Anant Ambani, son of Mukesh Ambani and Nita Ambani finally got hitched to long-time girlfriend Radhika Merchant, daughter of Viren Merchant and Shaila Merchant on July 12 at Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai. For the event, the Ambani family was garbed in designer outfits by Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla and Manish Malhotra for the wedding ceremony of Anant and Radhika. All the outfits were colour-coordinated in shades of pink, gold and red. The bride, Radhika Merchant, opted for two lehengas- one by designer duo Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla for her wedding rituals and another one by Manish Malhotra for her bidaai ceremony.
WHAT IS PANETAR?
Radhika Merchant wore a lehenga designed by Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla for her wedding ceremony pairing it with the family jewels her nani, mom and sister wore to their weddings. Her ensemble is Abu Sandeep’s intricate interpretation of ‘Panetar’ - the Gujarati tradition of brides wearing a red and white silk saree, with a white body and a red pallu.
Panetar Saree is a hand-woven piece with embroidery and embellishments all done manually. It is made using pure Gajji silk with fine stripes or checks in Zari, adding a golden touch to the fabric. To cater to modern times, the Panetar Saree now comes in different fabrics, colours and design variations. However, nothing can be compared to its original and traditional charm.
Nowadays, brides are moving away from the Gharcharoli or Panetar sarees in favour of lehenga choli combinations for their bid day. In this combination, brides use an odhni or dupatta that depicts the traditional drape, adding it gracefully to their lehenga.
Previously, Isha Ambani had also opted for a Panetar odhni during her wedding over her Sabyasachi bridal lehenga for the big ceremony.
RADHIKA MERCHANT'S WEDDING OUTFIT:
Taking to their Instagram handle, the designer duo described Radhika's outfit outfit in detail.
"The ivory Zardozi cut-work ensemble consists of a trailing ghagra layered with a second detachable trail, a 5-meter head veil and a tissue shoulder dupatta. The ghagra glitters with three borders of red, Its workmanship is the finest amalgamation of Naqshi, Saadi and Zardozi symmetrically hand-embroidered in intricate floral booties that are lavishly decorated with stones, sequins, Tamba tikkis and a touch of red Resham. The head veil has impossibly delicate jaali and cut-work while the detachable trail is a Zardozi marvel of 80 inches. The outfit is complete with a fully embroidered red shoulder dupatta that uplifts the silhouette with its maximal drama," the post read.
RADHIKA MERCHANT'S BIDAAI OUTFIT:
For her bidaai ceremony, Radhika opted for a Manish Malhotra lehenga. Talking about the outfit, the designer wrote on his Instagram handle, "This exquisite blouse features real gold karchobi work, inspired by the traditional abho and the rich textile heritage of Kutch, Gujarat, echoing the artistry of the late 19th century."
"Paired with a multi-panelled Banarasi brocade lehenga in sunset hues, this ensemble is a tribute to India’s timeless elegance. A veil with a lattice design in a beautiful red complements the attire. The dupatta is a Banarasi woven masterpiece," he added.