The weekend was planned over three months, with Anant’s mother, Nita, recruiting Indian designer Manish Malhotra to be the affair’s creative director.
Before the weekend, a nine-page dress code for the various events was reportedly shared with guests, including guidance for a “jungle fever” look for one event involving the animal rescue the Ambanis founded, with invitees instructed to don their finest animal prints and comfortable shoes. To help attendees look their best, hair and makeup artists were on site, as well as Indian drapists. A cocktail party on the first night, for example, had an “evening in everland” theme. The fashion was as high as the spirits: Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, were reportedly quite taken with a $1 million Richard Mille watch sported by Anant one night, and among Radhika’s looks was a custom Versace gown.
A few days before guests arrived, the families provided meals to their community, feeding 51,000 people and spreading their wealth to their neighbours. During the celebration, guests enjoyed 500 different dishes created by 100 chefs throughout the three days. One memorable venue included a glass palace built for the occasion, meant to evoke the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Palm House, complete with a mini train that guests could ride. Following Rihanna’s performance, the couple stayed out until 7 a.m., Radhika said.
“I wanted to be fun, free, and young,” she told Vogue. “An Indian wedding is incomplete without a lot of dancing.”
The Ambani patriarch is no stranger to throwing a party: In 2018, when daughter Isha got married, he threw another star-studded pre-wedding bash, this one with a performance by Beyoncé. In 2019, for Akash’s pre-wedding in Switzerland, The Chainsmokers and Coldplay’s Chris Martin were among the performers at the celebrations.
And what’s this I’m hearing about a second pre-wedding celebration?
But wait, there’s more! In late May, the couple and around 1,200 of their friends, family, and coworkers — including stylist Law Roach, who recently styled Isha for a Vogue India cover —boarded a cruise ship in Palermo, Italy, for a four-day trip, making stops throughout the Mediterranean.
“It was a retreat for the people that have contributed to our life in different ways,” Radhika told Vogue. “We had people from the ages of six months going up to 90 years.”
Prodip Guha