Celebrations have kicked up a notch 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, one of the world's richest men, and his wife Nita Ambani, is set to wed Radhika Merchant, 29, the daughter of industrialist Viren Merchant.
While the wedding is not until July 12 in Mumbai, a three-day pre-wedding bash will be held in Jamnagar from March 1 to 3.
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 Jamnagar celebration.
Here's what we know.
Chartered flights
All guests will travel to Jamnagar on chartered flights departing from Mumbai or Delhi. Several flights will ferry attendees between 8am and 1pm from each city on March 1.
“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, adding: “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."
Themed nights
All three nights of celebrations will be themed. Day 1 is called An Evening in Everland, with the dress code listed as “elegant cocktail”.
There will be two events on Day 2, 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.
Invitees 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 one, Tusker Trails, suggests “casual chic” dressing, as guests are expected to further explore the lush environs of Jamnagar.
The final party, Hashtakshar, which means “signature”, calls for an elegant evening with heritage Indianwear.
All guests will also have access to a range of laundry services including express steaming of clothes, the guide says.
Hairstylists, sari drapers and make-up services will also be available on site.
But, despite the detailed wardrobe suggestions, guests are free to wear whatever they are comfortable in, the guide concludes, “as we would like you to enjoy each moment to the fullest and make beautiful memories that last a lifetime”.
Celebrations begin
Celebrations began in Jamnagar with the lagan lakhvanu ceremony held last week. During the traditional Gujarati ceremony, the official wedding invite is first offered to the gods to seek their blessing, before it is sent out to guests.
Bride-to-be Merchant wore a stunning custom lehenga by Indian designer Anamika Khanna featuring handwoven flowers as a nod to the venue. Khanna also designed the dresses for Isha and her mother Nita, as well as Shloka Mehta Ambani, the wife of Isha's twin Akash.
While details of the actual wedding are unconfirmed, Rihanna is rumoured to be performing at the event, along with Punjabi star Diljit Dosanjh and a bevy of Bollywood stars, including Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor.
After all, the Ambanis are not known to cut corners. For context, Anant's sister Isha Ambani's star-studded 7 billion rupee nuptials in 2018, is still the most expensive Indian wedding of all time, and included a performance by Beyonce.
