In March, the Ambani family hosted a three-day pre-wedding weekend and hastakshar at their home in Jamnagar, Gujarat. The party began with a dinner in a grand glass structure of the family compound which resembled Palm House in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden—a favorite place of the bride-to-be when she was a college student in New York City. Afterwards, Rihanna performed. The next day, they held lunch on the grounds of Anant’s animal sanctuary, Vantara. At night, they held a Mela Rogue-themed party, a playful spin on the film Rogue. On Sunday, it was time for their formal hastakshar. The bride-to-be wore a concept sari by Tarun Tahiliani. Afterward, Anant’s mother performed a Bharatanatyam-style dance for the crowd. It was an emotional end to an emotional weekend for the couple: “It added to the divinity of the night—all in the temple where we spent so many special moments during the last seven years together,” Radhika says.
In May, the Ambanis threw a second pre-wedding weekend. While their first weekend was centered around a religious ceremony, this weekend was more about fun: “It was a retreat for the people that have contributed to our life in different ways,” Radhika Merchant says of the event. The 1,200-person guest list included their friends and family, as well as employees at the Ambani family company Reliance Industries; the Merchant family company of Encore Healthcare; and Anant’s animal sanctuary Vantara. Even the family’s doctors were on board. “We had people from the ages of six months going up to 90 years,” Radhika says. The cruise made stops in multiple European locales, including Portofino and Cannes.
This month, Radhika told that there will be multiple pujas (a prayer ritual for good luck) as well as a traditional sangeet ceremony later this month. The official wedding of Radhika and Anant will take place in mid-July in India. It’s no exaggeration to say that the world will be watching.
