When it came to planning their wedding, Uncle Jane and Erica Hammond agreed on one thing: they wanted it to be extravagant. where Get married.
“The first thing I proposed to Erica was to have a space wedding,” says Jain, the billionaire founder and CEO of Build Rewards, a tech company that revolutionized the credit card industry by letting people earn cash-back points on their rent. His bride, a former WWE wrestler and creator of Equinox's Knockouts, felt differently. “I was like, 'I don't want to have a space wedding.' die On my wedding day!”
Their compromise was to hold the first wedding believed to have taken place in modern times in front of the Sphinx at the base of the Great Pyramids of Egypt, officiated by Dr. Zahi Hawass, a family friend and world-leading Egyptologist.
“We're New Yorkers, so being in a totally different world is really special, so we decided that for our wedding, we wanted to spend time together celebrating new beginnings and have a really special party with friends in a totally different world,” says Jayne. Hammond adds, “It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
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Jayne, 34, recalls first visiting Egypt as a boy on an annual family trip and the magical experiences he had accompanying Dr Hawass on excavations of ancient tombs as a teenager. For him, it was a chance to share his love of ancient history with the woman who would become his wife of 32 years. “I'm obsessed with ancient history and society,” he says. “The pyramids are just incredible to look at. They leave you speechless. You can't believe this is part of our civilization,” Hammond adds.
As they made the plans, the couple agreed they were more interested in the experience than the traditional wedding traditions: They wouldn't have bridesmaids or groomsmen, they wouldn't have time to cut a wedding cake or make a toast, and they left the decorative details of the evening to the planner.
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“We had no idea what napkins looked like, we had no idea what table settings looked like,” says the Texas-born Hammond. “We're not into traditional weddings,” adds Jayne, who grew up in Washington state, where her father was a technology executive for companies including Microsoft. “Why would you spend $20,000 on flowers? It doesn't make sense. If you have the opportunity to sit down and dine at the base of the pyramids, it shouldn't matter!” (Editor's note: People was invited to the wedding itself, and records show that the flowers were spectacular, featuring a generous selection of local Egyptian flowers and foliage.)
Instead, the couple focused on creating a stunning four-day itinerary for their 130 guests.
Despite last-minute traffic jams that threatened to ruin their entire destination wedding, Jayne and Hammond managed to kick off the celebrations with a “Modern Cairo”-themed welcome reception at Cairo's Mohammed Ali Palace late on April 24, which featured belly dancers, fire dancers, a shopping bazaar with a DJ playing Arabic house music, and more. “When we were late, everyone came together and our guests were like, 'No, we're going to drag the party on, we're going to stay up late, we're going to keep the party going, and when we land, everyone come over and let's celebrate together,'” Jayne told People magazine on Thursday morning after the event. “We partied until 5 a.m. and it was the best opening night ever.”
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The second day “was all about ancient Egyptian history,” Jain says. They arranged a private tour of the pyramids and the Sphinx with Dr. Hawass, including areas not open to the public. Afterwards, they enjoyed an Ancient Egypt x Met Gala-themed dinner at the not-yet-open Grand Egyptian Museum, featuring traditional performances and aerial dancers. “We wanted it to have a feel like the Egyptian section of the Met Gala, Genuine “The Egyptian area has one of the largest statues of Pharaoh Ramses II in the middle of the hall,” says Jane.
Guests could shop specialty store merchandise at the event, including bespoke Egyptian perfumes, customizable sentimental papyrus scrolls and body jewelry, and enjoy signature cocktails, including passion fruit and espresso martinis, again until late at night.
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Despite their apparent lack of rest, the couple appeared refreshed and ready to go in time for their big day on Friday, April 26th.
Guests gathered just before sunset in a specially constructed venue in front of the Sphinx at the base of the Great Pyramid of Giza to celebrate the non-denominational wedding hosted by Dr Hawass. “It was really special to have Dr Zahi officiate,” says Jain. “He's written all the major books on Tutankhamun and the pyramids and is a very distinctive person. At one dinner during our engagement, he said, 'Erica and Ankur, it would be an honour for me to officiate at your wedding,'” Jain recalls. Hammond adds: “We just knew we'd found the perfect officiant for us. We couldn't be happier.”
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Jain's parents, Naveen and Anu Jain, escorted him into the venue. Later, Hammond, accompanied by her parents Toniya and Will Hammond, made a spectacular entrance in a show-stopping dress by Indian designer Rahul Mishra, as renowned violinist Lindsey Stirling played Ed Sheeran's “Perfect.” “It was important to me to take inspiration from and celebrate my fiance's Indian culture, ancient Egyptian culture and Western traditions,” Hammond said of the gold-embroidered wedding dress. “It wasn't an Indian wedding, so I wanted a bit of Indian inspiration mixed with a Cleopatra vibe.” (Hammond flew to Delhi, India, a month before the wedding for the final fitting and to pick up the dress.) “His designs are modern Indian, like a sari dress.”
Dr. Hawass began the ceremony teasingly, saying the bride learned a lot about Egypt from not knowing that Tutankhamun was once better known as King Tut, and that she would later invite them back when they had children. The couple then exchanged heartfelt vows, recalling how they first began dating just before the pandemic and how they bonded over FaceTime chats for months while they couldn't date in person. The bride vowed to always have a Tempur-Pedic pillow for the groom, and the groom vowed to always focus on making his “older fiancé” happy.
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“We wanted it to be really funny and really us. We were joking around,” Hammond said of the vows. “It was an emotional moment, I almost cried, and he told a joke and lightened the mood. It was a very authentic ceremony for us.”
She continues, “I wasn't too nervous because I felt like I was with friends and family. This was a moment we'd been planning for a year.”
“I was speechless for a second. It was so emotional,” Jayne added. “There was a moment when I looked at Erica and realised it was me and my wife standing in front of the pyramid and I had to orient myself. We were celebrating the most magical moment of our lives in the most magical place in the history of mankind.”
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As the sun set over the Giza Plateau, the party moved to the other side of the pyramids for a cocktail hour with stunning views of the desert and all six pyramids. The couple's 130 guests included Lance Bass and husband Michael Turchin, Robin Thicke and wife April Love Geary, Ryan Serhant and wife Emilia, Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary and wife Linda, former Texas Governor Rick Perry and wife Anita, The Points Guy's Brian Kelly, influencer Serena Kerrigan, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and wife Gloria, Fox Business anchor Liz Claman, Fox 5 New York anchor Bianca Peters, Equinox Chairman Harvey Spevak, Dr. Hawass, and fellow archaeologist Dr. Mark Lehner.
For dinner, guests ordered a New York-inspired menu: “We all chose our favorites, like pasta from Lilia and burgers from 4 Charles,” says Jayne. While guests dined at the base of the pyramid, violinist Lindsey Stirling performed a spectacular acrobatic performance.
After the meal, the bride and groom invited their guests to a separate area for an after-party and dessert. The bride and groom forego the traditional wedding cake in favor of affogatos from their favorite New York confectionery shop and three dessert stations: an American-inspired sundae bar, a Levain cookie station (“warm and ooey!” said the bride), and a milk bar station offering slices of birthday cake.
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Singer Robin Thicke performed a surprise for guests before the bride (wearing a Grete Henrietta after-party minidress) took to the stage to dance the night away as DJ Griffin played house music hits. Guests enjoyed late-night snacks of tacos and pizza and plenty of Claas Azul Reposado Tequila. The night ended with a spectacular fireworks display over the pyramid, followed by an impromptu rendition of “Bye Bye Bye” by Lance Bass.
The two first met when Jayne began training at Rumble Boxing, where Hammond, a founding member of the celebrity-favorite gym, was also an instructor at the time. “We were just acquaintances there,” she recalls. “But a few years later, Hammond happened to be with one of the gym's co-founders and bumped into Anker by chance. They chatted briefly and met again a few days later, signing up for the same training class.”
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“It was funny because she normally teaches classes and we were both taking them,” Jain says. “Looking back, it was probably a stupid thing to do because I'm not the most physically fit, but I was like, 'Why don't you work out next to me?'” Afterwards, Jain invited her out for a drink.
“It was just amazing,” Hammond added. “I had no makeup on, I was in my workout clothes, and I was sweaty. I knew he would love me no matter what.”
After the wedding, Jayne told People magazine, “After partying all night, I was surprised and felt alive.”
“Last night was almost hard to really comprehend. It was even crazier than I could have ever imagined,” he added. “I had the best time. It was so special. When the fireworks went off it was one of the most spectacular moments. I was so moved, I'm not even sure I can put it into words.”
Hammond said: “I'm speechless. Looking at the pictures you can see I was living my best life. Last night I was onstage as a pop star. It was the most amazing night of my life.”
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Now, the newlyweds are basking in the happiness of their marriage and still savoring the joy of their special day.
“It was amazing – everyone we've known from every era of our lives was gathered in the same place to celebrate – it was so special,” says Jayne. “If you only get married once, you want it to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for everyone!”
credit:
Event Management: Vertex Events
Photo: Bottega 53
Makeup: Kelly Dawn, Dawn Artists Agency
Stylists: Yasmine Kenawi @yasminekenawi and Margot Zamet @margotzamet
Wedding dress: Rahul Mishra @rahulmishra_7
Customized Bridal Jewelry by Ajour Consultancy and Louis Diamonds @ajourconsultancy @louisdiamondsofficial
Shoes: Rene Caovilla
Wedding Dress After Party Dress: Grete Henriette @grete.henriette
Jewelry: Nado's Jewellery @nadosjewell
Shoes: Rene Caovilla
Social: Olivia Burrows Sutherland
Glam: Kelly Dawn
Hair: Jackie Seabrook
