The son of Asia’s richest man gets married this weekend and the lead-up celebrations have put Indian weddings in the spotlight.
Anant Ambani and his bride-to-be Radhika Merchant are going all out for not just their big day but every event leading up to it.
The Ambani pre-wedding events are rumoured to have already cost around $1 billion.
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Justin Bieber was the latest international star to take centre stage for the couple – reportedly paid $14 million for his performance.
The couple’s first pre-wedding party included flying in Rihanna.
That was backed up by a cruise around the Mediterranean with performances from the Backstreet Boys and Katy Perry.
From Mumbai to Marsfield, the big Bollywood-style celebrations are the talk of the town among Australia’s Indian wedding industry.
Lux Aus wedding planner Daryl Sheldon said the Ambani wedding was a great milestone not just for India, but for the world.
“I think they set great examples for us. They have everybody coming in for it, they’ve spread across different locations,” Sheldon said.
“So I think it’s a great milestone that they create, and a great benchmark for the industry for us.”
Sheldon said it was a big industry booming in Australia as well.
“When we started off, we used to see the small garden weddings of 150 to 200 people,” he said.
“Last year we did a wedding of 1200 people at the Royal Botanical Garden and this year they’re talking to us about a 1700 people wedding.”
Rahul and Anika are getting married in October next year and are getting ideas from an Indian Wedding Expo at Sydney wedding venue Curzon Hall.
“Indian weddings are a party, they’re a celebration. It’s a lot of drinking, it’s a lot of dancing,” Rahul said.
“It’s all about having fun, getting the families together, and just being one.
“So it’s a week-long celebration, sometimes two, but (we) wouldn’t have it any other way.”
While their wedding mightn’t be as big as the Ambani mega wedding, Rahul and Anika have planned four events before their nuptials, one after the wedding and two events for their big day.
But they said that was pretty standard for an Indian wedding.
“(Indian weddings) have been like this for centuries,” Rahul said.
“You know, they’ve always been a big party.
“They’ve always been lots of colour, lots of tradition, lots of fun.”
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They too have been following the Ambani wedding on social media.
“I think it’s definitely extra. They’ve definitely got a lot of money, making me feel very poor,” Rahul said.
“Set the bar pretty high, but I think we’ll get there .
“So it’s good, good to see that they’re getting the exposure they deserve.”
When it comes to what an Indian bride can wear – forget white – it’s all about colour, embroidery and big jewellery.
Jessica runs Wear of India, which loans bridal dresses to women who can’t afford to buy one.
“For a designer dress, it’s about $20,000,” she said.
“So with us, we have prices from $40 up to $400 so depending on what the bride wants to wear.”
And if you’re looking for a groom, Parul the Indian matchmaker has got you covered.
“It’s like having, you know, a professional working for you, understanding your ways of where you can focus on your career and everything else you do,” she said.
“I take the burden of shortlisting, you know, things for them. So matchmaker is a very important role.”