Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s wedding festivities spanned over 5 months and culminated with their grand reception ceremony in Mumbai on July 14. Not just Radhika, but mother-in-law Nita Ambani and sisters-in-law Isha Ambani and Shloka Mehta also showed off their fashion sense. While each of their looks has already been extensively decoded on the internet, 3 looks in particular stand out for a unique reason.
The religious side of the Ambani family is well known. These looks of Radhika, Isha and Nita are not only proof of this but are also great examples of fine Indian craftsmanship.
Nita Ambani’s Gayatri Mantra saree
Between July 2 and July 5, just before Anant and Radhika’s wedding rituals began, the Ambani family organized a mass wedding for over 50 underprivileged couples from the Palghar area between Gujarat and Mumbai. The entire family was present to witness the wedding of the couples. Obviously, Nita stood out. The philanthropist wore a red Banarasi saree with golden detailing. What caught everyone’s attention was the Gayatri Mantra embroidery on the entire length of the saree. A guttapusalu necklace and her signature gajra-adorned bun completed her look.
On a different note, before many guests like Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan arrived dressed in red for Anant and Radhika’s wedding, marking quite a change in wedding etiquette, it’s safe to say that Neeta did it first!
Isha Ambani’s lehenga with Bhagavad Gita written on it
On July 9, the Ambani family held a Graha Shanti Puja before attending the main wedding ceremony. Isha, the groom’s sister, chose to wear an outfit as true to the theme as possible. Styled by Anaita Shroff Adajania, Isha’s stunning and detailed lehenga was handcrafted by Delhi Vintage Company in Mehrauli. The Tree of Life was the main inspiration for Isha’s mustard and maroon lehenga. There was a long brainstorming session on the final details, with Isha herself approving the design.
Brimming with history and heritage, its most striking feature was its border which had a shloka from the Bhagavad Gita written on it, ‘Karmanye vadhikaraste, ma phaleshu kartha chana’. This roughly means, ‘You have the right to do your karma, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your karma.’ Of course, additional visual details include the tree of life with Nandi sitting under it, a temple on one side and birds on the other. For interesting information, this lehenga took 4000 hours to make.
Radhika Merchant’s Shrinathji-printed lehenga
Radhika was styled by Rhea Kapoor for her pre-wedding and wedding celebrations. The list of events also included a Garba night, which was held on July 9. Taking inspiration from her sister-in-law Isha, Radhika’s lehenga was dedicated to Shrinathji, the Ambani family deity.
The Jigyam lehenga used a deep purple colour with golden embroidery on it. What caught the eye the most was the intricate designs of Shrinathji on the border of the lehenga, the sleeves of the choli as well as the net dupatta which was completed with a broad gota patti border.
Which of these looks was your favourite?
