Fitness coach Deanne Panday and Chikki Panday's daughter Alanna Panday will be marrying the love of her life Ivor Mccray in Mumbai on March 16. The pre-wedding ceremonies kickstarted on March 10 with her bridal shower. Alanna's Mehendi ceremony was held today and the theme was Tropical Oasis.
As she gears up to tie the knot with Ivor in a grand ceremony, PeepingMoon.com spoke to Alanna about her love story, dreamy proposal and the decision to host the wedding ceremony in India. She also opened up about having a white wedding soon.
Excerpts from the interview:
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You’re getting married after 2 years of engagement. Was it pre-decided?
My parents, Deanne and Chikki Panday, actually knew about our wedding plans 8 months before the engagement, so it didn't really come to them as a surprise. Ivor has come to India and sought their permission to propose to me. In fact, my mother actually helped Ivor plan the entire engagement, like setting up the hotel, our outfits, etc.
What makes Ivor your Mr. Right?
He's my Mr. Right because of his unconditional love, humility, and the fact that he's my best friend.
How did your cousins Ananya-Rysa & brother Ahaan react to the news of your engagement/marriage?
They were all very thrilled to know that we are making this relationship permanent as they've always found Ivor to be a perfect match for me!
Can you take us back in time & share details about Ivor’s proposal to you?
Ivor planned this surprise proposal with my mom, she helped him with our hotel bookings, my outfits, etc. He planned a vacation for us in the Maldives, took me to a beach, walked me to the middle of a huge heart that was drawn on the sand and he went down on his knee. It was the most perfect proposal I could imagine and the memories of it still give me butterflies in my belly!
Is Ivor learning Hindi & Indian rituals and customs?
Yes, he’s getting better at his Hindi words pronunciations every day (chuckles).
Tell us more about the White Whisper theme. How did you come up with it?
Ivor and I love travelling, and thus we kept each function themed around a place that we love. Our haldi is around an Italian farmer’s market whereas Mehendi will be a tropical rainforest theme. The wedding is an enchanted forest theme because we both love nature so much.
What was your vision while curating your dream wedding outfit? How many days/ discussions did it take to finally land on the outfit of your choice?
Our outfits are customised based on the theme for each function. It took us weeks to get everything finalised. In fact, my final fittings are one day before the wedding functions begin, can you imagine?
Are you a minimalist or a maximalist bride?
I think I am a mixture of a minimalist and a maximalist bride. I think in terms of minimalism, we are going really minimal with makeup and jewellery.
Having a keen eye for fashion, how are you going to stand out as a bride from the rest of the lot?
I think an Indian traditional bride looks absolutely beautiful but for most of my looks, we are kind of going non-traditional like skipping the maang tikka. Even with my mehendi design, I am going very different from what a traditional design looks like. We are also going with contemporary jewellery for most of the looks.
Keeping in mind your respective traditions, are there going to be two weddings?
Yes, we are soon planning a white wedding.
Being an explorer and a wanderlust, why didn't you opt for a destination wedding?
We wanted to make sure all our family and friends get to be a part of the wedding and Mumbai was the most convenient destination for everyone.
Did you have any reel/real-life bride in mind while envisioning your bridal outfit?
Of course, as every bride does, I have so much inspiration and reels saved over the years of bridal outfits that I wanted to wear, but honestly, all my outfits turned out so different from whatever we saved. Stylist Ami Patel and I have worked with amazing designers for each event to come up with beautiful outfits.
What is the one thing/ accessory/ practice you will skip as a bride?
Maang tikka and not opting for traditional mehndi designs.
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