From Raghavendra Rathore to Anamika Khanna: India's top designers reveal the creative journey behind the Ambani wedding ensembles

Over six months of lavish festivities, the most eminent guest list, high-profile performers and opulence beyond compare. The grand wedding celebrations of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant made headlines the world over for these very reasons and more, though one of the primary highlights of the many events was the fashion on display.

The Ambani-Merchant wedding was inarguably nothing short of a couture week in its own right. From India’s most sought-after designers to even Schiaparelli’s custom couture sari for Isha Ambani, the red carpets had everyone straining to see who wore what. It was raining Manish Malhotra and Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla on every occasion. Tarun Tahiliani and Raghavendra Rathore weren’t far behind. And, of course, no wedding can be complete without a dose of Anamika Khanna and Arpita Mehta.

Behind a final couture product is weeks and months of tremendous effort—from discussions and conceptualisation to sourcing, artisanry and fittings. The Ambani wedding was a showcase of how cumbersome it can be to craft one item of couture, with every garment no less than a work of art. In fact, for her shubh ashirwad ceremony, Radhika’s AJSK lehenga was hand-painted for months by artist Jayasri Burman! In honour of every such work of art we saw the Ambani family exhibit at the festivities, the designers share what went on behind the scenes.

The magic of Manish Malhotra

From Isha’s ivory sari with pink blossoms and silk brocade lehenga, to the spectacular bling silver and green number; Nita Ambani’s Banarasi saris and the resham brocade outfit; Radhika and Anant’s complementing Swarovski bejewelled outfits; Akash and Anant’s Bundi jackets; the groom’s red sherwani; and Shloka Mehta Ambani’s recreation of Kareena’s ‘Bole Chudiyaan’ look; and of course, Radhika’s chainmail sari and custom made Banarasi brocade lehenga… Manish Malhotra’s design genius was exhibited for all to appreciate.

For the atelier, the chaos began well before the Jamnagar celebrations, involving countless meetings with Nita “to ensure every detail was perfect under her vision.” “One of the key themes we explored,” he adds, “was recreating the essence of Banaras. Each outfit was thoughtfully conceptualised to reflect this heritage.”

Manish’s saris and lehengas featured exquisite hand embroidery, painstakingly executed by skilled artisans. Each fitting was meticulous, and the design process began with a collaborative mood board and several rounds of discussions.

“It resembled the unfolding of a tapestry that wove together their personal preferences, the grandeur of their celebrations, and the rich cultural heritage they wished to honour… With Nita Ambani, our conversations revolved around her deep appreciation for traditional craftsmanship. We worked with a lot of our handloom weaves for her,” Manish highlights. “One, among the many, was her Banarasi sari, handwoven with gold zari and adorned with intricate Karchobi work. Another piece featured delicate Chikankari embroidery, replete with pearls and crystals.”

For Isha, among the many ensembles crafted by the atelier was the exquisite custom silver lehenga she wore at the sangeet. It was paired with an asymmetrical one-shoulder blouse embellished with emerald green Swarovski crystals—all of which Manish says mirrored her contemporary elegance.

For the shubh ashirwad ceremony, Anant sported a bespoke red silk sherwani that was both regal and personal—the sherwani was adorned with real zari and intricately handembroidered with motifs of horses, elephants and botanical elements, paying tribute to the groom’s profound love for wildlife and conservation. “The addition of emeralds and rubies from our high jewellery on the sherwani and cuffs, alongside diamonds, made it a cherished piece,” Manish adds.

For Radhika’s vidai, the designer fashioned a multipanelled Banarasi brocade lehenga in sunset hues. The blouse featured real gold Karchobi work inspired by the traditional abho, the rich textile heritage of Kutch, and was completed with a grand red veil.

“Each family member’s unique style and taste brought a distinct charm to the design process,” he says.

The allure of Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla

Here’s proof that the Ambani family lays all its trust in Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla—most of the family was dressed in custom AJSK for the wedding. Radhika wore an ivory Zardosi cut-work wedding ensemble, the designers’ interpretation of ‘Panetar,’ the Gujarati traditional redand-white bridal sari. Nita Ambani chose an elegant peach silk ghagra with a jaali blouse crafted in Naqshi and Saadi gold, silver Zardosi work and Swarovski crystals. Isha twinned with her mother in a custom pastel peach ghagra, paired with a multicoloured Katori blouse with similar embellishments. Shloka’s jaimala and baraat curation paid homage to Anant’s passion for nature and animals through details in her lehengas.

There’s more: Shloka’s vibrant royal blue custom AJSK ghagra, which she wore for the grah shanti ceremony, took us straight to the markets of Gujarat with its multicoloured resham embroidery with mirrors and stones. Anant and Radhika chose complementing AJSK outfits for the sangeet—Anant wore a real gold and navy blue bandhgala, and Radhika was radiant in a multipanel chandelier-inspired lehenga in pastels, embellished with Swarovski crystals.

And it all began a year and a half ago for the designer duo, as conceptualising each garment for every family member took several meetings. “It was a huge enterprise to create the wedding couture for the Ambani family members. They wore our couture to their sangeet, wedding and reception. Each garment was a masterpiece, and we used our finest teams of artisans to embroider and tailor their clothes,” says Abu Jani.

While Anant is passionate about luxury and motifs that celebrate flora and fauna—he wanted his clothes to be “museum quality”—Radhika loves delicate yet glamorous details and wanted traditional silhouettes reinvented for the contemporary bride she was. Some of Anant’s bandhgalas and sherwanis, which boast pure silver and silver dipped in 24-carat gold thread, took a team of artisans six weeks to make.

There was another AJSK masterpiece that set the world of fashion abuzz. In short, it was wearable art. Renowned painter and sculptor Jayasri Burman spent 10 hours a day for a month painting an elaborate lehenga for Radhika with celestial figures on magnificent pink clouds. Later, the fashion house’s artisans embroidered the painting with fine Zardosi.

“We also created a resham embroidered blouse for this one-of-a-kind lehenga,” says Sandeep Khosla. “It was the most wonderful creative collaboration with two brilliant women, Jayasri Burman and stylist Rhea Kapoor.”

However, when asked to pick a favourite, the couturiers reluctantly revealed that it would have to be Radhika’s bridal ivory Zardosi cut-work ghagra. “The outfit was hand-embroidered by the most gifted artisans at our atelier,” says Sandeep.

The trailing ghagra was layered with a second detachable trail, a 5-metre veil and a tissue shoulder dupatta. The ivory of the ghagra was enhanced by three red borders and fine Naqshi, Saadi and Zardosi workmanship, symmetrically hand-embroidered in intricate floral booties, lavishly decorated with stones, sequins, tamba tikkis and a touch of red resham. The veil had impossibly delicate jaali work, and the detachable trail was a marvel of Zardosi.

“This was an absolute masterpiece, an absolute dream made for the ultimate fairytale bride,” gushes Abu.

Regal in Raghavendra Rathore 

If the women had bystanders doing a double take at their exquisite saris and lehengas, the men weren’t far behind, sharp in their ensembles from Raghavendra Rathore Jodhpur. It was right from the roka ceremony— where Anant pulled off a navy blue set with ease—that we saw the Ambani men looking dapper in bandhgalas, kurtas and achkans from the brand.

At the wedding, Mukesh and Akash Ambani were dressed in Raghavendra Rathore Jodhpur—the billionaire industrialist in a baby pink achkan and his elder son nearly twinning in a deeper pink. At the reception, the groom joined the two in a chic black embroidered bandhgala, and even earlier, for the Gujarati mameru tradition, he opted for a custom look—a bright orange long full-sleeved kurta with contrasting off-white pants, layered with a sleeveless bandhgala jacket with floral embroidery work and crystal embellishments.

“The outfits worn by the family were meticulously planned, keeping in mind the locations, themes and timelines,” shares the designer. “The initial vision for each outfit was inspired by a combination of the family’s preferences, the occasions, the brand’s lineage and classic mood board.”

The RR team created the earliest design concepts a couple of months before the festivities began, once they had some insight into the family’s preferences and the events. Next, the team researched various handcrafted details inspired by India’s rich textile tapestry, arts and crafts and then recreated these with a modern touch with help from skilled craftspeople across states. And with each bespoke bandhgala and other outfits, the brand fashioned customised accessories to complement the looks.

“Our discussions revolved around understanding their personal style and sense of comfort, and the image they wanted to project,” the designer adds. “Inspired by the Jodhpuri bandhgala, the outfits for the men were crafted to resonate an old-world charm, yet they lent a global and modern appeal.”

The aesthetics of Anamika Khanna 

The Ambani family understood that no “couture week” is complete without the signature essence of Anamika Khanna. Radhika’s standout look for the reception was an AK masterpiece unlike any other. The bride shone in a Dolce & Gabbana corset and a custom couture sari by Anamika.

“I loved working with Radhika’s D&G corset. It’s the kind of outfit that can bring you out of your comfort zone to make it work in an Indian setting,” the designer says.

However, among the many over-the-top, dazzling ensembles the family chose, it was Radhika’s delicate Anamika Khanna lehenga with intricate floral work that holds tremendous recall value for its uniqueness.

“We worked on some of the looks for more than a month, and some were absolutely last-minute. For Radhika’s floral dupatta, we went back and forth with ideas and were constantly in touch with Rhea Kapoor to figure this out. Eventually, we settled on the final one. The dupatta was made on the day of the haldi since real flowers were used,” Anamika shares.

This floral dupatta, which accompanied her dainty Anamika Khanna silk lehenga, was fashioned out of fresh tagar kalis (jasmine buds), yellow button daisies, Thai rui flowers and genda (marigold) cascading in lace-like work. The bespoke getup comprised generous floral thread work and multihued embroidery around the waist, all accentuated by floral jewellery crafted by Floral Art by Srishti Kapur.

“I wasn’t expecting such a craze for the dupatta!” she says. Shloka also chose an AK design for the haldi—a multitoned lehenga accentuated by polki jewellery and jasmine in her braid. Radhika’s second look on the day of the haldi was another Anamika Khanna lehenga; this time, a flowing pinkish red number embellished with silver zari floral embroidery. Akash, too, was spotted on multiple occasions in custom AK Menswear jackets and bandhgalas.

“Each member of the family had their own style and personality. They have a mind of their own, so we had to work with each one separately,” says Anamika. “We made the mood boards only after initial discussions with them because you figure out one’s taste and aesthetic only after you speak with them.”

A taste of Tarun Tahiliani

The master of Indian wedding couture truly exemplified the label he enjoys this wedding. Think Isha’s onion pink lehenga, crafted in silk with French knots and Zardosi work, adorned with kundan and crystals; and Shloka’s dandiya night lehenga with Aari and Zardosi techniques, along with a richly embellished blouse with Kashida-inspired artwork and a green printed gold embroidered dupatta.

For her hastakshar ceremony, Radhika made a glowing bride in a custom Tarun Tahiliani lehenga-sari with Kashidakari work in silver and rose gold hues, teamed with a hand-painted dupatta and a scalloped rose gold tissue veil. The other masterpiece by the couturier she wore was a multicoloured, mirror work lehenga with playful Banjara and Kutchi aesthetics.

Tarun clearly brought his absolute best to the wedding, once again proving why he’s among the most trusted names among India’s elite. 

This article first appeared in Brides Today, June-September 2024, print edition.

Also read: This photographer shares behind-the-scenes moments from the Anant Ambani-Radhika Merchant wedding

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