The Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant wedding lit up Mumbai on 12 July 2024, turning the Jio World Convention Center in the Bandra Kurla Complex into the most-watched venue on the planet. The six-day celebration, estimated to have cost between $600 million and $1 billion, drew a guest list that crossed every boundary of entertainment, politics, and sport.
A-List Guests Descended on Mumbai
The red carpet at the Jio World Convention Center featured some of the biggest names in global celebrity. Kim Kardashian and Khloé Kardashian arrived in traditional Indian dress, joined by Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra. On the political side, former British prime ministers Tony Blair and Boris Johnson both attended, also wearing traditional Indian attire — a gesture that sparked fresh conversation about Indian wedding fashion on the global stage.
Hollywood actor John Cena joined Bollywood stars at the ceremony, while Indian cricket legends, Bollywood royalty including Shah Rukh Khan and Alia Bhatt, and former Indian president Ram Nath Kovind rounded out the extraordinary gathering.
Radhika Merchant's Show-Stopping Bridal Look
Bride Radhika Merchant wore hand-embroidered bridal couture by Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla, following the Gujarati tradition of red and white in an opulent ivory ensemble trimmed with red. The lehenga featured zardozi cut-work, a 16-foot veil adorned with stones and sequins, and a detachable 80-inch zardozi trail — a creation representing months of intricate craftsmanship. A personalised "AR" brooch, representing the initials of both the bride and groom, added a personal touch to the historic look.
Groom Anant Ambani, son of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani and philanthropist Nita Ambani, wore multiple looks across the ceremonies — spanning traditional ethnic styles and contemporary groom attire throughout the multi-day event.
Cultural Grandeur and Public Reaction
The celebration was designed to showcase India's cultural richness on a world stage. One of the event's most striking features was a recreation of the sacred city of Varanasi built within the venue, immersing guests in an authentic cultural experience alongside live entertainment from Indian and international performers.
The sheer scale of the Ambani wedding drew both admiration and criticism. Commentators noted the contrast between the estimated billion-dollar expenditure and India's wider economic inequalities — The New York Times described the celebrations as introducing "the world to India's Gilded Age." Others pointed to the substantial economic ripple effect: the event employed over 10,000 people, kept more than Rs. 1,000 crore within the domestic economy, drove 100% hotel occupancy across top Mumbai properties, and generated a surge in demand across couture, jewellery, hospitality, and event management sectors.
Celebrations Continue at Antilia
The ceremonies did not conclude at the Jio World Convention Center. Post-wedding rituals and reception events were planned at Antilia, the Ambani family's 27-storey private residence in Mumbai — one of the world's most valuable private homes. The extended schedule of celebrations cemented the Anant Ambani–Radhika Merchant wedding as one of the most elaborate in modern Indian history.
The Ambani family also undertook notable philanthropic gestures alongside the festivities, hosting a mass wedding for 50 underprivileged couples and running a community kitchen feeding 9,000 people daily for 40 days.
