When Yuvraj Singh announced his engagement with the Anglo-Indian model Hazel Keech in November 2015, the news came completely out of the blue! No one – not even Yuvi’s close friends – had foreseen such an announcement, and perhaps even Yuvraj had little clue that he would be tying the knot with the gorgeous model-turned-actress.

Yuvraj and Hazel know each other since 2012, but it was only from August 2015 onwards that their relationship took a romantic turn. As for now, the Yuvraj Singh Marriage is the talk of the town and we are digging out more for you to read – here we go then!

Hazel Keech – Who Is She?

Let us begin with the tale of the damsel who stole our Paaji’s heart. Hazel Keech was born on 28th February 1987 in Essex, England, the daughter of a Christian British father and a Hindu Mauritian mother of Indian descent. Owing to her parents, Hazel grew-up in an environment that was a confluence of cultures and faith – she learnt Hindi while also being rooted to British culture due to her upbringing.

Hazel was in college in London when she developed a keen interest in acting and dancing. She began training in western contemporary dance and theatre acting. After her college she firmly set her sights on making a career out singing, dancing and acting. She was noticed by a casting director and got her first career break with the British television series called Agatha Christie’s Marple. Thereafter, she appeared as one of the numerous extras in the immensely popular Harry Potter movie series. But it was not the British showbiz industry that was going to give her the first taste of fame – opportunity instead, came knocking on a holiday in India.

In 2005, Hazel was holidaying in Mumbai when one of her local friends suggested that she drop her portfolio at a modelling agency. Hazel did so and the next thing you know is the 18-year old was gracing the TV screen for nearly every commercial. Subsequently, she got small roles and dance numbers in South Indian cinema, but it was the Salman and Kareena starrer Bodyguard (2011) which made her a household name.

“Some people, who haven’t spoken to me in a long time, suddenly started calling me up and appreciating my work.”
– Hazel Keech about her success after Bodyguard

There was no turning back for her. Thereafter she made her mind to make India her home. It is somewhere between work and fun that she met Yuvraj Singh. Here’s their story.

The First Meeting

Yuvraj and Hazel met each other in 2012 at a common friend’s party. Hazel was beaming with her new-found success, while Yuvraj had returned from the US completely cured of his cancer. They became good friends, and would often bump into one another at social events. This went on for nearly three years and by July 2015 the couple realised that there is more to their relationship than just friendship.

The Courtship Begins

The good ol’ friends took a turn towards a romantic association from August 2015. The more they spent time with one another the deeper they fell in love. But Yuvraj was known to have quite a past when it comes to flings and thus his mother Shabnam was not buying this new-found interest in Hazel. Yuvraj was adamant though and fortunately his mother agreed to take a look at the relationship from a fresh perspective.

In early November 2011, Yuvraj’s mother visited London to meet Hazel’s parents. She was in for a pleasant surprise. Shabnam Singh later shared in an interview that she found Hazel’s parents ‘grounded’ and their humility touched her. She gave a nod to the relationship the moment she made a touchdown in India, and Yuvi Paaji was on top of the world!

The Surprise Engagement

Soon after Yuvraj decided to take a holiday with Hazel, which was basically a covert trip to get the engagement done. Yuvraj and Hazel flew to Bali in Indonesia for a getaway and right on Diwali, 11th November 2015, Hazel and Yuvraj got engaged at their resort in Bali. Yuvraj shared the news through social media outlets two days later but images of his engagement got spilled to the media – making the front page the following day.

The Path To Wedding

It turned out that everything had been planned in advance, and that Hazel and Yuvraj had visited their Guru to seek his blessings before leaving for Indonesia. Hazel also met Yuvraj’s father Yograj Singh in Chandigarh, and it is only then the couple left for Bali.

After the engagement, it was speculated that couple would tie the knot on 12th December 2015, which is Yuvraj’s birthday. Later it was allegedly postponed to 14th February 2016. Eventually though the Singh family shared that the couple will tie the knot in Chandigarh on 30th November 2016.

Let The Festivities Begin!

The preparations for the wedding began from September 2016 when the couple started getting the preparations and planning for the venue and the guests done. Indian weddings are elaborate affair, and the 10-day plan for the wedding was too much for Hazel to handle.

Thus to make his fiancée feel more at ease, Yuvraj put her on the next flight to balmy Pondicherry where she was in for a surprise. Yuvraj had requested Hazel’s bestie the model Bruna Abdullah to make a trip to he seaside tourist city, and her presence left Hazel left brimming with joy. The two pretty ladies had a mini-bachelorette party – and this was the first event in the grand Yuvraj Singh marriage.

The next step was to get the invitations done. Hazel shared how she and Yuvraj may look smart, but are actually quite ‘goofy’ from the inside. For this reason they wanted an invitation that would reflect their personality. Therefore, the couple opted for invitation cards that had illustrations in the form of quirky caricatures. The box contained all the invites for the various events, and sweets – some of them engraved with real 24-karat gold initials of the couple. The box itself was given an amusing name – The Yuvraj-Hazel Premier League, which is what the couple is calling their 10-day long, big fat Punjabi wedding.

The Mehndi Ceremony And Sangeet

The first main event to the Yuvraj Singh and Hazel Keech marriage was the mehndi ceremony, which was held on the afternoon of 29th November 2016 at Chandigarh. Both Yuvraj and Hazel looked at peace and were spotted embracing one another.

The mehndi ceremony was followed by the sangeet ceremony in the evening. It was held at a premium hotel in Chandigarh and the couple actually kicked-off the event by making a media appearance in the hotel lobby. Although they declined from making any comments, they indulged the gathered photographers who were only too happy to click away.

Thereafter the couple danced to the tunes of the Punjabi singer Ranjit Bawa, and Yuvraj’s buddy Virat Kohli was seen shaking a leg. The guest list consisted of A-listers from the world of cricket and included the Indian cricket team coach Anil Kumble.

The Midnight Wedding

Yuvraj and Hazel had a midnight wedding at the Fatehgarh Sahib Gurdwara, which is 50 kms away from the city of Chandigarh. The bride and bridegroom had decided to coordinate their wedding attire, and thus, both wore maroon for their big day.

Yuvraj looked dashing in a maroon sherwani and pagri – designed by JJ Valaya. Hazel looked every bit a royal Punjabi bride with her maroon anarkali suit embellished with embroidery done with golden threads. The duo looked absolutely stunning when they arrived for the main ceremony together.

Yuvraj and Hazel recited their marriage vows in front of the sacred Guru Granth Sahib right when the clock struck 12 AM on the 30th of November 2016. With the wedlock she officially became Mrs. Singh and was bestowed the name of Gurbasant Kaur by the holiness who conducted the wedding. Their relationship of three years had finally met a sweet culmination point but the fun and festivities are not over yet!

To Be Continued…

There is a reason it is called a ‘big fat’ Indian wedding and the reason is that you celebrate the union till you drop. After the Sikh wedding ceremony, the couple will have a Hindu wedding ceremony in Goa on 2nd December. It’s because Hazel’s mother is a Hindu and the original plan was to have this wedding in Mauritius, which is the place where Hazel’s maternal family resides. But Mauritius was out of budget – as shared by Hazel in an interview and thus they settled down for Goa, which bears quite a resemblance to the island country. Thereafter there is going to be grand wedding reception held at New Delhi on 5th December, which may see the attendance of the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and even the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The newlyweds plan to have a second reception on 7th December with the venue yet not decided. We will surely keep you updated with the latest developments so don’t forget to bookmark this page! For now we at The Bridal Box wish Yuvraj and Hazel the best for their married life and tons of happiness together.

Images Source: 1, 2, 3, 11, 14

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