As couples get inspired by Anant Ambani’s big day, expert predicts wedding trends for 2025
Key Findings:
- Wedding expert Chris Bajda predicts the wedding trends, inspired by Anant Ambani, that are likely to become popular in 2025
- Pre-wedding events, multi-day weddings, and wedding party gifts stand out as Ambani-inspired trends
- Chris explains how wedding trends will move toward luxury even more in the future
It was the wedding of the decade; the union of Anant Ambani, the youngest son of Asia’s richest man, and businesswoman and media personality Radhika Merchant. Pre-wedding celebrations included a multi-day cruise around the Mediterranean, while the multi-day wedding itself saw over 14,000 attendees.
“We can’t all aspire to the glamour and lavish expense of the Ambani-Merchant wedding, but there are some trends I think we’ll see become popular as a result of the media frenzy around this event,” says Chris Bajda, a wedding expert from tailored groomsmen gift company GroomsDay.
Pre-Wedding Events
“It was the pre-wedding events – especially the three-day party in Jamnagar in March – that first signalled how impressive this wedding was going to be,” says Chris. Pre-wedding events have always been a tradition, mainly in the form of bachelor and bachelorette parties. “We’ve seen a trend of these parties getting more extravagant, going from a simple night out to multi-day mini-vacations,” Chris says. “I think this trend is only going to get more popular.”
Couples can plan lavish beach parties or a pre-wedding cruise just like the Ambanis, but Chris warns that they should consider everyone’s budgets before planning anything. “We certainly don’t all have the wealth of the Ambani family! If you’re planning pre-wedding events, especially if the plan includes travel and renting a holiday place, make sure everyone is on board and can comfortably afford it,” Chris says. “If you do plan something lavish, understand that not everyone might be able to make space in their budget to attend.”
Customised Wedding Party Gifts
Anant Ambani gifted ten limited edition Audemars Piguet customised watches to his groomsmen, each worth an eye-popping $200,000! While most of us won’t have quite that much cash to throw around, personalised gifts for the members of the wedding party are one way to make the day feel special for the friends standing up alongside the bride and groom.
“Your groomsmen and bridesmaids are the friends and family who’ve supported and loved you throughout meeting and deciding to marry your partner, so it’s nice to get them a little something to help them always remember the day,” Chris says.
Drone Light Shows
With concerns about wildfires becoming increasingly prevalent in many regions, couples may hesitate before setting off a traditional round of fireworks—or they might even be banned, depending on local regulations. Fireworks also create a lot of noise and smoke, which can be distressing for some guests and is especially problematic if any animals are present.
The Ambanis incorporated an impressive drone light show into their three-day pre-wedding party in Jamnagar, a city in the west of India. Like them, couples could opt to include a light show in their festivities. “It’s much easier to personalise a drone light show—you could display your names, an important date, or maybe even a favourite animal,” Chris suggests.
Multi-Day Celebrations
Multi-day weddings are traditional in India, with a different ceremony taking place on each day. But if a couple’s wedding traditions aren’t already multi-day, they could consider adding events to make a whole weekend-long event.
“It’s a loose tradition in Western weddings to have the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding, so that could be your first event,” Chris says. “I’ve seen couples take everyone out to a big brunch the morning after the wedding, and I’ve also seen a couple who turned their wedding into a multi-day rodeo! If you’re willing to plan and fund it, the sky’s the limit!”
Chris Bajda of GroomsDay commented:
“The wedding of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant is a quintessential example of the trend toward more lavish, expensive wedding celebrations. Cultural events with significant media coverage, like the Ambani-Merchant wedding, often catalyse new trends in luxury markets. This luxury at big celebrity weddings has a trickle-down effect, influencing not only the upper echelons of society but also the wider public’s perception of what a wedding could entail. We can see this reflected in the rising prices of weddings. In 2024, the average price of a wedding in the USA is $33,000 – that’s up 14% from 2023.”
“The impact of such lavish celebrations will likely inspire event planners and couples worldwide to incorporate similar luxury elements into their own weddings, albeit scaled to different budgets. Whether it’s the adoption of technology in celebrations, like drone light shows that offer a sustainable alternative to fireworks, or the customizability of pre-wedding events to offer more opportunities to celebrate, I think we’re likely to see more and more luxury trends enter the wedding market as we move into 2025.”
