The stars came out for <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/2024/07/04/ambani-wedding-timeline/" target="_blank">Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's</a> sangeet in Mumbai. A sangeet is a traditional pre-wedding ceremony, particularly in North India and Punjabi traditions, involving lots of festive dancing and celebratory songs. After an <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/fashion/2023/01/18/inside-anant-ambani-and-radhika-merchants-big-fat-indian-wedding/" target="_blank">eye-popping pre-wedding celebration</a> and a multi-day luxury <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/2024/05/28/anant-ambani-radhika-merchant-pre-wedding-cruise/" target="_blank">European cruise party</a>, the couple’s grand nuptials are set to be held in a three-day Mumbai celebration starting on July 12. On Friday, Ambani and Merchant celebrated with friends and family at the <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/art-design/2023/04/11/nita-mukesh-ambani-cultural-centre-is-unique-cultural-remedy-mumbai-needs-say-organisers/" target="_blank">Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre</a> under the theme “celebration of hearts”. Their invite, which <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/2024/06/21/ambani-wedding-sangeet-mumbai/" target="_blank"><i>The National</i> saw</a>, promised guests a “night of song, dance and wonder” with a dress code of “Indian regional glam”. And glam is only one way to describe the outfits seen at the event, with everyone from <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/bollywood/" target="_blank">Bollywood</a> A-listers to cricket stars in attendance. The bride and groom made a stunning debut with outfits made with real gold and crystals by the fashion duo Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla. Ambani wore a royal-blue embroidered bandhgala suit, with zari threading made with real gold. Merchant glittered in a glitzy golden traditional lehenga. Inspired by a chandelier, the outfit displayed a beautiful array of pastel colours. The ensemble featured an off-shoulder crystal statement blouse paired with a multi-paneled lehenga skirt, both adorned with Swarovski crystals. Her soon-to-be mother-in-law Nita Ambani shined in a custom-made lehenga in bright pink by Falguni Shane Peacock. Her lehenga was encrusted with hints of ruby, emeralds and diamonds. She styled the outfit with a diamond-studded matha patti, chunky necklace, dangling earrings, rings and a stack of bangles for the occasion. Isha Ambani Piramal, Anant’s sister, stunned in a royal blue custom couture saree designed by Italian fashion house Schiaparelli. She paired it with a silver blouse and polki jewellery. This was just one of three outfits she wore at the sangeet. Bollywood star Deepika Paduokone dazzled in a custom-made organza purple saree by Torani and complemented the outfit with elegant golden jewellery with her hair tied in a sleek bun. Other styles that shone include actress Alia Bhatt and actor-husband Ranbir Kapoor matching in black, while actress Sara Ali Khan sparkled in gold. Actress Madhuri Dixit also donned a gold ensemble for the event. Actress Jahnvi Kapoor wore a sparkling blue mermaid-style lehenga custom-made and designed by Manish Malhotra. She matched it with a sparkly blouse. Cricket stars also shined with former India captain M S Dhoni donning a white, floral kurta and jacket while his wife Sakshi shined in her lehenga designed by Rahul Mishra. Hardik Pandya wore a black and white ombre sherwani with intricated design, while his brother Kunal Pandya wore similar colours but in a more traditional sherwani. The pre-wedding celebrations will continue until next week, when the couple’s <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/2024/05/31/ambani-wedding-mumbai/" target="_blank">grand nuptials</a> are set to be held in a three-day Mumbai celebration. The main wedding ceremony, also known as shubh vivaah, will take place on July 12 at Mumbai’s Jio World Convention Centre, a 7.4 hectare business and cultural district owned by the Ambani family’s Reliance Industries. Guests expected to wear traditional Indian attire. The next day will be the “shubh aashirdwad” (the latter word meaning blessings) ceremony on July 13, featuring a dress code of Indian formal. Finally, celebrations will culminate in “mangal utsav” or the wedding reception on July 14, with the theme of Indian chic.
