Wedding rewind
Hanna Jaff on postponing wedding to British aristocrat Henry Roper-Curzon and spending quarantine apart
The Mexican-American philanthropist and her soon-to-be husband will wed at a later date than expected
With thousands of plans getting canceled in 2020, many celebrity and royal weddings have had to take a step back. Princess Beatrice whose wedding to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi would have been on May 29, made the decision to postpone their nuptials. And now her cousin, aristocrat Henry Roper-Curzon and his bride-to-be, Mexican-American philanthropist Hanna Jaff, have extended their engagement a little longer. In an interview with HOLA! USA, Hanna chatted about how she has adjusted their wedding plans in addition to being apart from her fiancé. “Considering the uncertain times and the unforeseen health crisis, we thought it would be best to push back as far as possible,” says the author.
Hanna, 33, and Henry, 34, had picked July 11, 2020, as the day in which they would become husband and wife, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, the couple had to switch plans and make some arrangements. “Harry and I will have dinner where we had our first date together and then plan to go to his place where we will have our closest friends and family over,” she shares of their new plans.
The couple, who got engaged on January 2 in the Swiss Alps, had initially planned for two weddings – one in England and another in Mexico. After their wedding went from being a summer celebration to a fall one in November and December, the Made in Mexico star had to switch up a few details, including switching venues for their Mexico wedding since the original places all had rooftops. Luckily the venues in England still remain the Palace of Westminster and Pylewell Park.
That meant no more fireworks and their flowers will be switched as well. Hanna also will include a coat to her Elie Saab wedding gown. “At the beginning I was quite sad, but given the world is going through so much right now, there are bigger problems to worry about,” says the Harvard graduate in reference to altering their plans. “I did not think it was appropriate to celebrate a happy moment when so many people are having a hard time. I made my peace with it, stayed positive, and focused my time on positive energy, on being thankful for what I had and looking forward to marrying the love of my life at the end of the year,” she notes.
Aside from switching up their plans, the couple, whose initials will be H and H, have been on separate parts of the globe amid COVID-19. “The distance really does make the heart grow fonder. You realize that you have to be thankful for what you have every day,” says Hanna. “ I live in London but on March 10 I came to San Diego, and due to the lockdown, I could not return to the UK. Every day I miss Harry. I’ve even had a couple of meltdowns because of it. This experience left us with a stronger relationship, communication skills and learned so much more about each other and ourselves.”
The San Diego native adds she hasn’t lived in her hometown since she was 17 years old as she was away studying or working abroad, only returning for short breaks. “This lockdown gave me an opportunity to really spend time with my family and closest friends again, almost felt like a retreat before getting married and starting a new chapter,” she says. “My free time consisted on virtual time with my fiancé, friends and family, exercised, meditated, caught up on my reading, worked on my book and planned my wedding festivities. Mostly focused on self-improvement, personal projects and new goals.”
She’s also been keeping quite busy with her businesses. “I have a foundation and clothing line I manage everyday: Jaff Foundation for Education and We Are One Campaign that helps vulnerable people in different social issues to end hate, division and discrimination,” she shares. “Jaff Foundation and We Are One work together. Each time an item is sold from We Are One, a book is donated from Jaff Foundation. Now instead of donating books, we’ve donated medical supplies to prevent COVID 19 in low-income communities.”
