INSIDE DETAILS OF THE PRE-WEDDING PARTY IN JAMNAGAR
Celebrations have started in Jamnagar, Gujarat, on India’s west coast, for what is set to be the wedding of the year.
Anant Ambani, 28, the youngest son of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani and his wife Nita Ambani, is set to wed Radhika Merchant, 29, the daughter of industrialist Viren Merchant.
The wedding is not until July 12 in Mumbai, but a three-day pre-wedding bash is to start on Friday and runs until Sunday.
A nine-page event guide and wardrobe planner – including a detailed visual mood board – sent to guests and seen by The National offers an overview of what to expect at the celebration.
All guests will travel to Jamnagar on chartered flights departing from Mumbai or New Delhi. Flights began ferrying guests between 8am and 1pm from each city on Thursday.
“In order to accommodate everyone’s luggage, we ask you to pack consciously, with one item of hand luggage and one piece of hold luggage per person, or three total suitcases per couple,” the guide suggests. “If you bring more luggage, we cannot guarantee it will arrive on the same flight as you, but we will do our best to bring it in at the earliest.”
All three nights of celebrations will be themed. Day one is called An Evening in Everland, with the dress code “elegant cocktail”.
There will be two events on day two. The first is called A Walk on the Wildside, with the suggested dress code as “jungle fever”. Set to be held outdoors in the Ambanis’ animal rescue centre in Jamnagar, guests are advised to wear comfortable shoes and clothing for this event. Revellers will then swap their safari-themed outfits for more glamorous ones for Mela Rouge. Mela in Hindi means “festival”. For this, the dress code is “dazzling desi romance”, suggesting glamorous traditional South Asian attires for all.
The final day will also comprise two events. The first, Tusker Trails, suggests “casual chic” clothing, as guests are expected to explore the lush environs of Jamnagar.
The final party, Hashtakshar, which means “signature”, calls for an elegant evening with heritage Indianwear. Guests will
also have access to laundry services including the express steaming of clothes, the guide says. Hairstylists, sari drapers and make-up services will also be available on-site.
Celebrations began last month in Jamnagar with Lagan Lakhvanu. During the Gujarati ceremony, the official wedding invitation is first offered to the gods to seek their blessing, before it is sent to guests.
Bride-to-be Merchant wore a custom lehenga by Indian designer Anamika Khanna featuring handwoven flowers.
While details of the actual wedding are unconfirmed, Rihanna is rumoured to be performing at the event, along with Punjabi star Diljit Dosanjh and Bollywood stars including Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor.
After all, the Ambanis are not known to cut corners. Anant’s sister Isha Ambani’s starstudded seven billion rupee nuptials in 2018 is still the most expensive Indian wedding of all time and included a performance by Beyonce.