Not Bezos but Ambanis: The real ‘wedding of the century’ happened in India

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez are making headlines with their ultra-luxurious wedding celebration in Venice, Italy. With a guest list of about 200 A-listers, featuring Kim Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey, Katy Perry and Tom Brady, and an estimated price tag of €55 million (over Rs 548 crore), it is being dubbed the ‘wedding of the century’.

But even this billionaire bash fades in comparison to the lavish wedding celebrations of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant, reportedly costing between $600 million and $1 billion – making it the most expensive wedding hosted.

While Bezos’ event brings the luxury of Venice to life with a €500 million superyacht, private island of San Giorgio Maggiore, and paparazzi-packed canals, the Ambani-Merchant wedding was a staggeringly massive affair, spanning multiple continents, cultures, and curated experiences.

The months-long festivities began with a themed three-day pre-wedding extravaganza in Jamnagar, Gujarat, featuring masquerade balls, ‘walks on the wild side,’ and cultural showcases. The party then moved to a multi-day Mediterranean cruise across Italy and France.

In Mumbai, the main ceremony was held at the Jio World Convention Centre for over 1,200 high-profile guests, including global political figures, Bollywood stars, and international celebrities.

Culinary, couture, and cultural grandeur

Bezos and Sanchez showed Venice’s culinary pride with pastries from Rosa Salva and locally-sourced risottos and seafood. In contrast, the Ambani menu was a curated cultural journey – vegetarian-forward, globally-inspired, and proudly Indian.

From Peruvian fine dining by chef Virgilio Martinez to chaat from Varanasi and Goan delicacies by chef Avinash Martins, no palate went unpleased.

Fashion and design were no less extravagant. Manish Malhotra designed looks for the family and décor concepts alongside Bollywood set designer Omung Kumar.

The entertainment scale was equally unmatched. While the Bezos wedding has kept performances under wraps, the Ambanis featured global megastars like Rihanna, Justin Bieber and Adele.

Despite Bezos and Sanchez’s wedding being dubbed the ‘wedding of the ceremony,’ the numbers, scale, and spectacle clearly point to Ambani and Merchant’s celebration as more extravagant.

Bezos may have Venice and €55 million but the Ambanis had India, the Mediterranean and possibly a more expensive and wedding.

So, when it comes to the real wedding of the century – India already won.

India