Anant Ambani-Radhika Merchant's Pre-wedding Festivities from March 1-3: Here's All You Need to Know

Anant Ambani, 28, the youngest son of chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries Limited Mukesh Ambani, one of the world’s richest men, and his wife Nita Ambani, is set to wed Radhika Merchant, 29, the daughter of industrialist Viren Merchant and his wife Shaila Merchant. While the wedding will be held later this year, a three-day pre-wedding bash is being organised in Gujarat’s Jamnagar city from March 1 to 3.

Jamnagar airport, which is used to single-digit landings daily, will see around 50 landings on March 1. The entire airport is being spruced up by Reliance, as is the route to the RIL refinery complex.

The venue holds a special significance for the Ambani family due to their deep-rooted familial ties with the city.

Who’s Who

Among those attending the event are Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Morgan Stanley CEO Ted Pick, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Disney CEO Bob Iger, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, Adnoc CEO Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, and EL Rothschild chair Lynn Forester de Rothschild, reports say. ⁠Celebrities like Rihanna, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, and several others are already in Jamnagar. Many more VIPs will be coming, especially tycoons from India and people from the worlds of entertainment and sports.

It’s the single biggest gathering of VIPs in India outside the G20 meet and a testament to Mukesh Ambani’s global stature and influence. Insiders say the fact that so many VVIPs will spend three days in Jamnagar is a big deal.

The guest list includes heads of state, former heads of state, besides the biggest names from the world of global business, many of whom are not really RIL’s business partners.

Travel Tips

A nine-page event guide and wardrobe planner sent to guests offers an overview of what to expect at the three-day pre-wedding bash.

Many guests will travel to Jamnagar on chartered flights from Mumbai or Delhi between 8am and 1pm on March 1.

“In order to accommodate everyone’s luggage, we ask you to pack consciously, with one item of hand luggage and one piece of hold luggage per person, or three total suitcases per couple,” the guide says. “If you bring more luggage, we cannot guarantee it will arrive on the same flight as you, but we will do our best to bring it in at the earliest.”

Themed Nights

All three nights of celebrations will be themed. Day 1 is called An Evening in Everland, with the dress code listed as “elegant cocktail”.

Day 2 will host A Walk on the Wildside with “jungle fever” the suggested dress code. It is set to be held outdoors in the Ambanis’ animal rescue centre in Jamnagar, and guests are advised to wear comfortable shoes and clothing for this event.

Invitees will then swap their safari-themed outfits for more elegant ones for Mela Rouge. The dress code for this is “dazzling desi romance”, suggesting glamorous traditional South Asian attires for all.

The final day will also comprise two events. The first one, Tusker Trails, suggests “casual chic” dressing, as guests are expected to further explore the green ambience of Jamnagar.

The final party, Hashtakshar, calls for an elegant evening with heritage Indianwear.

All guests will also have access to a range of laundry services including express steaming of clothes, the guide says.

Anyone with accessibility, medical, or dietary requirements can reach out to the hospitality team over a given phone number.

Hairstylists, sari drapers, and make-up services will also be available on-site.

But, despite the detailed wardrobe suggestions, guests are free to wear whatever they are comfortable in, “as we would like you to enjoy each moment to the fullest and make beautiful memories that last a lifetime”, the guide concludes.

Top of the food chain

Moneycontrol has quoted reports saying that, according to the head of The Jardin Hotel, around 2,500 dishes with a global menu including Thai, Japanese, Mexican, Parsi, and Pan Asian will be part of the three-day fare that will have four meals per day.

The guests will be served breakfast with 75 dishes, lunch with more than 225 items, dinner with around 275 dishes, and a midnight meal with over 85 items to choose from. The midnight meal that will begin at the stroke of midnight will go on till 4 am. This meal reportedly has been specially curated for the foreign guests. Every single item served will be prepared under strict guidelines and protocol and none of the dishes served will be repeated for the 12 different meals over three days.

A troupe of 65 chefs including 20 women chefs, and four trucks full of ingredients will be reaching Jamnagar from Indore.

It has been reported that a special Indore Sarafa Food Counter will also be put up there that will serve well-known food items including Indori kachoris, poha jalebi, bhutte ki kees, khopra patties, upma, and other such dishes with authentic flavours.