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Billion Dollar Celebrations: India’s 8 Most Lavish & Expensive Weddings
An inside view of the most jaw-droppingly expensive billionaire Indian weddings reveals celebrations distinguished by lavish pre-wedding festivities, glamorous guest lists, and spectacular venues. Weddings in India, where family and social bonds are deeply valued, often serve as occasions for families to demonstrate their wealth and status within their communities. For the most affluent families in India, even the largest and most ornate celebrations may seem modest in comparison. Event planners regularly coordinate weddings involving expenses measured in the billions of dollars.
No cost is spared in crafting extravagant multi-day celebrations. Entire luxury hotels are reserved to host guests. Private jets are chartered to transport high-profile international performers. The most exclusive weddings outshine even elite social galas in terms of scale and opulence.
With budget considered no impediment, these weddings exemplify excess, luxury, and decadence at the highest levels. Our South Indian wedding photography company Dstudios has created a beautiful glimpse into this world of unparalleled affluence and munificence that promises to astonish even the most worldly of observers.
1) Anant Ambani & Radhika Merchant - Most Expensive Indian weddings
Anant Ambani’s wedding ceremony, son of Mukesh Ambani, was an elaborate multi-day affair. It is the most expensive Indian wedding in the world. While specific financial details were not disclosed, reports estimated that expenses for the event totalled several million dollars. Elements of the celebration incorporated luxurious decorations, gourmet cuisine selections, and lavish lodging accommodations for guests. The venue was elegantly appointed with complementary live performances by renowned artists and musicians. Attendees included celebrities, business leaders, and government officials, underscoring its high-profile nature within Indian society. The nuptials reinforced the Ambani family’s reputation for hosting grand, luxurious gatherings, showcasing their considerable means and societal influence with some reports estimating expenditures totaling approximately Rs 5000 crores.
In addition to the Ambanis’ already high-profile status in India, their wealth afforded the event an exceptionally star-studded lineup globally, with pre-wedding performances from international artists such as Rihanna, Katy Perry and Justin Bieber, who are each reported to have earned multi-million dollar paychecks.
The guest list for the wedding was also remarkable, including attendees such as Kim and Khloé Kardashian, Priyanka Chopra, Nick Jonas, John Cena, Tony Blair, Boris and Carrie Johnson. This Ambani wedding is estimated to surpass the cost of the previous Ambani wedding in 2018 between Mukesh Ambani’s daughter Isha Ambani and her husband Anand Piramal, making it the most expensive wedding to date based on available estimates. However, the $600 million price tag only represents approximately 0.5% of the Ambanis’ total reported wealth.
2) Mr. Gali Janardhana Reddy's 2004 Son's Wedding Festivities
The 2004 nuptials of Mr. Gali Janardhana Reddy’s son involved extensive celebrations that spanned five days and cost an estimated 5 billion rupees (approximately $70 million USD at the time) to host over 50,000 guests. The events were held at the Sahara Stadium in Lucknow and incorporated aspects like recreations of ancient Indian temples designed by renowned production designers as well as luxury bull-drawn carriages to transport attendees. Large helium balloons displaying images of the Reddy family were also suspended above the venue.
Over 3,000 security personnel were engaged for this elaborate and one of the most expensive Indian weddings. Guests were treated to performances by popular Bollywood musicians and cricketers over the multi-day festivities.
While the substantial expenditures drew criticism amid India’s economic conditions at the time, the celebrations aligned with Mr. Reddy’s reputation for an opulent lifestyle and socializing among prominent figures. The lavish scale of the wedding for his only son reflected his commitment to commemorating the occasion without constraints on related investments and arrangements.
3) Isha Ambani & Anand Piramal
When one’s father is the wealthiest individual in India, their wedding is destined to garner worldwide attention. Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal were wed in an extravagant, multi-city celebration estimated at over 7 billion rupees (approximately $100 million USD) that spanned nearly a week.
Festivities commenced in Udaipur, renowned as the “City of Lakes,” with lavish pre-nuptial events held at the Oberoi Udaivilas Hotel and City Palace. Guests were transported via chartered aircraft and treated to private concerts, costume parties, and dance performances across Udaipur, Lake Como in Italy, and Mumbai.
For the principal ceremony, the Ambani family constructed an expansive mandap on a private island in Lake Pichola for the wedding in Udaipur. The bride’s wedding sari alone was valued at over 2 million rupees. They even had live elephants adorned in colorful attire.
A separate reception in Mumbai included a private show by pop icon Beyoncé, who was reportedly compensated $15 million USD for her 45-minute set. Nearly every prominent Bollywood star was in attendance, along with political luminaries such as Hillary Clinton.
This one of the most expensive Indian weddings of Isha and Anand’s nuptials established a new benchmark for opulent Indian weddings. From gold-plated invitations to the venue at an actual palace, no expense was spared to craft an utterly unforgettable experience for guests. Regardless of perspective, one must admit – it was a spectacle like no other and one of the costliest Indian weddings to date.
4) Subrata Roy's Double Wedding for Sons
When it comes to most lavish and expensive Indian weddings, Subrata Roy demonstrated his ability to host notable events. Before certain legal issues and financial changes, the chairman of Sahara India Pariwar organized elaborate celebrations for his son’s marriage ceremony. Sushanto married Richa Ahuja on February 10, 2004, while Seemanto wed Chandini Toor just four days later on Valentine’s Day.
The week-long double wedding extravaganza for 11,000 guests was held at the Sahara Stadium in Lucknow. Prominent figures from Bollywood and cricket attended, joining in the festivities alongside the brides and grooms. Additionally, Roy simultaneously hosted marriage ceremonies for 110 less fortunate brides at the same venue.
Decorations fitting of royalty adorned the stadium, with aspects resembling an ancient Indian palace. Guests arrived via ornate horse-drawn carriages and were greeted by a vast array of large helium balloons depicting the newlyweds.
When budget is not a constraint, three continuous days of revelry is standard. With a private helicopter providing aerial filming of all moments, not a single lavish detail went undocumented.
Roy’s double wedding set the benchmark for high-profile Indian marriages thereafter. Where prominent figures from Bollywood and business lead, others aspire. For a brief period, the Sahara Stadium transformed into a genuine fairy tale, celebrating the most expensive Indian weddings with eternal love and unlimited luxury. Every aspect clearly communicated that when it comes to grandeur and pageantry, no one hosts events quite like the House of Roy.
5) Vanisha Mittal and Amit Bhatia - One of the most expensive Indian weddings
The 2004 multi-city Parisian wedding celebration of Vanisha Mittal, daughter of steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, and Amit Bhatia was an extraordinarily lavish affair reported to have cost $60 million. The six-day festivities spanned iconic Parisian landmarks and epitomized opulence.
The engagement party commenced at the Palace of Versailles, setting the tone of royalty for the wedding. The main ceremony was held at the 17th-century Vaux le Vicomte palace, where Indian artisans custom-constructed an elaborate traditional Indian wedding structure (“mandap”) amidst the gardens.
Spared no expense on decor, features included life-sized fiberglass elephants, minarets, and an expansive pink-draped reception hall transforming the estate into grandeur. The groom made entrance on horseback while the bride arrived by horse-drawn carriage.
Entertainment included performances by Kylie Minogue and Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Renowned Bollywood poet/writer Javed Akhtar penned a play performed by the Mittal family.
Post-ceremony, guests enjoyed lavish banquet and dazzling Eiffel Tower fireworks display. This opulent France wedding established standards for ostentatious Indian celebrations.
For Vanisha’s parents, no cost or effort was too great for their daughter’s special day. The Mittal wedding demonstrated for India’s ultra-wealthy limitless extravagance potential in celebrating life’s grandest moments stylishly. The nuptials will forever iconize extravagance as one of the world’s most expensive weddings.
6) Adel Sajan And Sana Khan
Adel Sajan, the CEO of Danube Homes, married Ms. Sana Khan while on a cruise. Mr. Sajan and Ms. Khan held their wedding ceremony aboard the Costa Fascinosa cruise ship as it sailed between Barcelona, Spain, Marseilles, France and concluded in Savona, Italy.
It is reported that over 1 billion Indian rupees were spent on the wedding festivities, making it one of the most expensive Indian weddings on record. Guests received personalized gift baskets from Harrods. The sangeet ceremony featured musical performances by Badshah and Vishal-Shekhar. Speeches were given by Gauhar Khan and Sushmita Sen during the reception. The bride and groom cut a 10-tier wedding cake to conclude the reception festivities.
7) Shristi Mittal and Gulraj Behl's Three-Day Destination Wedding in Barcelona, Spain.
The lavish and one of the most expensive Indian destination wedding of Shristi Mittal, daughter of steel magnate Pramod Mittal, to investment banker Gulraj Behl in 2013 set new standards for opulence. Spanning three days in Barcelona, Spain, the wedding festivities welcomed approximately 500 guests and are estimated to have cost over 5 billion Indian rupees.
No expense was spared for the nuptials of Ms. Mittal. The venue, the National Museum of Catalan Art, necessitated helicopter transportation to capture celebrations from various vantage points. The reception featured a six-tier wedding cake weighing 60 kilograms and a menu created by renowned Spanish chef Sergi Arola. Over 200 butlers and cooks were brought in from India and Thailand to attend to guests’ every need.
On the final evening, a spectacular fireworks display launched from Barcelona’s iconic Sagrada Família church signaled the conclusion of the celebrations. This extraordinarily lavish and costly Indian wedding established precedents for destination weddings and substantial spending on nuptial festivities.
Guests at this fantastical, fairytale wedding in Spain were transported to another realm of unbridled opulence and excess, if only for one long, luxurious weekend.
8) Sonam Vaswani And Navin Fabiani
Sonam Vaswani, daughter of Sunil Vaswani, the founder of Stallion Group and a prominent businessman in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), She married Navin Fabiana, son of Kamal Fabiana, at an elegant ceremony held at a historic estate in Vienna, Austria.
