Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Tony Blair and Ban Ki Moon are just some of the international bigwigs that descended on Mumbai to celebrate the wedding of the son of Asia’s richest man. Apart from the illustrious guest list and the shuddering display of wealth – including invitations reportedly costing of $2,000 apiece – this was like any big, fat, rich Indian wedding.
The wedding invitation.
Indian tycoon Mukesh Ambani’s son, 27-year-old Akash Ambani married diamond magnate Russell Mehta’s daughter Shloka Mehta in a star studded ceremony in India. As Asia’s richest man – with a reported net worth of a whopping $50 billion – Mukesh Ambani isn’t likely to skimp on the décor.
He is, after all, the world’s 13th richest man and at the helm of Reliance Industries, a Fortune 500 company worth $100 billion.
Akash Ambani and Shloka Mehta.
For wedding watchers, the Ambani name may ring a bell: another family made international headlines as the last big, fat, rich Indian wedding after Priyanka Chopra’s lavish nuptials to boy band star turned brawny adult Nick Jonas.
That wedding, which took place last year, saw Akash Ambani’s twin sister Isha married in a multi-week extravagant affair that spanned across India from Rajasthan to Mumbai. The engagement party took place at the luxury Villa D’Este hotel on Italy’s Lake Como, accompanied by tunes provided by a private performance from John Legend.
The subsequent three-day wedding bash in India’s Udaipur saw Beyonce perform some of her most iconic songs, and, in a bizarrely satisfying scene, even saw Hillary Clinton dancing to Bollywood tunes. An estimated 600 other wedding guests – many of them huge names in their own right – were in attendance at the wedding.
The week-long extravaganza was estimated to cost about US$100 million. Faced with such a staggering figure, one can only wonder how much the Ambani clan spent on the latest family wedding.
The exclusive guest list even included Saudi Oil Minister Khalid al-Falih. According to news agency IANS, among others in attendance included Samsung vice-chairman Jay Y. Lee, International Olympic Committee executive board member Christophe De Kepper, Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia’s Managing Director Yasir Othman Al-Rumayyan, Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran and his wife Lalitha, Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey, former US Congressman Eric Cantor and his wife, Morgan Stanley banker Michael Grimes and his wife, Dow Chemical chairman Andrew Liveris and his wife Paula, and Purna Saggurti, and Chairman of Global Corporate and Investment Banking, Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
Global celebrities gather for the wedding of Mukesh Ambani's son https://t.co/dj338KUOuH
— Reuters India (@ReutersIndia) March 9, 2019
Former UK PM Tony Blair with wife Cherie at the Akash Ambani and Shloka Mehta wedding. pic.twitter.com/s3gAZSnuFX
— Femina (@FeminaIndia) March 9, 2019
The wedding took place at the Ambani home, the 27-storey Antilia building in Mumbai, which cost an estimated $1 billion to build.
While there were plenty of international names in attendance, what would a big, fat Indian wedding be without some Bollywood love?
The world’s favourite Bollywood stars, ranging from the Khans to the new generation of super stars Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra, were dressed to the nines to help the Ambanis celebrate.
Deepika Padukone.
The wedding, once again a multiple day event included the sangeet held on March 4 at the Ambani residence Antilia with nearly 1,600 guests. The following evening, Isha Ambani’s in-laws, the Piramals of Piramal Enterprises Ltd, reportedly hosted a special evening for the bride and groom.
The March 7 event was the traditional henna party, which was followed by the wedding on March 9 at the Jio World Centre, Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) in Mumbai.
Akash Ambani’s pre-wedding party in St Moritz, Switzerland earlier this year saw private performances by Coldplay, The Chainsmokers and Maroon 5. This was preceded by a string of parties in Mumbai when they got engaged in June 2018.
