What's common between former U.S. first lady Hillary Clinton, American pop sensation Beyonce and India's former President Pranab Mukherjee? Nothing really one would argue, except there is! They were all part of the VIP guest list of the world's biggest wedding party.

India may still be a developing nation but the country just witnessed the world's grandest marriage ceremony ever.

The stupendous 100-million-U.S.-dollar wedding bash was thrown by Asia's richest man and India's oil-and-telecom tycoon Mukesh Ambani for his 27-year-old daughter Isha Ambani. The cost is like a drop in the ocean for Ambani whose net worth is 43.7 billion U.S. dollars.

The event has become the most expensive wedding in the world after the marriage ceremony of Lady Diana with Prince Charles in 1981. According to an estimate, if the increase in the value of the currency is taken into account, around 110 million U.S. dollars were spent at the royal wedding 37 years ago. In May, the wedding of Prince Harry and Hollywood actress Meghan Markle cost over 40 million U.S. dollars.

The Big Fat Indian Wedding

It was an extravagant five-day celebration of the coming together of India's two wealthiest families. Yale graduate Ms. Ambani got married to her childhood friend, Anand Parimal, also the scion of one of India's most prominent business families with a net worth of 4.2 billion U.S. dollars.

The wedding took place on December 12 at their 27-storey Mumbai residence, Antilla, also one of the world's most expensive private residences, second only to the Buckingham Palace.

Reports also suggest that the Piramals have gifted their daughter-in-law and son a five-storey sea-facing mansion worth 62 million U.S. dollars in Mumbai's posh Worli area.

The grand festivities began with a two-day pre-wedding carnival at a 16th-century palace-turned-hotel in Udaipur, also known as the city of lakes, in India's northwestern state of Rajasthan. The city is no stranger to "big-fat" weddings but this time it was bigger than ever.

Forty chartered planes and over a thousand luxury cars were made available to the guests who arrived from across the globe.

The VIP guest list included names like Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Priyanka Chopra and her husband Nick Jonas and Bollywood superstars like Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, and Aishwarya Rai.

The stage under the starry night was set on fire by performances by top celebrities from the tinsel town and the Ambanis themselves.

But this was just the beginning, the billionaire dad also arranged American pop-star Beyonce for a 45-minute private concert. If reports are to be believed, the singing sensation pocketed around three million U.S. dollars for performing popular songs like Crazy in Love, Naughty Girl and Perfect, among others.

After Udaipur, it was time for Mumbai to witness the grand spectacle of wealth and revelry.

The invitation card for the wedding reportedly cost over 4,000 U.S. dollars each. The attendees included top Bollywood celebrities, high-profile politicians, businessmen, and journalists.

But soon several videos showing India's biggest superstars like Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan serving food to the guests at the wedding left the social media users amused.

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan is seen serving food to the guests from the groom's side at the wedding.

Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan, son of Amitabh Bachchan defended his father on Twitter, claiming they were just following an old Indian tradition of being a good host.

The larger-than-life celebrations have also been criticized by many in the country where 65 million people still live under extreme poverty.

According to a Paris-based World Inequality Lab, the richest 10 percent of India's population controlled 63 percent of its wealth in 2012.

Some call it a wasteful expenditure by crazy rich Asians but many believe it's just capitalism at work.

Can a one-man's show of wealth be linked to the misery of millions? And should the richie-rich avoid a luxurious public spectacle of a personal family affair? The wedding is over but the debate rages on.


Source: Asia's Richest Man's Daugter's wedding for more Photos