Exclusive Insights from Ambani Wedding: Couturiers and Jewellers Reveal All

The nearly year long eventful engagement of Anant Ambani, the youngest son of India's richest man Mukesh Ambani, with pharmaceutical heiress Radhika Merchant concluded last weekend with three-day long nuptial celebrations that could rival any royal wedding in history. Adorned in traditional Indian attire and exquisite jewellery crafted from the finest fabrics and rarest of gems by the most skilled couturiers and jewellers, India’s wealthiest family presented a contemporary narrative of the grandiose Indian wedding for the world to remember.

The wedding vows were exchanged at the sprawling Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai, a 103,012-square-metre venue owned by the Ambani family. On the wedding day, the venue resonated with live performances by world-renowned Indian classical singers and musicians. as the groom’s family welcomed thousands of guests, some flown in by private jets from around the world - former British Prime ministers Tony Blair & Boris Johnson, Hollywood celebrities Kim Kardashian, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Nick Jonas, John Cena and prominent Indian politicians.

Bollywood’s biggest celebrities danced to the beats of the ‘Dhool’ (Indian drums) with groom Anant Ambani, as he made a grand entry with his ‘Baarat’ (groom’s party), dressed in bespoke ‘Sherwani’ (Indian ethnic wear) crafted in silk threads and real silver sequins by renowned Indian couturiers Abu Jani & Sandeep Khosla (AJSK). 

The wedding vows ceremony took place within the expansive halls of the venue, adorned with millions of flowers and intricate sets replicating royal Indian heritage architecture. As the "Lagan and Pheras" (wedding vows) ceremony began, the air was filled with live chanting of ancient Sanskrit verses, sung by dozens of Indian priests.

The radiant bride looked ethereal in a "Panetar" - a traditional red and white ensemble worn by Gujarati brides, "Its pristine ivory palette was infused with vermilion red colour, which symbolises auspiciousness and eternal love and romance", explained AJSK in an interaction with Luxury Tribune. To complement the Panetar, Radhika chose heirloom jewellery crafted from uncut diamonds and emeralds, pieces previously worn by her mother and elder sister on their wedding days.

Both Amant's and Radhika's family lineages are from the western Indian state of Gujarat.

Every little detail for the multi-day wedding festivities was planned years in advance for picture perfect moments. For instance, the wedding day jewellery masterpieces such as the 100-carat yellow-diamond jewellery-set adorned by Mrs Nita Ambani, the mother of the groom, and the massive pink and white diamond necklace worn by Isha Ambani, sister of the groom, on the wedding day, were handcrafted by a team of 100 skilled artisans for thousands of hours at the atelier of their family jeweller, Kantilal Chhotala.

In an exclusive interaction with Luxury Tribune, Mumbai based Kahini Mehta, creative director, Kantilal Chhotalal revealed that over the years, Nita Ambani has meticulously curated a collection of rare blue, pink, purple, yellow, orange, and green diamonds from across the globe. “Her vision for the (yellow-diamond) necklace was to create a piece where each unique stone could be highlighted, allowing its individual beauty to shine”, she said. For the earrings made with a pair of 100 and 80 carat yellow diamonds, Mehta used a unique portrait-cut on the diamonds. “The Portrait-cut on Mrs Nita Ambani’s large diamonds was favoured by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. It is an exquisite piece of artistry where the facets are so finely cut that they appear almost invisible, mirroring the clarity of glass”, she explained. Shah Jahan was one of the greatest Mughal emperors of India. It was during his rule that the Taj Mahal was built.