Nick Jonas, John Cena, and More at Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's Extravagant Wedding

Following the fabulous pre-wedding party featuring a special performance by Rihanna in March 2024, the celebration is yet to stop for the biggest Indian wedding of the era between groom Anant Ambani and bride Radhika Merchant. 

The son of Mukesh Ambani—one of the most high-profile business tycoons in India—and Merchant celebrated their engagement in early 2023, and kicked off 2024 with a lavish pre-wedding weekend celebration in March. The event was the first of many pre-wedding parties and was attended by many of India's most renowned celebrities, who mingled with famous figures like Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and Karlie Kloss, among others. 

For the next stage of the pre-wedding celebration, the bride and groom set sail on a cruise around Europe's picturesque coastline accompanied by friends, family, and a guest list with over 800 distinguished names. The cruise, which traveled from Palermo to Portofino, visited Cannes on May 31, where guests disembarked for a short period to attend an extravagant masquerade ball at a £40 million seaside estate.

Although this event celebrating the Radhika Merchant and Anant Ambani wedding clocks in at only five hours, attendees will enjoy a special performance from beloved American singer Katy Perry, who is reportedly walking away from the set with $6 million in compensation. A source close to the couple shared further plans for the evening with The Sun, and said that "Afterwards, guests will watch a huge fireworks display from a small armada of ships waiting in the Bay of Cannes. When they say there’s been no expense spared, they really mean it."

Perry comes in as the latest in a long line of iconic performers who have headlined an Ambani event, with Rihanna and Beyoncé, who sang at Isha Ambani's 2018 wedding. 

During the weekend prior to the ceremony, Justin Bieber performed a show featuring some of his most legendary songs from "Love Yourself" to "Baby" for Anant and Radhika's wedding. In classic Justin Bieber style, he wore a casual tank top under a peach Marni jacket and Willy Chavarria pants. The superstar, who had to cancel his 2023 tour over health issues has performed very little in the past few years, so being able to book him is yet another testament to the lavish and extraordinary capabilities of the Ambant family. After the production, he quickly returned to the United States to spend time with his wife Hailey Bieber, who announced her pregnancy in early May. 

Recipients of the happy couple's wedding invitation have shared details on the itinerary for the July 2024 Indian wedding. The series of marital celebrations began in Mumbai on July 12 with the Shubh Vivaah, a traditional auspicious wedding ceremony, and will continue through July 13 for the Shubh Aashirwad, or divine blessing service, before concluding on July 14 with the Mangal Utsav, or the wedding reception. All three events politely requested that guests arrive in formal Indian wedding attire, so visitors went all out in plenty of vibrant colors, finely crafted jewelry, and intricate embroidery. Several celebrity guests could be seen in this manner of formal attire during the wedding ceremony such as John Cena, Priyanka Chopra, and Nick Jonas on the red carpet. Not to be overlooked is the fact that traditionally, in Indian weddings, attendees are expected to wear different outfits for each event of the day, so expect plenty of variety as the celebrations continue.

Bride Radhika Merchant was expected to don a bespoke designer look in line with traditional Indian wedding styles of fashion, given her custom Versace and Dolce & Gabanna looks seen during the March pre-wedding affair. During a formal ceremony at the buzzy celebration earlier this year, Merchant wore a custom sari by Tarun Tahiliani, and explained her design vision further when she told Vogue: “I wanted to represent a traditional Indian bride but infuse the look with a fresh and contemporary reinterpretation." Given her deep appreciation for fashion trends and traditional styles around the globe, style aficionados predicted that Merchant's Indian wedding attire will be even more extravagant, and they were right. As she tied the knot, Merchant dropped jaws in an Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla ensemble consisting of an intricately woven five-foot veil and 80 inch detachable trail. The look, styled by Rhea Kapoor, was accompanied by a ton of golden and green jewelery for a masterclass in luxury Indian wedding dresses.