Mukesh Ambani is India's richest man: and today, his son Akash will wed businesswoman Shloka Metha (daughter of diamond mogul Russell) in Mumbai. It is sure to be a truly lavish ceremony, or, rather, series of ceremonies.
Here's what we know so far...
The dates and times
The official wedding invitation of Akash and Shloka has widely circulated, and it says there are three days of wedding celebrations.
Saturday, March 9 is the wedding ceremony: the groom's procession will meet at 3.30pm at the five star Trident Hotel Bandra Kurla. The wedding ceremony will take place at Jio World exhibition centre in Bandra Kurla - there will be a high tea at 6.30pm and the ceremony is expected to be at 7.30pm.
Sunday March 10 is all about the wedding celebrations: this will be the lavish party portion of the week, also held at Jio World Centre. And then, on Monday March 11 there will another post-wedding reception, also at Jio World Centre, hosted by both of the families.
On the invitation, Mukesh and his wife Nita wrote: "As parents, our wish for them is for their love to grow stronger, their friendship deeper and their smiles brighter every single day."
This Instagram shows Altamont Road in Mumbai truly decked out for the event:
The sangeet
The sangeet and mehendi ceremonies were private affairs on Thursday night, but a video going viral on social media does give a glimpse of what the night was like, showing bride-to-be Shloka performing with her mother and sisters on an ornate gold and pink stage:
The gifts
While we don't yet, and likely never will know what gifts the wealthy young couple receive from their guests, we do know that the Ambani family have given out presents as part of the celebration.
Mukesh, who is the chairman of Reliance Industries, a multi-billion dollar company, sent nearly 50,000 boxes of sweets to Mumbai Police stations across the city.
The message on the boxes read: "On the joyous occasion of the wedding of Akash with Shloka, we seek your blessings and good wishes, Nita & Mukesh Ambani, Isha, Anand & Anant."
Also, the couple hosted an 'anna seva' at Jio World Centre earlier this week, where nearly 2,000 underprivileged children were served dinner:
The occasion was the opening of Dhirubhai Ambani Square, and also saw the unveiling of a fountain show featuring Bollywood classic Jai Ho:
Watch from 13 minutes to see the Jai Ho fountain performance:
The guestlist
The attendees of the wedding are sure to be a who's-who of Bollywood: Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Janhvi Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Malaika Arora, Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Katrina Kaif and Anil Kapoor are all expected to attend according to Times Now.
There are also some international names flying in for the occasion: UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon and his wife will attend, as will former British PM Tony Blair and his wife Cherie, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and his wife Anjali will also likely be there.
Google CEO Sundar posted this on Instagram yesterday, confirming that he is in India:
Another Ambani wedding
As a flashback, here are photos of Isha Ambani and Anand Piranal's December 2018 wedding:
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Mukesh Ambani, the Chairman of Reliance Industries, his wife Nita Ambani, their daughter Isha Ambani and her husband Anand Piramal, heir to a real-estate and pharmaceutical business, pose during Isha and Anand's wedding reception in Mumbai, India. Photo: Reuters -
The happy couple. Photo: AFP -
Hema Malini (C) with daughters Esha Deol (L) and Ahana Deol (R) -
Jitendra Kapoor (L), producer Ekta Kapoor (C) and actor Tusshar Kapoor (R). Photo: AFP -
Actor Neil Mukesh (L) with his father, singer Nitin Mukesh -
Dia Mirza with husband Sahil Sangha attend the wedding reception of Isha Ambani, whose father is tycoon Mukesh Ambani, with Anand Piramal, son of Indian billionaire industrialist Ajay Piramal. Photo: AFP -
Isha Ambani and her new husband Anand Piramal at their wedding reception. Photo: Reuters -
Indian politician Kapil Sibal (L) and Anil Ambani (R) greet each other at the reception -
From left, Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, his wife Nita Ambani, his daughter Isha, groom Anand Piramal, and his mother Swati Piramal. Photo: AP -
Indian politician Kapil Sibal attends the wedding reception of Isha Ambani. Photo: AFP -
Indian badminton player Saina Nehwal was there. Photo: AFP -
Mukesh Ambani (L) and musician A.R. Rahman (R). Photo: AFP -
Actor Riteish Deshmukh attends the wedding reception of Isha Ambani, whose father is tycoon Mukesh Ambani, with Anand Piramal, son of Indian billionaire industrialist Ajay Piramal. Photo: AFP -
Indian politician Farooq Abdullah (C) walking into the wedding reception of Isha Ambani. Photo: AFP -
Actress Dia Mirza attends the wedding reception of Isha Ambani. Photo: AFP -
Indian classical Sarod player Amjad Ali Khan (L) and retired Police Service officer and politician Kiran Bedi (R). Photo: AFP -
Ajay Piramal (L) and Anil Ambani (R). Photo: AFP -
Indian businessman Mukesh Ambani (L) with wife Nita Ambani (2nd L), and father of the groom Ajay Piramal (2nd R) and Anil Ambani (R). Photo: AFP -
Indian Cricketer Zaheer Khan with his wife, actress Sagarika Ghatge. Photo: AFP -
Indian politician Mehbooba Mufti. Photo: AFP -
The newlyweds. Photo: AFP -
Bollywood actress Tina Munim (L). Photo: AFP -
Politician Manohar Lal Khattar -
Director Subhash Ghai (L) and his family -
Mukesh Ambani (L), Nita Ambani (2L), businessman Ajay Piramal (1R) and Swati Piramal (2R) -
Isha Ambani (L) and Anand Piramal (R), son of Indian billionaire industrialist Ajay Piramal, during their second Mumbai reception -
Nita Ambani and Mukesh Ambani -
Singer Hariharan at the wedding reception of Isha Ambani -
The Ambanis with the new couple. -
Nita Ambani (L), Kokilaben Ambani (C) and Anil Ambani (R) -
Bollywood actor Sunny Deol -
And finally, Gulita, a bungalow that, according to local media, will be the marital home of Isha Ambani, daughter of the Chairman of Reliance Industries Mukesh Ambani. Photo: Reuters
