MUMBAI: The highly anticipated wedding of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant took place at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC), with a host of celebrities and international guests in attendance. One of the highlights of the event was Nita Ambani’s grand entrance carrying a traditional Raman Divo lamp, featuring an idol of Lord Ganesh.
Nita Ambani, dressed in a stunning peach silk ghagra designed by Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla, held the sacred Raman Divo, a significant part of Gujarati weddings. The lamp, adorned with a golden statue of Lord Ganesh and decorated with lamps, symbolises the dispelling of darkness and the bestowal of blessings upon the couple. She was also spotted at Akash Ambani’s wedding with the ‘Raman divo’, a Gujarati tradition.
Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries, arrived early at the wedding venue, accompanied by his wife Nita, who cradled the auspicious lamp. The couple’s elder son, Akash Ambani, his wife Shloka Mehta, their two children, as well as their daughter Isha Ambani and her husband Anand Piramal, were part of the wedding procession, posing for the paparazzi gathered outside the venue.
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Isha Ambani carried a ‘Lun’ bell at the wedding, a tradition she also followed at her brother Akash Ambani’s 2019 wedding. In Gujarati culture, a ‘Lun bell’ is a small kalash covered with cloth, filled with coins or solid salt that jingles when shaken. Historically, this practice aimed to keep the young groom awake during nighttime weddings, with the groom’s sister responsible for creating the sound close to his ears.
The wedding marked the culmination of a long engagement and a series of pre-wedding festivities, including a three-day bash in Jamnagar and a Mediterranean cruise. Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant, who are school sweethearts, tied the knot in the presence of their family and friends.
The wedding will be followed by Shubh Aashirwad on July 13 and Mangal Utsav, the wedding reception, on July 14. Another reception party will be held on July 15 in Mumbai.
Prominent guests at the wedding included Bollywood stars such as Karan Johar, Ananya Panday, Ibrahim and Sara Ali Khan, Aryan and Suhana Khan, Khushi Kapoor, Janhvi Kapoor and Shikhar Pahariya, Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon, and Madhuri Dixit. International celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, John Cena, and Ivanka Trump were also present, making it a star-studded affair.
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The NMACC played a significant role in the wedding festivities. Earlier, Nita Ambani shared her recent trip to Varanasi and how the sacred city’s culture influenced the wedding’s design in a video posted to the NMACC YouTube page.
As the ceremony commenced, the Ambani family, posing for a blockbuster family picture, exuded elegance and tradition. The wedding ceremony showcased the rich traditions and cultural heritage of Gujarati weddings, with Nita Ambani’s Raman Divo lamp holding centre stage.
