A Deep Dive into Jessel Taank and Pavit Randhawa's Fairytale Wedding

Taank Tops (the endearing term for fans of The Real Housewives of New York City’s Jessel Taank) are fawning over a recent photo Jessel posted to commemorate her marriage to Pavit Randhawa, a major topic throughout Season 14 and the upcoming reunion.

On Wednesday, October 18, 2023, Jessel shared a photo on her Instagram, showing the happy couple years before the birth of their twin sons, Rio and Kai. With Pavit wrapped in a “tipsy” Jessel’s arms, both smiled for a “random underwhelmed bartender” years before giving us relationship goals on RHONY.

Jessel wrote it’d been nine years since the two married, adding the hashtag #jesspavitfiesta. However, it’d been 15 years since their very first date, which Jessel detailed in the post.

“We went to [Marquee Nightclub New York] on a random Wednesday night – I was tipsy and fell down the stairs – Pavit walked straight over me,” Jessel recalled. “His response when I asked him why he didn’t help me up? ‘You said if you ever did anything clumsy to ignore it, so I did.’”

Jessel called Pavit’s response “epic,” adding a rolling-on-the-floor emoji for good measure.

The IG post continues to garner a ton of adoration, including from RHONY’s Erin Lichy, who commented,“So cute.” It seems to be a turnaround since Jessel previously accused Erin of “trying to poke holes” in their marriage.

How did Jessel and Pavit meet?

Jessel and Pavit met at a bar through a mutual acquaintance and spent years as just friends, as Jessel explained on RHONY Season 14. As previously covered by The Daily Dish, they later entered into a long-distance relationship when Jessel worked at Michael Kors in New York, and Pavit attended the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business.

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Both realized they wanted to settle in the city that never sleeps, initially on a platonic basis, as Jessel detailed in a 2016 interview with Vogue.

“In true New York fashion, we decided it would be easier to be roommates, as we already knew each other’s vices, and it’d definitely be better than living with strangers,” said the Housewife. “When my mother came to visit me, she was introduced to Pavit for the first time and, of course, made a comment that she was certain that we could end up together. I started paying close attention and ended up asking him out to dinner. The rest is history!”

Pavit fake-proposed to Jessel on multiple occasions (including when he “tricked” her during a romantic dinner in Santorini, Greece, and again during a family stay in Bermuda). Ultimately, he popped the big question at an ocean-view suite on the Puerto Rican Island of Vieques three years after they began dating.

Inside Jessel and Pavit's Wedding

As hashtagged on Jessel’s recent IG post, the couple opted for a destination wedding in Riviera Maya, Mexico, in the western Caribbean.  

“Pavit and I had always spoken about getting married on the beach,” Jessel told Vogue. “Growing up, it seemed like such a romantic thing to do.”

Jessel added the tropical paradise on Mexico’s east coast had “the perfect balance of culture, spirit, beauty, history, delicious food — and, of course, tequila!”

Going for an “East-meets-West aesthetic,” Jessel incorporated traditional Indian bridalwear to accompany the couple’s multi-day event, which is common in Indian culture. She worked closely with designer Nikhil Mehra while traveling back and forth to the Indian cities of Bombay and Delhi to see to every single detail of the gown.

Jessel and her mother found “gorgeous” accessories from Jaipur in northern India, giving a look dripping with rubies and emeralds and a custom-made necklace that Jessel called “quite subtle and elegant yet still dramatic,” as seen in an Instagram post to celebrate the couple’s third anniversary.

Per Vogue, due to Jessel’s Hindu culture and Pavit being Sikh, they had two ceremonies to honor their respective traditions. Jessel’s ceremony took place during sunset for a “very romantic touch.” Guests were taken to a cave — led by people adorned in Mayan garb and blowing conch shell horns — where “everyone was blown away by the uniqueness of the space.”

“It was truly the showstopper event of our four-day affair,” Jessel said.

Happy anniversary to the New York power couple, but let’s hold off putting the carrot sticks in the champagne, maybe?

Watch Jessel and Pavit in The Real Housewives of New York City ahead of the two-part reunion on Bravo and Peacock.