From John Legend and Beyoncé to Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, India's biggest wedding of the year saw performances by some of the world's most prominent musicians and actors, and a guestlist that included celebrities, politicians, industrialists, authors and sport legends. Here's what we know about the couple and their wedding celebrations so far.
Who are Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal?
Isha Ambani is the daughter of Nita Ambani, owner of the Mumbai Indians T20 cricket team, and business magnate Mukesh Ambani, the chairman of Reliance Industries Limited, one of India's biggest conglomerates with interests in petrochemicals, energy and telecommunications. Her older brother, Akash Ambani, who had his own star-studded engagement earlier this year, is married to Shloka Mehta (pictured below, right), whose father is a well-known diamond merchant. Isha, 27, is a Yale University graduate and is on the board of directors at Reliance Retail and Jio.
Anand Piramal is the son of Dr Swati Piramal, a scientist involved in innovation in public healthcare, and industrialist Ajay Piramal, chairman of the Piramal Group, which spans the pharmaceutical, healthcare and real estate sectors. Anand, 33, is the founder of Piramal Realty and executive director of the Piramal Group, and has studied at the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Business School.
The engagement at Lake Como
Isha and Anand are childhood friends – their families have known one another for decades – and got engaged in May, when Anand proposed on a trip the couple took to the hill station of Mahableshwar. The official engagement ceremony took place in September in Italy, in a three-day celebration that included a performance by John Legend, who is also part of the couple's wedding festivities this month. On the guest list were the then-unmarried Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas, as well as Aamir Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Karan Johar, AR Rahman, Manish Malhotra, Juhi Chawla and Janhvi Kapoor.
The sangeet ceremony in Udaipur
The couple held their sangeet ceremony at The Oberoi Udaivilas, a heritage hotel and wildlife sanctuary in Udaipur, Rajasthan, constructed on what used to be the hunting grounds of the ruler of Mewar. The two-night party was held on December 8 and 9, with celebrity guests aplenty. On the list were: Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas, who got married in the neighbouring state of Jodhpur about a week ago; Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone, also fresh from their various wedding celebrations in Lake Como, Bangalore and Mumbai; plus Ranbir Kapoor, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Katrina Kaif, Vidya Balan, Varun Dhawan, Sachin Tendulkar, Janhvi and Khushi Kapoor, Rhea Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Anil Kapoor and Karisma Kapoor.
Hilary Clinton, Arianna Huffington, Lakshmi Mittal and James Murdoch were also there.
Saturday night saw a slew of performances by Bollywood stars, including Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra and Karan Johar, while Beyoncé took to the stage on Sunday. See all the celebrity performances here. Isha and Anand did a little number together, too.
What we know about the wedding
Not too much, apart from the fact that it will take place on December 12 at the lavish Ambani residence in Mumbai. Antilia tower in South Mumbai is one of the most expensive residential properties in the world. It has a living space of 400,000 square feet, which includes a salon, spa, ballroom, three pools, private theatre, terrace garden, nine lifts, three helipads and a six-floor garage with space for 188 cars. Although the building has 27 storeys, it stands 570 feet high, which is closer to the size of a 40-storey structure. It's little wonder, then, that the work on the fairy lights and flowers that typically adorn an Indian bride's home began weeks ago.
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Read more:
[ An insight into Mukesh Ambani's empire and how he became Asia's richest man ]
[ A look at Priyanka Chopra's lavish wedding cake ]
[ Shah Rukh Khan's latest movie 'Zero' was partially shot in Dubai ]
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