Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
then open in external browser
and click "Open in External Browser" 
User submission
35
“So Much Waste”: People Blast Billionaire’s Wedding That Shut Down The Pyramids
A billionaire’s wedding caused quite a stir earlier this month after he rented no less than the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, sparking outrage amid a “tone deaf” extreme display of wealth and disrespect for the historical tombs.
Million Dollar Listing New York real estate agent Ryan Serhant took to his Instagram page on May 3 to showcase his point of view from the lavish wedding ceremony of billionaire tech CEO Ankur Jain and Erika Hammond.
Highlights
- Billionaire tech CEO Ankur Jain's wedding at the Great Pyramid of Giza sparked outrage and was seen as tone-deaf.
- The lavish event included performances by Lindsey Stirling and guest appearances by celebrities like Lance Bass.
- Many Egyptians expressed offense and sadness over the privatization of their cultural heritage for a wedding.
In the first video, Ryan combined various footage from the exorbitant event, which included fellow guests Lance Bass, Robin Thicke, and Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary, as well as a performance by Lindsey Stirling.
He also showed glimpses of The Manial Palace in addition to himself and other guests roaming around the pyramids and the Great Sphinx of Giza, which were shut down specially for the wedding.
BP Daily - Your Source for Unbiased Reporting
A billionaire’s extravagant wedding at the Great Pyramid of Giza sparked outrage
Image credits: Abdelrhman Allam
Image credits: ankurjain
The video rubbed many viewers the wrong way, as an Instagram user commented: “This video got so much hate for all the right reasons.”
A person wrote: “I live really close to the pyramids, on the wedding day I woke up terrified because of the amount of fireworks they fired for a really long time, I thought that we [were] being attacked or something.”
Someone else penned: “As an Egyptian, this is extremely sad to see.
“That the country is being pimped out to a bunch of wealthy Westerners just because the government needs extra $$$$.”
Many people felt it was an ostentatious display of wealth and disrespectful toward the historical tombs
Image credits: ankurjain
Image credits: ryanserhant
An additional commentator said: “And under the same sky a genocide is taking place.”
Another viewer commented: “As an Egyptian, renting out the fucking PYRAMIDS is beyond disrespect.
“I’m not blaming you, I’m blaming whoever allowed it.”
An observer added: “As an Egyptian, I feel offended that they shut down the pyramids area for a wedding.”
Ankur Jain is the founder and CEO of Bilt Rewards
View this post on Instagram
Image credits: ankurjain
A separate individual chimed in: “A wedding in a cemetery??”
In a part two video, Ryan captured the wedding venue, located right at the pyramids’ heel.
The second video ignited just as much criticism, as a viewer argued: “Honestly, this is such a gross display of wealth that it’s not even enjoyable to watch.
“Especially with the state of the world.
“Especially being in the middle ground between Africa and the Middle East.”
The cost of the three-week-long wedding celebrations of 34-year-old Ankur Jain and 32-year-old Erika Hammond has not been revealed
Image credits: ankurjain
Image credits: ankurjain
“And knowing so many people could be aided with this type of money.
“The amount of waste the temporary buildings most likely contributed to.
“The families in America are struggling here on our own shores.
“It’s just, I don’t know, so wasteful, so grotesque.”
“And under the same sky, a genocide is taking place,” a person commented
Image credits: ankurjain
View this post on Instagram
“And sadly statistically most couples who have such extreme weddings, are divorced within six months.
“I’m not being insulting, it’s just, I mean, read the room….the entire world’s on fire.”
The Pyramids of Giza are three 4th-dynasty (c. 2575–c. 2465 BCE) pyramids erected on a rocky plateau on the west bank of the Nile River near Al-Jīzah (Giza) in northern Egypt, Britannica explains.
In ancient times, they were included among the Seven Wonders of the World. The ancient ruins of the Memphis area, including the Pyramids of Giza, Ṣaqqārah, Dahshūr, Abū Ruwaysh, and Abū Ṣīr, were collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979.
Million Dollar Listing New York’s Ryan Serhant showcased his point of view from the lavish wedding ceremony
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
The pyramids were constructed as tombs for ancient Egyptian pharaohs and were originally filled with burial chambers and sarcophagi containing the remains of the pharaohs.
However, over thousands of years, these tombs were looted, and the remains were removed.
The cost of the three-week-long wedding celebrations of 34-year-old Ankur Jain, the founder and CEO of Bilt Rewards, and his bride, 32-year-old Erika Hammond, a renowned celebrity fitness trainer, has not been revealed, but they are estimated to have been worth millions of dollars.
The festivities started with a three-night African safari and continued to take place at the Great Sphinx of Giza, with an afterparty at the base of the Pyramids, the Daily Mail reported on May 1.
“Ankur went to Egypt as a child and teenager with his family, and had always talked about how it was so inspiring and one of the best experiences and trips he had ever been on,” Erika, who got engaged to Ankur in November 2022, told the British tabloid.
While many criticized the wedding, others admired it
Poll Question
Total votes ·
Thanks! Check out the results:
Total votes ·
Newsletter
Subscribe to Access
Exclusive Polls
By entering your email and clicking Subscribe, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Privacy Policy.
Thank you! You've successfully subscribed to newsletters!
8Kviews
Share on FacebookExplore more of these tags
What do you think ?
sharyn turnicky 1 year ago
You would think, if they can afford such a lavish wedding, they could afford a whole dress for the bride!
🇺🇦 PrincessPatton 🇺🇦 1 year ago
I know it's the rule that the bride is not to be criticized, but I really don't like her dress, it looks very tacky. I'm sorry.
Chris Landrum 1 year ago
What is the over/under on how long they are married? I say under 3 years
Michael Asher 1 year ago
I came from a well off family in lower Alabama. I grew up learning how to do business with other rich businessmen for my father. This was in the 70's and the men were extremely nice and did not flaunt they status. I cannot stand these rich people today, they think money makes them popular, but they don't see the big picture, that not one of the people watching them could care less about them if they had no money. When i was traveling around the world working, while in Cebu Philippines, i jogged every day and always saw this disabled woman on a plant pot platr with wheels begging. On the day i was leaving i jogged by her and stopped and gave her a hundred dollar bill and told her to, in Tagalog, that people do care. Did this numerous times around the world for people i knew had nothing. This billionaire couple would just laugh at someone like this, if they even looked, cause they are lost in their fantasy world, which can come to an end in a blink of time.
Fox with a Dragon Tattoo 1 year ago
What abject trash.. can smell the smug from here. May they never have a single moment of happiness again. The.fact these billionaires exist is proof we have failed as a species.
Robert T 1 year ago
Little bit of context here, as I can see a sunset picture. I took a very similar one some years ago. The Giza plateau is closed down at night. The camels all get into the back of trucks and come down the hill. I did an organised trip and we did the usual tourist thing during the day. We then had a brief tour of the museum, before returning to the Giza plateau to have dinner in a tent overlooking the pyramids as the sun went down. From the sunset pic, it is quite likely that something similar happened here. They were closing down anyway.
AnkleByter 1 year ago
They weren't just closed down for the usual time. They were closed down, the ENTIRE time, to include the setup-day before and day of, and removal, day after, of all this c**p that didn't need to be there in the first place (minus the mess the fireworks made, because that's not cleaned up at all). There is no "quite likely" anything, this was literally just their way to brandish their wealth. I don't begrudge them their wealth, be as wealthy as you want (if you earned it, lol), but like someone else said....read the room.
Load More Replies...
sharyn turnicky 1 year ago
You would think, if they can afford such a lavish wedding, they could afford a whole dress for the bride!
🇺🇦 PrincessPatton 🇺🇦 1 year ago
I know it's the rule that the bride is not to be criticized, but I really don't like her dress, it looks very tacky. I'm sorry.
Chris Landrum 1 year ago
What is the over/under on how long they are married? I say under 3 years
Michael Asher 1 year ago
I came from a well off family in lower Alabama. I grew up learning how to do business with other rich businessmen for my father. This was in the 70's and the men were extremely nice and did not flaunt they status. I cannot stand these rich people today, they think money makes them popular, but they don't see the big picture, that not one of the people watching them could care less about them if they had no money. When i was traveling around the world working, while in Cebu Philippines, i jogged every day and always saw this disabled woman on a plant pot platr with wheels begging. On the day i was leaving i jogged by her and stopped and gave her a hundred dollar bill and told her to, in Tagalog, that people do care. Did this numerous times around the world for people i knew had nothing. This billionaire couple would just laugh at someone like this, if they even looked, cause they are lost in their fantasy world, which can come to an end in a blink of time.
Fox with a Dragon Tattoo 1 year ago
What abject trash.. can smell the smug from here. May they never have a single moment of happiness again. The.fact these billionaires exist is proof we have failed as a species.
Robert T 1 year ago
Little bit of context here, as I can see a sunset picture. I took a very similar one some years ago. The Giza plateau is closed down at night. The camels all get into the back of trucks and come down the hill. I did an organised trip and we did the usual tourist thing during the day. We then had a brief tour of the museum, before returning to the Giza plateau to have dinner in a tent overlooking the pyramids as the sun went down. From the sunset pic, it is quite likely that something similar happened here. They were closing down anyway.
AnkleByter 1 year ago
They weren't just closed down for the usual time. They were closed down, the ENTIRE time, to include the setup-day before and day of, and removal, day after, of all this c**p that didn't need to be there in the first place (minus the mess the fireworks made, because that's not cleaned up at all). There is no "quite likely" anything, this was literally just their way to brandish their wealth. I don't begrudge them their wealth, be as wealthy as you want (if you earned it, lol), but like someone else said....read the room.
Load More Replies... You May Like
Related on Bored Panda
19
21