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.)
Around her neck, she wore a multi-emerald ranihaar, or bridal necklace. Radhika tells Vogue the piece is a family heirloom: “I wore the same necklace my sister and aunts wore at their weddings, and I truly believe it gave me a special strength and blessing,” she says. The groom, meanwhile, wore Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla.
Then, it was time for the bidaai—or, farewell ceremony for the bride as she leaves her family home to move into her marital home in Indian weddings. “It’s considered a bittersweet and sentimental moment that marks the start of the bride’s new life as a wife and the end of her role as a daughter,” Radhika explains. She changed into a custom red-and-gold lehenga by Manish Malhotra which featured a blouse from the Indian house’s archive that was over 100 years old. The bride also tells Vogue that her trousseau was a lifetime in the making: “There are looks—dresses and jewelry, which I have planned on with my mom and sister since I was a little girl; I haven’t paid much attention to trends,” she says.
On Saturday, the Ambanis held a pooja to the goddess Saraswati. “For this day I wore my favorite outfit of the whole wedding—a ghagra painted by one of my favorite artists, Jayshree Burman in collaboration with Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla,” says Radhika. “Burman intricately painted an entire world within my ghagra with Lakshmi and Vishnu at the center,” The religious ceremony also attracted plenty of international press attention: India’s prime minister Narendra Modi, attended.
Sunday was the Mangal Utsav: the couple’s wedding reception which was attended by over 14,000 people. Radhika wore a gold filigree corset from Dolce & Gabbana and a constructed saree from Anamika Khanna for the final event of her wedding weekend.
Now that it’s all over, however, Radhika says she has an “overwhelming sense of fulfillment.”
“We’ve been friends and confidants to one another for so long, and now we are finally embarking upon our official journey as a married couple,” she says of her marriage to Anant. “I can’t wait to see what our shared life has in store.”
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For the sangeet, which involves performing rehearsed dance choreographies on stage, I wanted to make a lasting impression. I turned to legendary Indian couturiers for two distinct looks. For my dance performances, I wore a stunning crystal outfit by Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla.
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Together with Anant before the sangeet
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Their creation sparkled brilliantly under the lights.
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Anant performing with my family.
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Akash Ambani, Anant's older brother.
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From left to right: my sister-in-law, Isha Ambani, my mother-in-law, Nita Ambani, me, and my sister-in-law, Shloka Ambani.
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Nita Ambani welcoming guests. Not every bride can rely on her fiancé's family to produce her dream wedding, let alone benefit from the expertise of a mother-in-law who is an accomplished cultural visionary.
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The Sangeet is really what brings both sides together because we had everyone home, every day, practicing their dances, eating together and bonding.
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Performing on stage.
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For the after-party, I donned my favorite look of the night: a saree made entirely of metal mesh, conceptualized by my stylist Rhea and designer Manish Malhotra. This outfit featured a corset that added a modern twist, creating a striking fusion of traditional Indian and contemporary styles.
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Justin Bieber gave a surprise performance.
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Anant with Justin Bieber.
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The Haldi ceremony is an intimate event, where turmeric paste is applied to both bride and groom. This ritual is believed to bless the couple with good health and prosperity. The atmosphere was filled with joy—and a bit of chaos!—as family members playfully applied haldi on us and each other amidst singing traditional songs.
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One week later, the Jio World Convention Center before the baraat and wedding ceremony.
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Event planner Preston Bailey made floral sculptures. He estimates each one took over 100,000 flowers to make.
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There were over 60 larger than life floral animals.
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The crowd gathering for Anant's baraat.
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A floral giraffe and monkey.
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Decor details at the Jio Convention Center.
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Traditional Indian handicrafts provided colorful decor.
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Performers line up for the baraat.
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Nita Ambani wearing Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla.
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The baraat is a customary procession where the groom, accompanied by his family and friends.
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There is music and exuberant festivities—almost like a parade.
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Anant’s baraat was like one I’ve never seen before.
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Confetti fell from the ceiling.
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John Cena.
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Madhuri Dixit.
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It was humbling to see how many people cared and showed up for us.
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Priyanka Chopra wearing Tarun Tahiliani and husband, Nick Jonas.
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Guest fashion details.
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Leena Al Ashqar.
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K'Naan performed "Just Like a Waving Flag."
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Nicky Rothschild and James Rothschild.
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Alia Bahat and Ranbir Kapoor.
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Stylist Law Roach.
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Anant celebrating during his baraat.
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For my wedding day, I chose a one-of-a-kind couture look by Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla.
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For jewelry, I turned to family heirlooms for my ‘something old.’ I wore the same necklace my sister and aunts wore at their weddings, and I truly believe it gave me a special strength and blessing as I walked down the aisle. It was actually a piece that my dad had surprised my mom with on a holiday to celebrate their anniversary. I layered this with a new necklace we designed for this occasion.
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The look, entirely handmade using traditional techniques over countless hours, honored the Gujarati tradition of “Panetar,” where brides wear red and white.
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Kim Kardashian wearing Manish Malhotra.
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Khloe Kardashian wearing Manish Malhotra.
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Kim Kardashian, Nita Ambani, and Lorraine Schwartz.
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Anant makes his entrance to our wedding.
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Shloka Ambani, Anant Ambani, and Isha Ambani.
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With my father, Viren Merchant.
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The actual ceremony that defines the holy matrimony is a relatively somber yet mesmerizing ritual that involves the bride and groom taking shared steps across a ritual fire symbolizing purity and union.
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This is referred to as the "pheras," which quite literally translates to circumambulation.
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Each vow encompasses promises of love, fidelity, prosperity, and mutual respect, creating a foundation for our married life.
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It created a tapestry of memories that we will cherish forever.
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The details of Anant's wedding outfit.
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Our ceremony began with the traditional Jaimala, where Anant and I exchanged garlands, symbolizing our acceptance of one another.
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This was followed by the Kanyadaan, a pivotal moment where my parents entrusted me to Anant, signifying their blessings and consent.
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The Sindoor Daan and Mangalsutra ceremony. Anant applied sindoor (vermilion) in the parting of my hair and tied the mangalsutra (a sacred necklace) around my neck, both symbols of my new status as a married woman.
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Anant, Nita Ambani, and me.
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Important members of our wedding party.
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I felt connected to my tradition and culture, and I was excited to share this moment with our loved ones.
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Posing for wedding portraits.
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For my bidaai, I opted for the traditional Indian bridal red. (Fun fact: In India, Brides typically wear shades of red that signify purity and reflect the sacred fire.)
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My blouse was an archival piece—over 100 years old!—sourced by none other than designer Manish Malhothra.
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I am committed to highlighting Indian creative talent, and strategically curated looks from some of our favourite Indian designers.
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Many of them are sustaining, and sometimes even reviving, traditional Indian craft and couture techniques.
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During my bidaai.
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Saying goodbye to my parents.
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Leaving the Jio Convention Center.
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Walking into Antilla, which had been decorated with signs.
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For the pooja I wore my favorite outfit of the whole wedding: a ghagra painted by Jayshree Burman in collaboration with Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla as well as my stylist Rhea Kapoor.
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Burman intricately painted an entire world within my ghagra with Lakshmi and Vishnu at the center.
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Burman intricately painted an entire world within my ghagra with Lakshmi and Vishnu at the center.
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I wore flowers in my hair.
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A close-up of my jewelry.
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Blessings from our elders.
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Holding hands as husband and wife.
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Nita Ambani and Former Secretary of State John Kerry.
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Nita Ambani.
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Kim Kardashian and Isha Ambani.
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Amitabh Bachchan.
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Together during the pooja.
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The crowd during the pooja.
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A holograph during the pooja.
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For my reception on Sunday, my outfit intertwined East and West with a gold filigree corset from Dolce & Gabbana paired with a constructed saree from Anamika Khanna.
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I will cherish these memories forever, and cannot wait to collect new ones.
This story originally published in Vogue.com
