From supersized emeralds to archival couture: the biggest fashion and beauty trends spotted at the Ambani wedding

There was plenty of style and beauty inspiration to be taken from Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s nuptials that took place at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai a few days ago. With a star-studded guest list and all eyes on the wedding, both the host families and the guests put their most fashionable foot forward.

Whether you’re a bride-to-be or a serial wedding attender, ahead, we’ve shortlisted 10 of the biggest trends you need to add to your wedding mood board.

Pulling from the archives

A few years ago, vintage moments on the red carpet were far and few between—but as we saw during awards season this year, donning a vintage garment turned out to be the ultimate flex. So, it should come as no surprise that the most coveted looks from this wedding season are not those seen on the latest runways, but those pulled from the archives. Alia Bhatt was spotted in a rare Manish Malhotra sari made using a 160-year-old Ashavali weave of pure silk and real zari, according to her stylist Priyanka Kapadia Badani. Athiya Shetty paired an archival Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla zardozi blouse, created 20 years ago, with a vintage chikankari sari, while Shloka Ambani wore a deep purple silk brocade lehenga with a sage green blouse from Manish Malhotra’s archives.

Emerald rush

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but emeralds stole the show at the Ambani wedding. From the family’s collection of stunning emerald pieces by Sunita Shekhawat to Ananya Panday’s earrings and necklace Raj Mahtani and Jacqueliene Fernandez’s Goenka statement neckpiece, the green gemstone was spotted in abundance at the celebrations.

Classic black

Black is not the most traditional choice for an Indian wedding, but its undeniable glam factor ensured it was seen plenty during the celebrations. Mira Kapoor attended in a black and rose gold lehenga by Arpita Mehta. In men’s wardrobes, black was upgraded with embroidered and embellished details. Tiger Shroff impressed in an eye-catching bandhgala by Gaurav Gupta while Ahan Shetty sported a Rohit Gandhi + Rahul Khanna kurta with subtle embellishments.

Think (blush) pink

Pastels have been having a major moment at Indian weddings for a while now, but the younger lot of guests including Suhana Khan (who wore a Rahul Mishra lehenga) and Sara Tendulkar (in an Arpita Mehta lehenga and Birdhichand Ghanshyamdas jewellery) still managed to make soft hues look refreshing. Tania Shroff wore a custom Anita Dongre look, styled with a neckpiece and earrings from Rare Heritage.

Hair ornaments for the win

“The winner was hair accessories. We used ornaments and jewellery to elevate the look,” says Yianni Tsapatori, hair stylist to Isha Ambani. Think jewelled parandis, diamond drops that studded buns, and elegant maathapattis. For one of the functions, the sister of the groom wore Birdhichand Ghanshyamdas jewels in her braid. The wedding guests were not far behind, with Natasha Poonawalla, and designer Grace Ling (who wore Aurus and Moi) all opting for ornate jewellery in their hair.

Hero jewels

The Ambani wedding was the site of some of the biggest and most beautiful jewellery the world has to offer. For the wedding, the groom’s sister, Isha Ambani, turned heads in an exquisite “Garden of Love” necklace created with rare coloured diamonds in pink, blue, green, and orange. Meanwhile, the mother of the groom Nita Ambani wore a 180-carat diamond necklace that was drawn from her curated collection and meticulously crafted over 1,000 hours.

Personalised touches

How do people who already have everything make their new purchases feel even special? By personalising it of course. The same was true at the wedding where, in the ultimate art-meets-fashion collab, the bride’s Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla lehenga, hand-painted by artist Jayasri Burman, featured stunning visuals of flora, fauna, and human figures. The animal imagery was a nod to the groom’s love of wildlife, while the images of humans paid homage to the couple’s union. The bride even wore a diamond ring that was encrusted with their initials and added a custom-crafted diamond and sapphire brooch spelling out A&R to one of her looks. Nita Ambani, too, wore a personalised blouse by Manish Malhotra—it was hand-embroidered with the names of her children and grandchildren as well as an elephant along the back.

Raise a toast to champagne

Cream, champagne, and ivory were the favoured colours for the Ambani wedding. Isha Ambani wore a breathtaking floral ivory sari on the wedding day while Khloe Kardashian chose for a champagne and ivory lehenga with an off-shoulder silk blouse featuring cascading strands of pearls and gold beadwork at the back, both courtesy of Manish Malhotra. Even the men joined in: Karan Johar opted for regal cream sherwani from Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla, while Ahan Shetty wore a Shanatnu & Nikhil bandhgala highlighted with light gold accents and tonal beadwork.

Banarasi weaves

The Banarasi sari has long held the status of a masterpiece of Indian textile heritage. For her vidaai ceremony, the bride wore a stunning multi-panelled Banarasi brocade Manish Malhotra lehenga in sunset hues. Nita Ambani—who visited Varanasi during the pre-wedding celebrations to seek blessings for the couple—championed the craftsmanship of the region by wearing multiple Banarasi saris through the celebrations, including a Rangkat sari with floral motifs designed by Manish Malhotra in collaboration with Swadesh.

Long braids are back

Whether your hair is straight, wavy, or curly, braids are the perfect nostalgic hairstyle that work for every kind of hair texture. A playful long braid + backless outfit = bingo. For a touch of elegance, you can add pearls, rhinestones, flowers, jewels, or hair accessories.Take notes from Shanaya Kapoor, who adorned her braid with jewels from Birdhichand Ghanshyamdas.

Soft, minimal make-up

Looking like the best version of yourself never goes out of style. So, it’s no surprise that there were so many who opted to keep it simple when it came to make-up. The biggest make-up trend we saw was the clean girl look, with a hint of blush, nude lips, and minimal fuss.

Discover the best of couture, jewellery, gifting, trousseau and more at The Wedding Collective – a bridal show by Reliance Retail.

To register for your invite, click here.

The Wedding Collective is on between August 23-25, 2024, at the Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai