weddings

'Sorry, but I can't stop thinking about the $470 million wedding happening this weekend.'

The Ambani family from India is known for their immense wealth (to the tune of $127.6 billion, to be exact) and this week, we were all reminded of this simple fact.

Case in point: the wedding of Anant Ambani, the son of Asia's wealthiest man, and his longtime love, Radhika Merchant — which is estimated to be costing the family around $470 million AUD.

In March, the couple had a three-day pre-wedding event and reportedly spent $183.6 million on it. There were more than1,200 people invited and Rihanna even performed despite not having toured in seven years.

According to Business Insider, among other sources, it's speculated that Rihanna was paid somewhere in the vicinity of $7.6 million to $13.7 million for her set.

Yep. That was just the pre-wedding event.

Watch: 15 most memorable movie wedding scenes. Post continues after video.


Video via Mamamia.

Now that the big day is here, here's everything we know about what is set to be the most expensive wedding of 2024.

Who are Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant?

Anant Ambani, aged 29, is the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani (Asia's wealthiest individual) and Nita Ambani.

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Mukesh Ambani serves as the head of the Indian conglomerate Reliance, while his son — who is a Brown University graduate — holds a directorial position within Reliance's energy enterprises. 

The business deals in all sorts of things, from fossil fuels to developing solar panel manufacturing, as reported by BBC News.

Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant. Image: Getty.

That's not to say Anant's side of the family is the only one with wealth — Radhika, aged 29, is the daughter of Viren Merchant, the CEO of Encore Healthcare, a renowned pharmaceutical firm. Radhika is a graduate of New York University and serves as a director at her father's company.

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The pair got engaged in a traditional ceremony at Anant's Mumbai residence in January 2023.

Listen to Mamamia's daily podcast, The Spill. In this episode, we discuss the Ambani family. Post continues below.


Who is going to Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's wedding?

While we don't know exactly who is attending Anant and Radhika's wedding, their pre-wedding event guest list might give us an idea.

Rihanna was there to perform, along with her partner A$AP Rocky. Bill Gates was also there, as well as Mark Zuckerberg.

There are also fellow Indian billionaires Gautam Adani and Kumar Mangalam Birla, as well as many cricketers and Bollywood film stars, such as Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan.

American magician David Blaine also performed for the pair; and other reported guests included Hilary Clinton, Ivanka Trump and Bob Iger, according to The Indian Express.

Justin Bieber performed at their sangeet in early July, reportedly setting the family back approximately $14.7 million.

The last celebrity to perform for the Ambani family was Coldplay back in 2019, when Anant's brother Akash married. As for his sister Isha's wedding in 2018? The family managed to line up Beyoncé for those nuptials.

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The Ambani family at the engagement of Anant and Radhika (second and third from left). Image: Getty.

When is Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's wedding?

As we've seen in previous Ambani weddings, the majority of the celebrations take place before the actual wedding ceremony, which is happening July 12-14, 2024. And yes, of course there will be a big A-list celebrity performance.

More to come...

Feature Image: Getty.

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