Inside Armaan Jain and Anissa Malhotra dreamy pre-pandemic wedding in Mumbai

By Nupur Sarvaiya20 July 2020

From a star-studded guest list to thousands of imported flowers, here’s how actor Armaan Jain transformed his urban wedding with Anissa Malhotra into a countryside affair

When I ask Armaan Jain and Anissa Malhotra about their first encounter, the couple give me a short and long answer. The short story? The actor and businessman’s brother Aadar Jain made the introduction. The long version: “My family and I went to New York City to celebrate my dad’s [Manoj Jain] birthday in 2011,” says Armaan. “At the time, Aadar was studying in the city. One of the evenings, we planned an impromptu night out in the town. He also invited some of his friends, including Anissa, to join in,” the 29-year-old reveals about how he met the marketing consultant. Although Jain admits to quickly developing a crush on Malhotra who was pursuing a media and communication degree at New York University back then, a romantic relationship didn’t develop until he got back to Mumbai.

The tale of two cities

“He was a complete gentleman, and looked really cool in his leather jacket,” Anissa Malhotra describes her first impression of Armaan Jain. “We instantly hit it off,” she adds. After a flurry of texts, phone calls and wooing from the 30-year-old, the duo started dating. “There was never an attempt to mask anything; not even his feelings. That was very attractive about Armaan.” The two shared a long distance relationship for four years, bouncing between the two cities; meeting only when one was visiting the other. “It wasn’t all a walk in the park,” Malhotra reveals about some of the challenges they faced early on. “But we sailed through it all and have been inseparable ever since,” she affirms about how their relationship solidified despite the distance.

The fairytale proposal

It would be almost eight years into the relationship before Armaan Jain would propose to Malhotra. “There were times when my friends would nag me about popping the question to Anissa,” laughs Jain. “But our journey has been so organic that neither of us ever felt the need to rush things. We knew that we were in it for the long haul since the get-go,” he adds. Malhotra agrees, who, in retrospect, can recall a funny incident that took place just three months after they started dating, “Armaan earnestly told me that ‘I’m going to marry you one day’. So much so, it was also his opening line to my parents when he first met them.” The couple’s whirlwind romance culminated in July 2019 when Jain finally decided to ask Malhotra to marry him. “It was so surreal in the moment,” Malhotra remembers, “to feel completely surprised about something that I’d known would happen someday, and was actually becoming real.”

But the proposal came with a lot of movie-worthy behind-the-scenes planning by Jain and a little help from Aash Studio. “I chose my dad’s office in Fort as the spot because I wanted to catch Anissa off-guard. I completely transformed the space with several elements from our memorable date spots in New York including the skyline of the city, a custom walkway with handwritten quotes, a floral arch with a sign with words from one of our favourite songs ‘Loving Me, Loving You’.“ It wasn’t long before friends and family including the groom-to-be’s cousin Karisma Kapoor, the bride-to-be’s friend Kiara Advani and others joined in the festivities.

The Parsi roka ceremony

As a nod to the bride’s Parsi-Punjabi heritage was the couple’s roka ceremony, back in December 2019. The intimate celebration called for a pared-down look, so, Anissa Malhotra opted for a blush pink lehenga by Ritika Mirchandani, while Jain chose a white bandhgala. The evening included dhol, lots of dancing and a party that went on till wee hours of the morning. “The roka was the perfect precursor to the main wedding; spent with close friends and family members,” the duo tell us.

The wedding planning

First, the couple selected Grand Hyatt for the main wedding ceremony and The St Regis Mumbai for the sangeet. “These were the only venues we even considered,” they say, as they were convenient locations for both of the wedding parties. “Planning, which often ensues family feuds, was how our parents got closer,” cites Malhotra referring to her most memorable part until the lead up to the wedding. They flirted with the idea of a small wedding, “but soon realised that truncating the guest list would not be possible, given how large our family and friend circles are. However, we tried to make the nuptials as personalised as possible.” The couple enlisted the help of Mumbai-based wedding planners DreamzKrraft, while photographers Sam & Ekta were zeroed down for the occasion. “It was the most confident decision we made. Sam and Ekta beautifully captured every moment of the wedding.”

Jain, being raised in a Punjabi household, hold weight by the adage that the catering can make or break a wedding celebration. He went on to explain how a major part of the planning pivoted around the menu and drinks for him. “The food needed to grab the eye as much as the palate.” The custom ‘Armaan Ka Dhabba’ set-up at the venue, complemented with a feast fit for a king was a testament to this. “I wanted to literally raise the bar, so we invested in five custom bars, personalised cocktails and flair bartenders,” he says. His film background also informed the music choices and the production part of the nuptials. Malhotra’s innate flair for styling helped her hold the reins for the decor and design. “I shortlisted every flower and its colour scheme to be used for the events, before I finalised my trousseau.”

The mehandi

At first glance, the enchanted garden set-up seemed all-encompassing. A palette of pastels including peach and mint green colours ran gamut in the alfresco venue, which was further chalked up with Instagram-worthy elements. The space was outfitted with diya panels amidst diwan seating, candelabras, butterfly murals and fresh florals arrangements with jasmine, mogra and rajnigandha that worked double duty as centrepieces and to scent the space.

For the daytime mehandi ceremony on February 1, 2020, Anissa Malhotra chose an apple green-hued lehenga that was accented with gota patti work. “Since early on when curating my bridal trousseau, I was sure to wear at least one Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla outfit. The couturiers are best known for their unabashed use of colour, so mehandi seemed like the fitting occasion,” she says. The groom complemented his bride in a salmon bandhgala with intricate threadwork. From the bride-to-be performing on ‘Maahi Ve’ with her parents, to Jain bursting into dance moves on ‘Soni Soni Akhiyon Wali’ from Mohabbatein, the fun-filled celebration had it all. The mehandi saw A-listers including Karisma Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor, Rajiv Kapoor, Babita Kapoor and Akanksha Malhotra in attendance.

The wedding

Importing a slice of the charming European countryside into the urbane landscape of Mumbai, Armaan Jain wed Anissa Malhotra on February 3, 2020. The mandap was accented with hydrangeas, roses, calla lilies and orchids suspended on the ceiling in shades of pink, purple and greens. The exotic floral display was further accented with artfully placed mirror work to cast an ethereal glow on the newly-weds, and backlit French windows, customised to reflect a Venetian garden. The D-day kicked off with the groom’s richly nuanced procession. “My baraat was a cross between Ganesh Chaturthi and Punjabi dhol. I even had an Armaan Ki Baraat signage,” Jain explains, who rode in a lavishly decorated vintage car alongside brother Aadar, and cousins Karisma Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khan. “I remember this moment when I was at the ledge of my room’s window trying to get a glimpse of Armaan’s baraat, and he telepathically happened to look up and we both exchanged glances,” Malhotra revealed.

The bride didn’t have any qualms committing to Sabyasachi for the big day, opting for a red lehenga. The bridal look was topped off with uncut and emerald encrusted decadent jewels. The groom chose an ivory sherwani by Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla. “My mother is very close to the designers, so I was sure I’d wear an outfit by them for the wedding,” he says.

The post wedding celebrations

The last leg of the festivities was reserved for a post-wedding sangeet cum reception that saw guests like Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, Isha Ambani, Kiara Advani and many other stars in attendance. The ballroom was dreamed up in tandem with the metallic bling theme in mind. “Extravagant hand-painted gold floral aerial arrangements were propped throughout the space along with gold acrylic cut out hangings. The highlight was the custom gold foliage that brought out a gilded forest look. Modern patterns in zari, gold shimmer cushions and champagne gold fabrics put up as screen panels all added to the look to be achieved,” revealed Priti-S Sidhwaani, the founder of DreamzKrraft.

“I was pretty clear I wanted a distinct look for the sangeet. I went to the Manish Malhotra store and fell in love in love with this crystal-studded lehenga,” Malhotra reveals. The couturier crafted a custom silver rendition comprising a cap-sleeved blouse, a voluminous skirt, and a matching dupatta, all dripping with crystals. The night was to dance and the lehenga twinkled with each spin. Jain opted for a black sherwani with tone-on-tone embellishments by the same designer, but decidedly twinned with his bride by choosing a stole that bore the same silver crafts as Anissa’s attire. “The evening was hosted by Karan Johar, and our friends and family put up a host of special performances for us,” Jain recalls. “Lolo and Bebo’s dance on some of our favourite songs from their films, which was one of the highlights of the evening.” The newly-weds’ performance on Frank Sinatra’s ‘I Love You Baby’ was the perfect finale before they sailed into their happily ever after.