The lavish wedding of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant is the talk of the moment, set to take place this weekend after months of spectacular celebrations preceding the event.
Ambani is the youngest son of billionaire Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries. The total cost of the wedding is estimated to be between 11 billion to 13 billion rupees ($132 million to $156 million), according to the BBC, although the families involved have not revealed any figures.
Extravagances include a three-day star-studded pre-wedding event in March in the family’s hometown of Jamnagar in the Indian state of Gujarat, with 1,200 guests in attendance including Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan.
This was followed by a luxury cruise across the Mediterranean and yet more celebrations in July ahead of the big day.
As the Ambani wedding gets underway — here’s why Indian nuptials are so big and glamorous
Karishma Manwani, a luxury wedding planner in London who works with wealthy families, told CNBC Make It that her clients typically spend between £200,000 and £1 million ($258,620 and $1.29 million) on wedding celebrations.
Meanwhile, Priya Suglani, the founder of events and wedding planning company Pristine Events, said to CNBC Make It that her clientele tends to spend between £40,000 to £130,000.
But a beautiful wedding doesn’t need to be expensive and there are ways to put on a spectacular show with a much smaller budget, according to Manwani and Suglani.
They shared six tips on how to host a luxurious wedding without spending the earth.
Pick 5 non-negotiables
Suglani suggests opting for “quality over quantity,” which means prioritizing what you want to spend the most money on if you’re on a restricted budget.
“I always say to couples, pick your five non-negotiables, so pick your five things that mean the most to you at weddings,” Suglani said.
This means thinking about the things you’ve most appreciated at weddings in the past, such as food, drinks, music, or entertainment.
“Spend most of your money on that, so you can still get a really good personalized wedding and the stuff that you have booked is really good quality,” she said.
“It’s better to do a wedding like that, rather than trying to fit everything in, and you’ve just gone for the cheapest option for all of them, and then it just feels a bit flat.”
Refine the guestlist
It’s tempting to invite everyone you know to a wedding, but refining the guest list will trim costs and allow you to spend more on other areas.
“Try and have people that you really want there and people that you’re going to miss if you don’t see them on the dance floor that night,” Manwani said. “Every guest adds up.”
In fact, there’s a growing trend in the wedding industry of inviting fewer people, but splashing out on other areas, according to Suglani.
“[People] are now having a guest list of 200 people so they’re then able to go all out on other things that they wouldn’t have before if they were having 500 people,” she said.
DIY it
Suglani suggests being savvy when it comes to cost-effectiveness — and this could involve making things yourself at home.
“These days you can do things like make your own stationery yourselves and get it printed,” she explained.
Couple Vanessa Acosta and Sam Roberts went even further, hosting their wedding in their own backyard on a budget of $3,000.
“We DIY’ed and thrifted everything,” Acosta previously told CNBC Make It. “We thrifted my husband’s shirt, he used his really nice dress shoes he already owned. I made my dress and I thrifted the fabrics; I made my veil.”
Consider a weekday wedding
Manwani advises couples to be as flexible as possible with their wedding dates in order to save some serious cash.
“Consider weekday weddings. Don’t go for that peak Saturday bank holiday weekend in the U.K., because venues are going to be a lot more expensive. Suppliers are going to be a lot more in demand. So nobody’s willing to negotiate. Nobody’s willing to give you a good deal,” she said.
“But if you go off-peak, weekdays … suppliers are free on that day. They would happily give you a good deal that works for you. So, then you’re going to get the best suppliers, you’re going to get the venue that you want at a reasonable price without paying the premiums.”
Host some events at home
If you’re planning various pre-wedding events like the Ambani family, having them at home is a convenient and inexpensive way of doing so, according to Manwani.
“Do it in your back garden instead of doing a whole event, because each time you have a venue, there are minimum spends there and you have to provide so many things and you want to have more guests because the venue can accommodate 100 guests so you will end up inviting 100 guests,” she said.
“But if you do it in your home and you can only accommodate 25 guests, you will stick to that list.”
Fake flowers are better
Floral arrangements can make a major statement at wedding events, but fresh flowers are not your only option.
“Nowadays we’ve got really amazing fake floral options that still give all the drama and statement, but are way cheaper,” Suglani said.
If fresh flowers are a must for your wedding, then consider what is in season, Manwani says.
“Some brides come to me, and they have a favorite flower, but it’s not in season. So, then we have to import them from Holland or from other countries. But if you were to play with what’s available at that time of the year, you’re going to get a beautiful look without paying that premium for logistics that nobody actually sees,” she added.
