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Anant Ambani threw one of the most expensive weddings ever. Check out 5 big weddings this one topped

Anant Ambani threw one of the most expensive weddings ever. Check out 5 big weddings this one topped

Details about the big day are still under wraps, but the event is expected to be one of the most lavish weddings held in recent years

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Mukeah Ambani, Nita Ambani, Isha Ambani, Anand Piramal, Shloka Mehta and Akash Ambani attend the Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's engagement ceremony on January 19, 2023 in Mumbai, India
Image: Prodip Guha/Getty Images (Getty Images)

This weekend Anant Ambani, the son of multibillionaire of Reliance Industries CEO Mukesh Ambani, will wed Radhika Merchant, the daughter of two millionaire business owners, in what is expected to be one of the most expensive and high profile weddings in recent years.

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As their big weekend approaches, the couple has already had several attention-grabbing events celebrating their impending nuptials. In March, the Ambani family invited more than a thousand people to their estate in Jamnagar, India – including Mark Zuckerberg, Hillary Clinton and Ivanka Trump.

The Ambani family constructed a glass palace inspired by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Palm House specially for the occasion and hired Rihanna to perform her first full-length concert in nearly a decade.

“I wanted to be fun, free and young,” Merchant told Vogue about the all-night partying that followed the Rihanna performance. “An Indian wedding is incomplete without a lot of dancing.”

In late May, Ambani and Merchant had another pre-wedding celebration on the Mediterranean Sea. The couple hosted 1,200 people for a four-day cruise beginning in Palermo, Italy and stopping throughout the region. When the cruise stopped in Cannes, guests were surprised by a Katy Perry concert. After reboarding the ship, there was a second concert – this time featuring Pitbull.

A stop in Portofino also featured a famous musician – acclaimed opera singer Andrea Bocelli.

“It was just the most magical evening,” Merchant told Vogue of Bocelli’s performance. “I had goosebumps.”

After months of celebration, the actual wedding will be a three-day affair in Mumbai, India. The couple chose to hold the event on July 12th, 13th and 14th after consulting their astrological charts.

Details about the big day are still under wraps, but the event is expected to be one of the most lavish weddings held in recent years.

Read on to learn more about multi-million dollar weddings.

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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West

Image for article titled Anant Ambani threw one of the most expensive weddings ever. Check out 5 big weddings this one topped
Image: Marc Piasecki/WireImage (Getty Images)

A post shared by Kim Kardashian (@kimkardashian)

There are few events that can compete with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s 2014 wedding, in terms of sheer scale and lavishness. The festivities began at the historic Palace of Versailles – where guests feasted in the famed Hall of Mirrors. Though the party started in France, friends and family were subsequently flown to Florence, Italy for the ceremony itself. Kardashian wore a custom $500,000 Givenchy dress, while her oldest daughter, North, was also attired in designer clothes. At the reception, John Legend serenaded the pair for their first dance and guests were treated to a seven-tier wedding cake. In total, it’s estimated that the Kardashian-Wests spent $2.8 million on their big day.

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Lolita Osmanova and Gaspar Avdolyan

Lolita Osmanova and Gaspar Avdolyan

Image for article titled Anant Ambani threw one of the most expensive weddings ever. Check out 5 big weddings this one topped
Image: Daniele Venturelli/WireImage (Getty Images)

A post shared by Mariana Guber-Gogova (@marianagogova)

Lolita Osmanova and Gaspar Avdolyan are the children of some of Russia’s wealthiest oligarchs – but their 2017 wedding was held in a quintessentially American location. Their guests descended on the Dolby Theater – a venue best known for hosting the Oscars – for the luxurious wedding. The event was estimated to have cost $10 million – a cost that included $500,000 worth of flowers and performances from Lady Gaga and Jason Derulo, Business Insider reported.

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Angela Yeung and Huang Xiaoming

Angela Yeung and Huang Xiaoming

Image for article titled Anant Ambani threw one of the most expensive weddings ever. Check out 5 big weddings this one topped
Image: Visual China Group via Getty Images/Visual China Group via Getty Images (Getty Images)


A post shared by ELIE SAAB (@eliesaabworld)

Chinese influencer Angela Yeung – better known by her stage name Angelababy – made international headlines with her $31 million wedding to actor Huang Xiaoming. The bride’s custom Dior gown was crafted over the course of five months and her ornate wedding band was worth an estimated $1.5 million. Two thousand guests attended the 2016 Shanghai soiree which featured a 10-foot wedding cake and a holographic castle. Guests received new cell phones, among other elaborate party favors, according to Forbes.

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Prince William and Kate Middleton

Prince William and Kate Middleton

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and his new bride Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge walk down the aisle at the close of their wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011 in London, England.
Image: Richard Pohle-WPA Pool/Getty Images (Getty Images)

Prince William and Kate Middleton spent $34 million on their wedding – with another $32 million spent on security for the royal couple’s high-profile guests. Catherine and her sister, Pippa, both wore custom Alexander McQueen gowns, while all the young bridesmaids wore custom Mary Janes featuring Swarovski crystal buckles. At the reception guests feasted on Lyme Bay crab, Hebridean langoustines, organic lamb from King Charles’ farm, among other delicacies. The couple served multiple desserts to their guests with the main dish being an eight-tier fruit cake.

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Prince Charles and Princess Diana

Prince Charles and Princess Diana

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales, wearing a wedding dress designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel and the Spencer family Tiara, ride in an open carriage, from St. Paul's Cathedral to Buckingham Palace, following their wedding on July 29, 1981 in London, England.
Image: Anwar Hussein/WireImage (Getty Images)

When Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, it was expected that the pair would one day take the throne together. While the couple ultimately got divorced in 1996, their fairy tale wedding day was an event fit for a future king and queen. Among the high-ticket items was Princess Diana’s elaborate taffeta wedding dress, which was embroidered with sequins and 10,000 pearls. Hungry guests had their pick of 27 wedding cakes – decades later a single slice was sold at auction for $2,565. The total cost of the erstwhile couple’s nuptials was approximately $48 million – adjusted for inflation that would be closer to $165 million.

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