Photo: Instagram
Congrats to the happy couple!
By Amy Lamare — Written on Oct 29, 2019
Simon Pagenaud is having a great year. In a way, his entire year has been one big victory lap. First, he won the Indy 500, a goal he dreamed about for years. Now, he married his longtime girlfriend in a beautiful and intimate ceremony in Napa, California. The two have been together for years and she was there to give him a victory kiss when he won his sport's biggest prize earlier this year. The couple dated for seven years before marrying. She is a San Diego native who relocated to Indianapolis when their relationship took off. In an adorable move, the couple's Jack Russell Terrier Norman was the ring bearer.
Who is Simon Paganaud's wife, Hailey McDermott? Read on for all the details.
1. How did they meet?
Simon Pagenaud and Hailey McDermott met through mutual acquaintances in Indianapolis in 2013. McDermott was in Indianapolis at the Indiana Convention center for a conference. She was working with her dad in his surround sound speaker business at the time. A friend of a friend introduced the two but had to twist Hailey's arm to get her to come out that night. She told the mutual friend that she'd had a long day and just wanted a quiet meal and a drink. Well, as it turns out, McDermott and Pagenaud ended up talking for hours that night. They went to dinner the next night. Two months later, McDermott quit her job and moved to Indianapolis to be closer to Pagenaud.
2. The proposal
The couple got engaged right after the New Year in Paris. She thought they were going to the top of the Eiffel Tower. She panicked a bit since she's afraid of heights. She also had no clue that Pagenaud was about to propose to her because she'd made it clear to him that she didn't want a cliched proposal. She told People: “I’d always told him to never do it at the Eiffel Tower because it was so cliché, and then he did and now I could never imagine a better place for it.”
3. The wedding
Pagenaud and McDermott planned their wedding in about 10 months. They both wanted to get married in California. They wanted the ceremony to be intimate with lots of wine. So they chose the Auberge du Soliel resort in Napa, California. In an interview with People, McDermott said; “We just really wanted it to be about us and our love and joining our families together and just celebrating with the people who are nearest and dearest to our heart." They married on a terrace overlooking Napa Valley. After the ceremony, the wedding party moved inside for dinner and the reception. For their first dance, they chose "La Vie en Rose," by Edith Piaf.
4. What did they wear?
McDermott wore a gown by Winnie Couture. It was lace with a corset-style top, sheer sleeves and a very long veil. It was the first dress she tried on, actually. Pagenaud wore a custom suit by Ravazzolo in burgundy. The ceremony was in both English and French, as a nod to Pagenaud's roots in France.
5. She takes a stand for abortion rights
In the days before the Indy 500, McDermott created waves for wearing a T-shirt that said: "Not YOUR Body, Not YOUR Choice" during the qualifying events at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The shirt was in response to the then-recent passage of very restrictive abortion laws in Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Utah. She told the IndyStar: “I feel like I conquered something today. I am pretty quiet, but today I wasn’t. I understand it is uncomfortable for us to speak our mind, especially about this right now, in the political climate we are in, that is not what we are trying to fight,” said McDermott. “But let’s make the people who have done this to us uncomfortable."
6. His dreams came true
Like we said in the opening sentence of this article, Simon Pagenaud is having a heck of a year. In the days before his wedding, he told People: "I dreamt about winning Indy. I didn’t know when it was going to happen or if it was going to happen — I certainly never imagined it would happen the same year I was getting married. I’ve accomplished all my dreams."
Amy Lamare is a Los Angeles based writer and editor covering entertainment, pop culture, beauty, fashion, fitness, technology, and the intersection of technology, business, and philanthropy. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook.