Ambani Wedding: Guests Received Over $3 Million in Freebies
The lavish Mumbai wedding of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant, which took place earlier this month, reportedly showered its A-list guests with over $3 million in gifts and freebies.
According to sources speaking to US Weekly, celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian, Nick Jonas, Priyanka Chopra, and John Cena, who attended the multi-day celebration, received lavish gifts, including jewelry, and were even flown in on private planes. While they were not allowed to keep all the jewelry worn to the wedding, the guests, who received solid gold invitations, were reportedly allowed to keep some of the pieces.
An insider told US Weekly that Chopra has been friends with the Ambani family for years and that her attendance expenses were her own. Other high-profile attendees included performers like Luis Fonsi and Rema, while global music icons like Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Andrea Bocelli, the Backstreet Boys, David Guetta, Katy Perry, and Pitbull entertained at pre-wedding parties.
The source further revealed that the performers were paid 50% over their market value, which translates to their standard performance fees. Rihanna, who reportedly earned over $6 million for her March show, would have been paid over $10 million for this wedding, according to the source. Bieber, on the other hand, reportedly earned $10 million for his pre-ceremony set.
The Guardian estimated the cost of the extravagant wedding to be upwards of $600 million, which reportedly constitutes only half a percent of the Ambani family's fortune.
The groom, Anant Ambani, is the son of billionaire Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries, and philanthropist Nita Ambani. Before the wedding, Mukesh gifted the couple an $80 million, 10-bedroom villa with a private beach on Palm Jumeirah in Dubai.
The bride, Radhika Merchant, is the daughter of pharmaceutical tycoons Viren Merchant and Shaila Merchant. The wedding, a spectacle of opulence and extravagance, cemented its place in the annals of lavish celebrations, solidifying the Ambani family's reputation for grandeur and generosity.
