For many women, the dream wedding dress takes center stage long before a potential groom even enters the picture. Gastroenterologist Annie Shergill was no exception. She met her lawyer-turned-real estate investor husband, Ricky Gill, just two years ago, but her heart had been set on wearing Anamika Khanna for her wedding for a decade. In fact, she had magazine clippings from twelve years ago to prove it!
“I have admired her craft for several years now, and I am fortunate to own many pieces by Anamika [Khanna],” Shergill says. “There was no question that I would wear her creations for all my wedding functions.” She worked closely with bridal stylist Tanya Vohra of Clad to bring this vision to life. “We created mood boards which drew inspiration from Anamika’s work dating back to almost 10-15 years. I am told some of the detailing even took Anamika by surprise,” Shergill laughs.
For their wedding this past March, Shergill and Gill wanted to honor their Punjabi roots, but also pay tribute to their love for high American culture from a bygone era. They seamlessly blended these distinct inspirations with a three-day wedding at the Biltmore Hotel Miami Coral Gables, a national historic landmark.
While the groom mixed it up with brands ranging from Armani and Tom Ford to Rajesh Pratap Singh, the bride wore Anamika Khanna for all six events, each meticulously customized over an eight-month period. Each event had a distinct vibe—from the breezy garden party mehendi, to the jazz sundowner welcome dinner, and a reception that was, “an immersive American cultural journey,” according to the couple. The outfits not only needed to complement these themes, but also had to be distinctly different from each other, especially since they were all being created by the same label.
For the mehendi, the trio of Khanna, Vohra, and Shergill worked with the signature Ladurée green that the bride fell in love with on a trip to Paris many years ago. The pistachio sharara set was complemented with zardozi embroidery in hints of fuschia, blue, and gold, paired with a meenakari suite from the bride’s family jeweler based in Jalandhar, Sialkoti Jewellery House.
Lavender flowers and pearls inspired the welcome dinner outfit, reflected in the color and detailing of the lehenga, which was given added intrigue with an attached train. They kept it traditional with a mustard yellow sari and a gold blouse for the daytime maiyan (or haldi). “Anamika has an affinity for fine organza, and I feel she plays with it like no one else. It was also the perfectly breathable fabric for Miami’s balmy weather,” adds the bride. She wore this with kundan jewelry designed by her mother a decade ago.
For the sangeet, the bride went with Khanna’s signature lehenga-and-cape-dupatta combination in the brand’s signature shade of red. “My only brief for this outfit was that it had to be in a flaming red hue and needed dramatic volume,” explains Shergill.
The Anand Karaj outfit, the bride says, is her favorite—a monotone golden lehenga with a pink organza veil lined with tiny pearls. Shergill had a very particular jewelry moodboard for this look: the passa worn by Meena Kumari in the song Chalte Chalte from Pakeezah (1972), and Audrey Hepburn’s Chaumet choker from My Fair Lady (1964). She had her versions of these jewelry pieces created to round off the wedding day look.
For the final reception look, Shergill dug out the image of an off-shoulder metallic blouse and black skirt Khanna made more than a decade ago, and had a version of it created for the evening. She wore it with diamond jewelry gifted by her mother-in-law, inspired by a necklace commissioned by Maharani Mehtab Kaur of Patiala many years ago.
Ultimately, Shergill feels it wasn’t just about wearing a designer she had long admired. It went beyond that—“all the outfits Ricky and I wore represented our personalities and our respective stories.” Each look was a marriage of something new, mixed with heirlooms lovingly passed on to them, “thereby bringing pieces of a distant past to our present-day celebration,” smiles the bride.
