Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and Ivanka Trump were among the high-profile international figures who flew to India for billionaire heir Anant Ambani’s extravagant pre-marriage celebration, which concluded on Sunday.
Featuring performances from pop sensation Rihanna and illusionist David Blaine, the three-day event welcomed approximately 1,200 guests from Silicon Valley, Bollywood, and beyond, with cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar and actor Shah Rukh Khan among the numerous Indian celebrities seen in attendance.
Ambani is the youngest son of Asia’s wealthiest man, Mukesh Ambani, who boasts an estimated fortune of $117 billion, according to Forbes. The 28-year-old serves as a director at an energy business operated by Reliance, the Indian conglomerate established by his grandfather.
Despite Ambani and his 29-year-old girlfriend Radhika Merchant not tying the knot until July, no expense was spared at the lavish pre-marriage celebration. Guests were treated to 500 dishes crafted by around 100 chefs, as reported by Reuters, which obtained a copy of a planning document provided to invitees.
The weekend’s festivities took place in Jamnagar, located in the western state of Gujarat, near Reliance’s primary oil refinery.
The city’s airport, which typically handles fewer than 10 flights a day, experienced a surge in activity. In a post on X Saturday, airport authorities stated that around 130 flights had arrived for the extravagant event.
Chartered jets from New Delhi and Mumbai were made available to guests, Reuters reported, as were the services of hair stylists, makeup artists, and drapers.
The charitable arm of the Ambani family’s business, the Reliance Foundation, said that weavers had been enlisted to produce “a tapestry of dreams” for the wedding, while visually impaired artisans had been hired to create candles for guests.
A new Hindu temple complex is being constructed specifically for the wedding and will later be opened to the public, the NGO added.
On Wednesday, the Ambani family hosted a communal dinner for more than 50,000 villagers.
