Billionaire Mukesh Ambani is kicking off extravagant Indian wedding celebrations for his son with charter jets for tycoons and celebrities, a performance by Rihanna, and instructions to wear “jungle fever” outfits when visiting an animal rescue center.
As the head of Indian conglomerate Reliance and Asia’s wealthiest individual with a net worth of $114 billion according to Forbes, Ambani is renowned for his extravagant celebrations. The current event captivating India is a three-day pre-wedding extravaganza for his youngest son, Anant Ambani, 28, who is preparing to tie the knot with his long-time girlfriend, Radhika Merchant, 29.
The festivities kick off on Friday and will accommodate 1,200 guests, taking place in a township in Jamnagar near Reliance’s main oil refinery in the western state of Gujarat.
Although the wedding itself is scheduled for July, the celebrations unofficially began on Wednesday when Anant and his fiancée hosted a communal dinner for local villagers, serving an astonishing 51,000 people.
Anant’s pre-wedding celebration promises to be star-studded with appearances by pop and R&B sensation Rihanna and U.S. magician David Blaine. Traditional ceremonies will also take place in a temple complex. Among the expected guests are prominent figures like Bill Gates, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Indian billionaires Gautam Adani and Kumar Mangalam Birla, along with various cricketers and Bollywood celebrities such as Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan. Bob Iger, CEO of Disney, is also expected to attend following the announcement of a $8.5 billion merger between Disney’s India media assets and Reliance’s. Anant, a director at Reliance’s new energy business, and his fiancée Radhika Merchant, a director at India’s Encore Healthcare, are set to tie the knot.
The Ambani family is no stranger to lavish weddings, as demonstrated by Isha’s wedding in 2018, which drew comparisons to a mini-Davos summit. At that event, former U.S. Secretaries of State State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry joined Bollywood stars on the dance floor. Guests at Anant Ambani’s celebration will be treated to a feast featuring 500 dishes prepared by approximately 100 chefs.
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Guests at the celebration will have access to various pampering services, including hair styling, makeup artists, and Indian wear draping. However, these services will be provided on a “first come, first serve basis,” as outlined in a planning document shared with invitees and seen by Reuters. As part of the festivities, guests will visit a rescue center that houses over 2,000 animals and boasts one of the world’s largest elephant hospitals.
The dress code for this event is “jungle fever,” with attendees encouraged to wear animal print clothing or Hawaiian shirts. Return charter jet flights from New Delhi and Mumbai are available for guests, but they have been asked to limit themselves to only two luggage items or three suitcases per couple.
The document also advises guests to be reasonable in their expectations for laundry services, noting that clothes given for steam pressing will be returned within 3 hours. It cautions against expecting quicker service, as it may not be feasible.
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