Anant Ambani, the son of India’s richest man, and Radhika Merchant tied the knot earlier this month at a star-studded event hosted in Mumbai — and many of the celebrity attendees received some pretty lavish gifts when celebrating the nuptials.
A-listers including Nick Jonas, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and John Cena attended the ceremony, with some getting “sent private planes and given jewelry and gifts versus traditional cash payments,” a source told Us Weekly exclusively.
While they “didn’t get to keep all of their jewelry” worn to the event, the stars “were allowed to keep some.” (A separate insider told Us that Chopra has been friends with the Ambani family “for years and her costs for attendance were her own.”)
Kim Kardashian and Khloé Kardashian were also notable attendees. Yes, the reality star sisters were also gifted jewelry, but they opted to wear Lorraine Schwartz, as they do for every event.
Between the airplanes, gifts and the solid gold invitation to the wedding, many celebrity attendees received “over 3 million dollars in freebies,” the same insider told Us.
Other big-name attendees included performers such as Luis Fonsi, who sang “Despacito,” and Rema, who sang “Calm Down.” Rihanna and Justin Bieber were also thrown into the mix as they performed at various pre-wedding celebrations. (Andrea Bocelli, the Backstreet Boys, David Guetta, Katy Perry and Pitbull sang at a May event thrown as a leadup to the wedding.)
“The performers were all paid 50 percent over their market value,” the same source told Us, explaining that this would be their traditional performance cost. Rihanna, for example, cost $7 million, the insider explained. “She would have been paid over $10 [million]” for this wedding.
While there were tons of celebrities at the nuptials, fans were the most fixated Kim, 43, and Khloé, 40 — especially when it came to their outfits.
They wore traditional Indian gowns to the event and offered fans an inside look at the pre-wedding festivities.
“Had to screen grab our video bc we’re just so happy to be lucky enough to travel the world together!” Kim wrote in a July 12 Instagram Story post. “And duh we’re filming The Kardashians too so you guys can see Kim and Khloe Take India.”
When it came to the actual ceremony, both stars wore traditional three-piece lehengas, which are often what women wear to Indian weddings. The outfit features an ankle-length skirt and matching crop top with fabric draped over the look. Kim kept it neutral in a nude-colored outfit while Khloé stunned in a hot pink look.
Khloé shared social media footage of her getting ready for the wedding, and almost took a tumble while en route to the ceremony.
“I love a little slip before a night on the town,” she quipped to fans. “That’s what happens when it’s monsoon season.”
