neck. “This can be likened to the exchange of rings in a Western wedding,” Radhika explains. “The ceremony concluded with the aashirwad, where we sought blessings from our elders, ensuring their good wishes for our future.”
For this holy moment, Radhika wore a one-of-a-kind couture look by Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla in red and white, honoring the Gujarati tradition of panetar. Her ghagra was adorned with intricate floral motifs along with precious stones and sequins. Upon her head was a six-foot veil that had a delicate jaali pattern and cut-work. (“My veil was a true Zardozi marvel,” says Radhika, referencing the cultural term for gold thread embroidery.)
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