(From left to right) Anand Piramal, Mukesh Ambani, Radhika Merchant, Anant Ambani ), Neeta Ambani, Isha Ambani Piramal, Shloka Mehta Ambani and Akash An Akash Ambani poses to the media during a red carpet ceremony to celebrate Anant Ambani and Radhika at Ambani’s Antilia residence in Mumbai, India on January 19, 2023 .
Indiram Aditya | Associated Press
The son of Asia’s richest man is set to marry his fiancée this weekend and has stunned the world with the lavish events leading up to and during the wedding.
Anant Ambani, the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani, the billionaire chairman of India’s Reliance Industries, is to marry Encore Healthcare owner Viren Viren Merchant’s daughter Radhika Merchant gets married.
Onlookers were mesmerized by their extravagant spending on their pre-wedding celebrations. This is included in Ambani’s hometown In March, a banquet in Jamnagar in the western Indian state of Gujarat was attended by 1,200 guests. These include elites like Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Bollywood stars like Shah Rukh Khan.
According to the BBC, guests enjoyed 2,000 dishes, a performance by singer Rihanna and a tour of the family’s animal sanctuary.
The couple has since embarked on a luxury cruise across the Mediterranean with guests and recently held another pre-wedding bash in Mumbai, where singer Justin Bieber also performed.
Mukesh Ambani has a $120 billion wealth It is estimated that the entire wedding cost millions of dollars. The billionaire family has highlighted the glitz and glamor of Indian weddings on the world stage and sparked curiosity about why weddings are so important in Indian culture.
Priya Suglani, founder of London-based event and wedding planning company Pristine Events, told CNBC Make It, “Indian tradition and culture is based on family values and bringing everyone together.”
“It’s a very family-oriented culture that embraces everyone, which is why they (weddings) are really big.”
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Additionally, Indian weddings look spectacular as Indians tend to have large families, various religious and cultural events, and colorful clothing and jewelry. Karishma Manwaniis an Indian luxury wedding planning company based in London.
“The combination of these things makes these weddings look so glamorous… You can have an empty room and have all your guests walk in and there will be so much color. Everyone will walk away with their saris Go in, sparkle, these jewels will make the space come alive,” Manwani told CNBC Make It.
“Even the smallest wedding can look very glamorous and colorful,” she adds.
Manwani plans weddings for wealthy clients who typically spend between £200,000 ($258,000) and more than £1 million, while Suglani said her clients spend between £40,000 and £130,000.
Manwani and Sukrani explain the culture and traditions of large weddings in India.
“This is the beginning of a new life for the couple”
Manwani said that in Indian culture, weddings and funerals are the two biggest events and no one refuses to attend them.
“This is the beginning of a new life for the couple,” Manwani explained.
“Especially from the bride’s perspective. In Hindu culture, they say you have two lives. One is the life you were born into, you have two families, the one you were born into and the one you were born into .
Manwani explained that parents save for years for their children’s weddings, some starting from the time their children are born, as this is the only occasion they spend money.
“Indians generally don’t spend a lot of money in their daily lives,” she said. “They are very simple people. They take a vacation once a year, but most of the time, they go back to their homes.”
“A wedding is the only time, especially a daughter’s wedding and a son’s wedding, where they can thank others or show their status.”
“The guest is God”
Manwani pointed out that there is a saying in India that “the guest is God”, which is the code of conduct in Hindu society.
“Indian couples and parents treat every guest as if they are gods,” she said. “The only request I get from my clients is ‘My guests are coming from afar. I want them to have the best time. I want them to be taken care of. I don’t want them to think about anything.'”
This means offering a variety of food to suit the needs of all guests, whether they are vegetarian or vegan; providing welcome baskets in hotel rooms, as well as other amenities such as safety pins, sari curtains or hair and Makeup services.
The strong emphasis on hospitality also stems from Indians building communities wherever they go, especially those living abroad.
“They build this community around them, their neighbors, their store neighbors, the people who work in the store. If you have a garage and the people who work there, they treat them like family,” she said.
“Weddings are the one time in your life you get the chance to give back to everyone because you’re invited to so many weddings, you’re invited to so many people’s homes, you’re taken care of.”
status symbol
Sukrani said there is a sense of pride in having a wedding in Indian culture. Although this does not apply to all Indians, some families want to showcase their efforts and family success.
“There are certainly families who hold these large events to showcase their status, wealth and status,” Sukrani said.
“Especially if it’s the first wedding or first grandchild in their family, like people really want to go all out because it’s a special, important moment.”
Manwani added that Indians don’t usually go all out on other life events like birthday parties or anniversaries, so a wedding is the one time they can show off. “It’s a status symbol,” Manwani said. “It’s a way to show status. It’s to show that this is us, this is our family, this is what we do.”
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