The wedding celebrations of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant are underway. First was the $160 million three-day 1,200-guest pre-wedding party in March, starring none other than Rihanna. Then came the $120 million 800-guest cruise of the Mediterranean starring Katy Perry and Backstreet Boys. And this week is the big bash itself.
1 million weddings a year are planned on Bridebook.com, the world’s leading wedding planning app. We’re breaking down what to expect and how much it will all cost.
The Ambani total wedding cost will be $664 million (and that doesn’t include the $1bn venue)! That’s more than 15 times the cost of Harry and Meghan’s $43 million Royal Wedding, and 31,000 times the global average cost of a wedding!
The final wedding event this week is estimated to cost $384m alone. Add that to the $160m spent on the first pre-wedding party in March and the $120m cruise and the total wedding will cost more than half a billion dollars!
5,000 guests
Over 5,000 of the world’s most rich and famous will be descending on Mumbai. Our number crunchers have calculated that it will have the highest wealth per square foot of any event this century.
The most expensive venue in the world: a $1bn wedding venue
Estimated cost: free (but cost $1bn to build!)
The groom’s father owns not only the most expensive house in India, but also the most expensive venue. Built by Mukesh Ambani, the wedding venue is Jio World Convention Centre, which cost a staggering $1bn! Measuring 18.5 acres, it is 10x the size of the Empire State Building. Of the 250,000 wedding venues in the world on Bridebook.com, Jio World is the most expensive wedding venue in the world.
$1,800,000 on luxury toilets
Estimated cost: $1.8m
1,000 designer toilets will be scattered throughout the venue, providing guests with a restroom experience fit for royalty – after all, luxury guests need luxury toilets! At $1,800 per toilet, that’s a princely sum of $1,800,000 dedicated solely to restroom opulence!
$10 million for crystal chandeliers
Estimated cost: $10m
Illuminating the opulent venue, 1,000 crystal chandeliers will cast a dazzling glow, creating an atmosphere of luxury and elegance. At $10,000 per chandelier, that’s at least $10m on lighting!
The world’s greatest music line-up of all time
Estimated cost: $100m-$140m
Glastonbury, Coachella, eat your hearts out. Justin Bieber already performed in Mumbai for a third pre-party this week at a cost of $10m. With musical sensations Rihanna, Katy Perry, Backstreet Boys, and Andrea Bocelli having already performed at the pre-wedding celebrations for a combined cost of $38-60m, only one question remains: who is headlining the wedding itself?
Adele currently looks almost certain, though Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are also widely rumoured to be joining her on stage. The cost of all three would top $64-80m.
With a total Ambani bill of $140m for their wedding bands, this would be 25,000 times the average cost of a wedding band!
The ultimate celebratory procession
We can expect a Baraat like no other on the day of the wedding. The procession of dancing wedding guests will be like none seen before. Many bands playing a variety of tunes will be delighting guests, while performers dressed in fantastical costumes such as mythical beasts, birds or even serpents will accompany them.
Catering & cuisine
Estimated cost: $80m-$160m
Expect the world’s finest chefs, finest produce and finest wines over the three days of celebrations. The couple offered their 1,000 guests 2,500 meal options at the March pre-wedding celebration alone. But that was nothing compared to the main event, where no expense is being spared and 37,500+ meal options are being cooked up by an army of 500 chefs over three days.
30,000 bottles of the finest vintage Champagne
Estimated cost: $27m-$84m
Across the three pre-wedding events and the main event itself, over 30,000 bottles of the world’s finest vintage champagnes will be served. This is believed to cause a global shortage. At $900-2,800 per bottle, the total bill for this champagne alone could reach $84m.
A three-day traffic jam
Mumbai police have already warned that there will be a constant traffic jam from 12th to 15th July around most of Mumbai, as the thousands of suppliers, guests and security make their way to the venue.
An 18-page dress code with 25,000 wardrobe transformations
Estimated cost: $80m-$100m+
Envision the fashion frenzy as each of the 5,000 guests undergoes a staggering 5 outfit changes, totalling a mind-boggling 25,000 wardrobe transformations! From couture creations to bespoke ensembles, it will be a fashion extravaganza of epic proportions! Guests are expected to spend more than $100m on their outfits.
The dress
Estimated cost: $7m-$20m
The bride, Radhika, will likely wear one of the most expensive wedding dresses of all time. With multiple changes across multiple events, expect a procession of jaw-dropping looks and a likely price tag of $10m to achieve them.
Jewellery
Estimated cost: $35m-$90m
Jewellery is very important and symbolic in Indian weddings. From heirlooms to gifts to high fashion, a treasure trove of jewellery will be on show across the wedding events. Jewellery is often loaned for weddings, but, at this wedding, we would expect much to be gifted or bought new.
20 million flowers & 500 florists
Estimated cost: $20m-40m+
To decorate the immense 18.5 acre venue, expect over 20 million flowers to fill the venue and a team of over 500 florists.
The most expensive wedding invitations of all time
Estimated cost: $21.5m-$42.5m
Each wedding invitation cost $8,600 to make! Intricate golden chests were delivered to lucky guests filled with gifts and the invitation itself. With 5,000 guests, hopefully they saved a bit by sharing one between couples!
World-class security
Estimated cost: $40m-$80m
10,000 police, 5000 surveillance cameras and a fleet of drones
With one of the most high-profile wedding guest lists of all time, security will be paramount. Get ready for security that rivals a Hollywood blockbuster! With an army of security personnel, high-tech surveillance cameras and a fleet of patrolling drones, the Ambani wedding will pull out all the stops to ensure a safe and secure event. If it’s any indication, the Indian special forces themselves performed at the pre-wedding party in March!
Over 1,000,000 wedding photos captured by a team of 150 award-winning photographers and videographers
Estimated cost: $3.5m-$10m
A team of 50 videographers and 100 photographers will be ready to capture every angle and immortalise every moment. No detail will be left undocumented. With each photographer taking 10,000 snaps each over the 3 days, that’s at least a million wedding snaps in total.
There are even strong rumours of a world-famous director being responsible for editing a full wedding video…
The most Instagram likes of any private event in history
The guests at the wedding have a combined 10 billion Instagram followers! After posts from the pre-wedding celebrations alone received billions of likes, this is set to be the most liked private event of all time.
60,000 jobs created and a GDP boost!
The huge event has created over 60,000 jobs around India and the world in preparation for the wedding. The entrepreneurial family’s business employs over 400,000 employees in India so expect celebrations across the country.
Plan your perfect wedding on Bridebook
If you’re planning your own wedding, but don’t quite have half a billion dollars to spend (!), then check out the ultimate wedding budget breakdown on Bridebook, and take a look at the average cost of a wedding here.
For further information, interviews and images, please contact the press team at [email protected]. Happy planning!
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