- Avarna Jain,
Chairperson RPSG Lifestyle Media
The Complete Timeline Of Anant Ambani And Radhika Merchant’s Relationship
Now that they’re (finally) ready to tie the knot, we decided to go down memory lane to where it all started for the happy couple…
Keeping up with the Ambani wedding festivities should be declared a national sport. Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s wedding ceremony was preceded with enough functions to give Sooraj Barjatya a complex and the biggest celebrities around the world major FOMO.
As the couple prepare to tie the knot in Mumbai with all their family and friends (and Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, John Cena and other unexpected celebrity cameos) present, we wanted to cast a look back at where it all started for the soon-to-be-newlyweds.
While the couple did not confirm their relationship till their roka ceremony in 2022, Anant and Radhika grew up together and were in the same social circles long before their engagement as Radhika is the daughter of businessman Viren Merchant and his wife Shaila Merchant.
As we wait for more details to emerge about their much-awaited nuptials, here’s a complete timeline of their relationship…
Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s Relationship Timeline
The statement released by the Ambanis after the roka ceremony revealed that the two had known each other for years before they finally got into a relationship. Both Anant and Radhika ran in the same social circles and were, reportedly, childhood friends.
Image credit: Instagram/Radhika Merchant FP
In early 2018, speculations about the two began doing the rounds as a picture of the couple in matching olive robes emerged online. However, they didn’t address the rumours.
The rumours about their relationship were fuelled further when Radhika joined the Ambanis for Isha Ambani’s engagement ceremony in Lake Como, Italy. While her presence there as a friend of the family was not unusual, photos of her with Anant made eagle-eyed observers believe that there might be something brewing between the two.
Image credit: Instagram/Radhika Merchant FP
Later in 2018, Radhika was featured prominently in all of Isha Ambani’s wedding ceremonies, including being a part of the foursome who walked with the bride during her phoolon ki chadar (canopy of flowers) ceremony.
In 2019, the couple were spotted together again during the festivities for Anant’s brother Akash Ambani’s wedding.
In December of 2021, Radhika was seen hanging out with the Ambani clan in Jamnagar for Akash and Shloka Ambani’s son Prithvi’s first birthday celebrations.
Image credit: Instagram/Radhika Merchant FP
In June 2022, the Ambanis all but confirmed the upcoming nuptials of their youngest when they hosted Radhika’s Arangetram ceremony. As a trained Bharatnatyam dancer, this was essentially Radhika’s graduation ceremony as the ceremony signifies a dancer’s ascend onto the stage for the first time. It was held at Jio World Centre in Mumbai and had many Bollywood celebrities in attendance, along with the family.
In December 2022, it was officially announced that Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant were to wed soon. The families held a formal roka ceremony at Shrinathji Temple in Nathdwara, Rajasthan.
In January 2023, the couple had an engagement ceremony in Mumbai which officially symbolised Radhika’s welcome into the Ambani household.
Image credit: Instagram/Radhika Merchant FP
After many subsequent appearances together, or with one or the other family members, Anant and Radhika appeared together on the red carpet for the opening ceremony of the Neeta Mukesh Ambani Cultural Center.
In January 2024, the couple kicked off their months-long wedding festivities with a Lagan Lakhvanu ceremony in Jamnagar.
Image credit: Instagram
In March 2024, the pre-wedding festivities officially kicked off with celebrities and fellow billionaires from around the world making their way to Jamnagar for the couple’s Hastakshar ceremony. The three-day extravaganza brought Rihanna out of her quasi-retirement, making the world sit up and take note of a potential entrant to the unofficial ‘Wedding of the Century’ hall of fame.
Image credit: Instagram
After an Italian cruise, that irked locals and confounded Indians about the number of pre-wedding functions, Anant and Radhika’s countdown to the D-Day began with a series of, you guessed it, pre-wedding ceremonies in Mumbai.
It was a long and couture-filled journey but we’ve finally made it. It’s the day of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s wedding and we can’t wait to see it all unfold through grainy videos on Instagram and red carpet videos overlayed with sounds of the Indian paparazzi trying to differentiate Kim from Khloe.
Here's wishing the newlyweds a lifetime of happiness!
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