In slickness and in wealth: Behind the scenes at Ambani-style billionaire weddings

Years of planning, facial recognition invites and immersive guest experiences, UAE wedding experts reveal what goes into super-rich celebrations

From customised gowns to opulent decor in five-star properties such as Four Seasons Dubai, high-profile weddings are not uncommon in the UAE. Photo: Couture Events Worldwide

The 18-month-long Ambani wedding saga will culminate in a three-day extravaganza in Mumbai this weekend. All eyes will continue to be on billionaire groom Anant Ambani and his bride Radhika Merchant as they welcome thousands of A-list guests to their nuptials.

Having already enjoyed live performances from Rihanna and Justin Bieber (who were rumoured to have been paid $7 million and $10 million respectively, according to the BBC), the couple also hosted guests on a cruise through Europe with performances by the Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry and David Guetta thrown in as part of the pre-wedding festivities.

“The turnaround time for a wedding in the UAE is about four to six months or up to eight months for an uber-luxury wedding,” says Hannah Connolley, owner and chief executive of UAE-headquartered Couture Events Worldwide, which conceptualises and hosts events and weddings for ultra-high net worth individuals (UHNWIs). “For the Ambani wedding, I would estimate it was an 18-month to two-year process. Ultimately, they know they’re putting on a global show.”

Wedding planning app Bridebook.com has estimated the total cost of the Ambani wedding in the range of $664 million, including everything from catering and clothing to performers, photographers and decor.

So, what does it take to throw a grand wedding of the size, cost and magnitude of the Ambani-Merchant nuptials? The National speaks to wedding experts who have worked with UHNWIs to find out what goes on behind the scenes of a billionaire-worthy wedding.

Customised dress

When it comes to putting together a billionaire wedding, Hollie Briant, owner of the appointment-only Dubai bridal atelier You&I Bridal and Dazed & Engaged, says the super-rich tend not to shop around because the decision-making process has already been streamlined for them.

“As soon as they contact me, I know if they’re a high net worth client,” she says of the gown-buying process. “Normally it’s their public relations team or their personal assistant who arranges the appointment, and I’m not given much information before the client turns up. If they like what they see, they go with it. They don’t tend to shop around maybe because they don’t have the time.”

Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant on the red carpet during their sangeet ceremony at Jio World Centre in Mumbai. Reuters

Once chosen, the bride’s dresses (usually between two and four) are customised, with no expense spared.

Briant says: “One of my brides had two customised dresses. She fell in love with the pattern and beading on the evening dress and so the pattern was sketched out and she gave it to her wedding planner to have it printed on the venue’s dance floor, candles and other decor, as well as on the menus.”

The handmade train for another bride’s gown, Briant says, was so heavy with embellished glass beading, that a carpenter was engaged to build a custom-made box for it to be shipped from New Zealand to Dubai.

Viral moments

The ultra-wealthy aren’t looking to follow trends, they want to create them

Hannah Connolley,
owner and chief executive, Couture Events Worldwide

Even the smallest wedding budget usually accommodates a photographer and videographer to capture as much of the day as possible. For a billionaire wedding, the visual media team is expanded to include dozens of photographers, videographers, drone operators and, most importantly, social media and content creation teams.

“Before social media, we would have a team of photographers and videographers to capture the day, and now we add in a content creation team too,” says Connolley. “These days, people understand what they can achieve through social media for their personal, family or business brands. It’s about creating not just something beautiful, but also something that will be seen all over the world.”

Capturing moments in a bid for them to go viral means preparation is key for Connolley, who has organised weddings for the Omani royal family, as well as the super-wealthy in Portugal, the UK, France, Italy and the UAE.

“There used to be four main components that the bride and groom wanted captured – the bride walking down the aisle, the ring exchange, the cake cutting and the first dance,” she says. “Now there are so many more moments, such as the florists setting up and the wedding parties getting ready.

“We work with the content creation team on ideas for short-form videos of five to 30 seconds that could go viral in order to prepare and know exactly when and where everything will happen.”

Events and weddings co-ordinator Hannah Connolley says social media teams and immersive guest experiences are vital components of billionaire weddings. Photo: Hannah Connolley

Albir Barhoum, assistant director of conference and events at Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi, says: “Elements such as live streaming, drone photography and interactive digital displays have become increasingly popular, enhancing both the experience and the documentation of the event.

These technological advancements allow couples to share their special day with a broader audience, capture stunning aerial views and create dynamic, interactive environments that leave a lasting impression on all who attend.”

Anti-gatecrasher invites

A billionaire wedding nearly always involves super-wealthy, influential and famous guests, and so requires high levels of security. Ensuring the safety and privacy of world-renowned names from politics, business, cinema and technology means a paper invitation no longer cuts it.

“For weddings of this scale, the guest list will comprise prominent figures and, although the venue will be private, security is paramount,” says Connolley. “We’ve organised weddings where they have facial recognition instead of an invitation. One was a royal wedding where guests had invitations they had to bring on the day, with the police on hand to check them.

"The invites featured real gold foil and you can’t imagine how many fake ones we were presented with on the day," she adds. "Someone had even got a gold pen and drawn around the edges to try to recreate the real thing. The lengths people will go to to get in can’t be underestimated.”

A crucial aspect of the modern billionaire wedding is placing the importance of the guest experience on a par with that of the bride and groom’s, with “immersive” emerging as the buzzword when it comes to drawing guests to the event.

From vintage cars to bespoke invitations, wedding planners are roped in to include standout elements. Photo: Couture Events Worldwide

“In addition to breathtaking locations, there's a strong focus on providing guests with a culturally immersive ambience, allowing them to partake in a global journey, making the event more engaging and memorable,” says Barhoum.

Souraya Beydoun, events manager at The Ritz-Carlton Dubai, adds: “We get some amazing requests when it comes to planning weddings for our high net worth guests – celebrity performances, fireworks, custom-built structures, luxury gifts, personalised tech gadgets and immersive themes and environments.”

Having helped organise a 10-day wedding for 1,200 guests, which featured more than 1,500 members of staff and required a crane to lift installations into place; a three-day wedding for a royal family who hired their own plane to fly guests in; and a private island wedding for 20 people that was arranged in nine days, Connolley says, for her, the immersive guest experience is the next step in weddings for the super-wealthy.

“The guests become involved rather than just being onlookers,” she says. “The ultra-wealthy aren’t looking to follow trends, they want to create them. A lot of clients don’t necessary know what they want for the wedding, but they know that they want it to go viral and create something people have not seen before.”