Anant Ambani-Radhika wedding: The many pre-wedding ceremonies and what they meant
The Federal brings you a round-up of the different wedding ceremonies that was held before Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's actual wedding on July 12
After a long-drawn seven months of celebrations, Asia's richest person, Mukesh Ambani's son, Anant Ambani, 29, will tie the knot with his long-time girlfriend, Radhika Merchant, 29, in an eye-popping, mega wedding ceremony at Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai today (July 12).
The countdown to the wedding kicked off many months ago with celebrations in Jamnagar. This pre-wedding party had a guest list of 1,200 people and featured choreographed Bollywood-style dancing, fireworks and a feast of 500 dishes cooked by around 100 chefs. The evening even saw Rihanna perform for only the second time in six years.
Let’s not forget the four-day Mediterranean cruise featuring performances by global stars such as Rihanna, Justin Bieber, and Katy Perry. Photographs from the cruise were leaked on social media. Along the way, a masquerade ball was thrown in at the Chateau de la Croix des Gardes mansion in Cannes.
On July 2, the Ambanis also staged a mass wedding, also known as “Samuh Vivah,” in the town of Palghar, around 70 miles from Mumbai. More than 50 underprivileged couples received gifts, ranging from gold ornaments to a year’s worth of groceries.
Here is a round-up of the many different wedding ceremonies that was held before the wedding:
Private puja
The actual wedding ceremonies took off with a solemn private Puja ceremony at their residence, Antilia on June 29, 2024.
Sangeet ceremony
The word Sangeet in Sanskrit means to ‘sung together’. It is a ritual where the bride’s family and their close family members sing folk songs and dance to the beat of the dhols to celebrate the bridegroom. In recent times, couples also hosting the sangeet night together and perform to choreographed Bollywood songs. The Ambani's sangeet ceremony in July was held at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Center, an arts venue founded by Nita Ambani. The highlight of the sangeet ceremony was a Justin Bieber's concert.
Haldi ceremony
The haldi ceremony was held on July 8. This is a pre-wedding ritual that traditionally sees friends and family bless the couple to be married by applying a turmeric paste to their heads, faces or bodies. The pair appear to have kept the event private, though there were photographs of Salman Khan drenched in haldi. Anant and Radhika wore suitably complementary gold and yellow outfits
Mameru ceremony
The word 'Mameru' is derived from Mama, which means maternal uncle. In a traditional Mameru ceremony, just a few days before the main wedding the maternal uncle (mama) of the bride visits her with gifts, dry fruits, and sweets. The gifts given to the bride on this occasion traditionally include a Panetar saree, ivory or white chura (bangles), gold jewellery, sweets and dry fruits which are beautifully presented in trousseau trays. This symbolises the maternal family's well-wishes for the to-be bride before she embarks on a new journey in life.
Held at the Ambani residence on July 3, this cherished Gujarati tradition saw Radhika’s maternal uncle showering her with sweets and gifts—a heartwarming touch that added to the joyous atmosphere.
Dandiya night
Kokila Ben also threw a lively dandiya night for the soon-to-be married couple a few days before the wedding
Mehendi ceremony
The mehendi ceremony is held to wish the bride good health and prosperity as she makes her journey on to marriage.The mehendi ceremony was held at Ambani’s Mumbai home Antilia. Music director Amit Trivedi held a live performance for the special occasion. Pictures and videos of the event have gone viral.
Shiv Shakti puja
The wedding proper is set to commence on Friday at the 16,000 capacity Jio World Convention Center, complete with a red carpet to showcase A-list attendees clad in — per the dress code — classical Indian attire. Before the wedding, the Ambanis did a Shiv Shakti puja and like all pre-wedding events, the Shiv Shakti Puja was also star-studded. Bollywood celebrities such as Ranveer Singh, Ananya Pandey, Sanjay Dutt, Kailash Kher attended it, etc.
The wedding
Anant and Radhika will exchange vows on Friday. July 12. The nuptials, titled Shubh Vivah, will be conducted in the traditional Hindu custom.
Divine blessing ceremony
The day after the wedding, the “Shubh Ashirwad,” or divine blessings ceremony will be conducted. The couple basically seeks “Ashirwad,” or blessings, from the elders in their community and are usually showered with rose petals or rice as they walk down the aisle again.
The reception
On Sunday, the curtains will come down on these grand festivities with one final celebration called the “Mangal Utsav,” or reception. Guests have been told to dress in “Indian chic.” Saturday and Sunday’s events are expected to take place at the Ambani family’s 27the storey residence, Antilia.
The wedding, involving Asia’s richest family, is witnessing a huge gathering of celebrities from all over the world. The mega event is expected to be attended by social media influencer and hairstylist Chris Appleton to US TikToker and content creator Julia Chafe, and apart from these, there are many other world celebrities who will attend the star-studded event on July 12. According to a Bloomberg report, Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson are likely to attend the Ambani wedding in Mumbai.
The Mumbai police have declared the event a "public event" due to the presence of international and Indian VIPs, and traffic restrictions will be in place near the venue. The wedding will feature trad ..
Anant Ambani Radhika Merchant Wedding Date and Venue
The wedding celebrations will span three days, starting with 'Shubh Vivah' on July 12, followed by 'Shubh Aashirwad' on July 13, and culminating with 'Mangal Utsav' on July 14. The events will take place at the Jio World Convention Centre, located in Mumbai's bustling business district.