How much did the Ambanis spend for the Ambani-Merchant wedding?

It’s hard to believe it’s already been a year since Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant tied the knot in what many dubbed “India’s own royal wedding.”On 12 July 2024, Mumbai witnessed a spectacle of unmatched scale, hosted across the towering Antilia residence and the sprawling Jio Convention Centre. The groom, Anant, youngest son of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani and philanthrop Nita Ambani, married Radhika, daughter of Viren Merchant, a respected figure in India’s healthcare industry.
From the outset, it was made clear that this wasn’t going to be just another celebrity wedding. The New York Times even described it as “Indias’ own Gilded Age.”
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Estimates suggest the Ambanis spent between 0 million to billion, an eye-watering figure any standard, but just 0.5% of their total net worth.(Express File/Varinder Chawla)
The wedding celebrations began months before the big day. In early March 2024, guests flew to Jamnagar, Gujarat, for the first pre-wedding celebration; an extravagant three-day affair hosted at Vantara, the family’s animal rescue sanctuary. Guests were asked to dress in “jungle fever” attire, fitting for the lush, forested surroundings. On stage, the who’s who of Bollywood entertained: Shah Rukh Khan, Diljit Dosanjh, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and Rihanna, no less, who performed her first full-length concert in eight years.
Then in May, the celebrations quite literally took off, on a Mediterranean cruise with 1,200 friends and family. Surprise performances from the Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry, and Pitbull lit up the evenings. It felt more like a music festival than a pre-wedding party.
In every event leading up to the wedding, Radhika Merchant’s outfits shined just as bright. For her haldi ceremony, she wore a dupatta made of real marigolds and jasmine buds. Just imagine: 90 marigold blooms and thousands of jasmine petals, woven together hand.
At the sangeet, she wore a golden Manish Malhotra lehenga, embellished with over 25,000 Swarovski crystals. For one of the cruise events, she donned a futuric gold gown Grace Ling, made using aerospace aluminium technology. And in what many fans called a poetic gesture, Radhika wore a custom gown Robert Wun, printed with a love letter from Anant written to her on her 22nd birthday. Styled Rhea Kapoor, that look became one of the most talked-about fashion moments of the year.Story continues below this ad
Kim and Khloe at the Ambani wedding (Photo: Kim/Instagram)
On the wedding day itself, Radhika’s lehenga, designed Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla, showcased Gujarati tradition in all its glory. The intricate zardozi, the five-metre head veil, the “AR” monogram brooch (for Anant-Radhika), every detail was symbolic. Her post-wedding lehenga was a true work of art: hand-painted across 12 Italian canvas panels celebrated art Jayasri Burman, featuring mythological motifs, animals (especially elephants), and celestial figures representing the couple.
Luxury, but in context
So, how much did it all cost? Estimates suggest the Ambanis spent between $600 million to $1 billion, an eye-watering figure any standard, but just 0.5% of their total net worth. For perspective, many Indian families typically spend 5–15% of their net worth on a wedding.
Twelve months on, the Ambani-Merchant wedding continues to linger in public imagination.