A billionaire’s son’s pre-wedding party could rival a pre-GRAMMYs party. Heck, it can rival a pre-Oscars party and a G20 Summit. Combined.
There’s no other way to put it, really, with what’s going down in Gujarat, India, — some 17 hours south of New Delhi — where, according to Reuters, the likes of Rihanna, Hillary Clinton, Bill Gates, David Blaine and Mark Zuckerberg descended upon to celebrate the pre-nuptials of Anant Ambani, 28, and Radhika Merchant, 29.
The over-the-top weekend soiree is courtesy of Anant’s father, the billionaire Mukesh Ambani, who is just over the moon about his youngest son’s pending nuptials. Mukesh is a big deal in India. He’s Asia’s richest man with a net worth at whopping $114 billion, according to Forbes. Mukesh is the chairman of Reliance Industries, an energy conglomerate. The bride’s father, Viren Merchant, is a wealthy businessman and CEO of the pharmaceuticals and healthcare company, Encore Healthcare Private Limited.
While the wedding is not scheduled until July, the pre-wedding festivities kicked off this week, beginning Wednesday when the bride and groom reportedly hosted a town of some 50,000 residents with a communal dinner.
Fast forward to Friday, where some 1,200 guests enjoyed a live performance from RiRi, who wowed the crowd with a performance of her 2012 hit, “Pour It Up.” An eyewitness tells 360aproko “Rihanna performed for about 40 minutes at the pre-wedding. She was happy to be back performing with a smile. She had her own energy and aura onstage. While singing ‘Diamonds’ she had fireworks in the background, which was the cherry on top.”
The eyewitness added, “It was a little remake of her Super Bowl performance, which was iconic. People near the front of the stage were singing along. She performed barefoot, which was an homage to the Indian culture. She didn’t have any wardrobe changes but added a pink cap at the end of her performance.”
Some other high-profile guests include Disney CEO Bob Iger, Ivanka Trump and a slew of Bollywood stars. Reuters reported that Blaine is also expected to perform. Guests for Friday’s celebration are also reportedly slated to enjoy some 500 dishes curated by some 100 chefs.
It’s also been reported that guests were handed a nine-page dress code for the weekend’s festivities, which includes visiting a rescue center housing more than 2,000 animals. That rescue center is also home to one of the world’s largest elephant hospitals. That outing’s theme called for a “jungle fever” dress code, as in animal print clothing or Hawaiian shirts.
The third day will feature a nature outing, per The Times of London, where they’ll be within close proximity of big cats, reptiles and elephants.
Reuters also reported that guests were whisked from New Delhi and Mumbai in private jets, but were told to limit luggage to just one per person or three per couple. The big soiree also included laundry service upon arrival, though guests were warned that “any clothes given to steam (press) will be returned within 3 hours” and that “expecting or requesting anything quicker than that may not be feasible.”
By the way, if this extravagant affair sounds eerily familiar it’s because Mukesh threw his daughter, Isha Ambani, an equally ritzy wedding back in 2018. That wedding’s musical performance was provided by none other than Beyoncé.
But Beyoncé wasn’t the only celebrity in attendance! Hilary Clinton, Deepika Padukone and then-newlyweds Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas also watched the lovebirds tie the knot.
At the time, Mukesh was only worth a paltry $42 billion.
