They put every royal wedding to shame

When Radhika Merchant enters the hall on a boat, you don’t even know where to look: Is it the gorgeous hall with a live band playing and Indian singer Shreya Ghosha singing along to the music? Is it a gorgeous peacock shape on the boat? Or is it the bride in a large white gown with countless red embroidery?

The bride’s entrance was not the first, nor the last, eye-catching event at this wedding. This could be Bollywood meets the Oscars. Grammy Awards Meet the royal wedding. Or, to put it more simply, probably the most expensive wedding of the year. Because money doesn’t matter to Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant. Both come from wealthy Indian business families; Ambani’s father is even the richest man in Asia, with an estimated fortune of $120 billion. The world should also see this wealth at this wedding.

Ambani and Merchant tied the knot in Mumbai on Friday, and the celebrations will last all weekend. They are the highlight of one of the world’s longest pre-wedding parties: the couple has been celebrating the upcoming big event for more than 130 days. The pre-wedding celebrations are already a foreshadowing of the actual wedding. Among other things, it was kicked off RihannaKaty Perry and Justin Bieber put on a multi-million dollar show in front of the couple’s guests, with one party taking place on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean.

The guest list of the wedding was accordingly eye-catching: Hollywood actor John Cena was in the photos and videos on social networks. Indian actress Priyanka Chopra came with her husband, American singer Nick Jonas. Not to be missed were Kim Kardashian and Khloe Kardashian, who entered the hall led by the groom’s mother as if they were members of the royal family. Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson FIFA President Gianni Infantino came with his family and danced with Indian actor Ranveer Singh.

Details of the celebrations were unclear, but traditional Hindu ceremonies were held on Friday. The motto was “Ode to Varanasi”. For Hindus, it is the holiest city in the country. MumbaiParts of the pilgrimage town were even rebuilt where the wedding reception was held. According to media reports, street vendors from cities more than a thousand kilometers away also provided food. Performances by American artists are still expected at the party on Saturday. There are rumors about Adele, Drake and Lana Del Rey.

According to various media estimates, the cost of the wedding was as high as $600 million. While fans of the family on social networks eagerly awaited the next clip of the wedding and were delighted by the international attention paid to Indian culture, the extravagance also attracted criticism: among other things, many important streets in Mumbai were closed for the celebrations. There were also complaints about the growing inequality in the distribution of wealth in Indian society. The mass wedding organized by the Ambanis a week ago for 50 poor couples could not offset this.

The couple themselves seemed to enjoy their wedding. Photos showed the couple dancing together for the first time on Friday, with Radhika Merchant smiling broadly at her husband. On Saturday, Merchant promised Ambani that their home would be “not just a place, but a feeling of love and togetherness,” according to the Times of India. Ambani, in turn, promised his wife that the couple would build “their dream home” together. They would not be short of money.