Key Points
CNN . . Indias most anticipated wedding of the year came to an end on Sunday after a star-studded three-day celebration that even saw the countrys prime minister arrive to bless the young couple.. . Billionaire heir Anant Ambani married his longtime girlfriend Radhika Merchant in Mumbai in a lavish ceremony attended by Kim and Khlo Kardashian, two former British prime ministers, Indian sporting legends and some of Bollywoods most famous faces..
Insiders worked for months to bring the couples vision to life, collaborating with the family to bring the intricate details from the floral arrangements to the set designs together.. . Renowned wedding designer Preston Bailey, who has worked with Serena Williams and LeBron James, was commissioned to create larger-than-life floral art installations for the weekend.. ..
I have been in business for over 40 years (but) I have never seen anything as intricate as this wedding and I believe it will bring such positive feedback and awareness to the great creative culture of artists of India, said Bailey, who also worked on the weddings of Ambanis two older siblings, Akash and Isha.. . Top Indian couturier and the weddings creative director, Manish Malhotra, earlier told CNN that maintaining the essence of India had been his guiding principle.. . ..
Details of the celebrations dominated local news headlines and set social media abuzz, but many within India the worlds most populous nation, with 1.4 billion people criticized the opulence on show in a country with a glaring wealth gap and where millions live in poverty.. . Shame on people celebrating income inequality in a country where we need wealth redistribution, tweeted comedian and social media critic, Shamita Yadav, who posts on social media as The Ranting Gola.. ..
Then theres the travel, with several high-profile attendees pictured leaving Mumbai via Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airports private jet terminal.. . Malwade also pointed to the environmental footprint of the Ambanis pre-wedding bash in Jamnagar, attended by public figures from around the world, including Mark Zuckerberg, Ivanka Trump, Bill Gates and Karlie Kloss; the four-day cruise arranged for guests in the Mediterranean; and the emissions required to fly in singers like Rihanna and Justin Bieber to perform at various events.. . CNNs Aditi Sangal contributed to this story..
