Bold bride won’t let cancer ruin her big day

Photos go viral and helps others to see their beauty

VASHNAVI Poovanedran is better known on Instagram as Navi Indran Pillai, and she took the photo-sharing platform by storm after her bridal photo shoot titled “The Bold Indian Bride” went viral.

In a series of posts, Poovanedran, who is a Malaysian of Indian descent, spoke of how cancer had robbed many women of looking their best on their wedding day, and that her photo shoot was aimed at helping survivors realise they were bold and beautiful.

“Cancer treatments have given us a lot of limitations, robbed us of our beauty and taken away our confidence.

“As little girls, we have always dreamed of what our big day would be like and how we would look like as a bride,” Poovanedran wrote in one of her posts.

“But having cancer has stripped some of us from fulfilling these dreams. A lot of cancer survivors have postponed or even cancelled their big day,” she wrote.

Poovanedran is a breast cancer survivor, motivational speaker and dancer,

Poovanedran wrote that she had thought she was cancer-free, but it returned after five years, and spread to her liver and spine.

However, she wrote that after lots of chemotherapy, she beat cancer again in December 2018. Although the journey wasn’t an easy one, it didn’t dampen her spirit or her zeal.

“For me, as a cancer survivor, I dreamed of the day I married the love of my life. I dreamed what it would be like to look like a bride, to feel like a bride.

“Having gone through cancer treatments (chemotherapy, etc.), losing my hair was by far the hardest thing I ever had to go through,” Poovanedran wrote in a post.

“I felt that I was not beautiful enough to be loved and I was not beautiful enough to look or ever feel like a bride. Hair, it is our crowning glory and having that taken away from you is devastating. But we choose to accept what we have, appreciate what we are and welcome what is coming.”

Dressed in a bight, tomato-red sari with a white tulle veil, and with mehendi on her feet and hands, Poovanedran is a breathtakingly beautiful bride.

The photographs, taken by internationally renowned photographer Celes Gerard, have struck a chord with thousands of women.

In a message for fellow cancer survivors, she wrote: “Cancer has affected us in so many different ways, however good or bad – we don’t and will not let it control our lives.”

As the photos went viral, a make-up artist at Blush, Beauty and Beyond explained the challenges they faced, but how they were driven by Poovanedran’s vision.

“The first challenge was to create and carve eyebrows on a canvas that have lost their own,” the make-up artist wrote. “I had to draw individual hair strokes to mimic the appearance of real eyebrow hair to ensure it didn’t look too fake.”

And that wasn’t the only challenge – they had to come up with a plan to fix a traditional bridal headpiece on the bride’s head.

“The next challenge was to choose and fix a headpiece in place without a single hairpin involved. This wasn’t easy, but I’m so glad we figured it out,” the make-up artist said.

The photos have also given others hope online.

“How powerful, to burn and still come out stronger and more beautiful,” one social media user commented.

“Stay stronger n see cancer is getting defeated every single day, with your smile and laughter” commented another.

“You’re so beautiful. Thanks for being an inspiration to everyone. God bless you always,” wrote another online.

Source: indianexpress.com