Marriage is one of those big, overwhelming institutions that is compelled onto us by society so that we may continue to grow and experience the best of this world, and learn to live beyond ourselves. But it’s also one of those things that only works when you have someone who is ready to respect and accept who you are. That’s how positive change happens, that’s how strong relationships are forged. To him that someone was Akriti, Let us look with hindsight, the story of how this couple came to be nothing but miraculous.
How They Met
A rush of wild euphoria! Yes, euphoric, that’s how I’d describe what I felt after coming across her profile on one of those famous matrimonial apps. There she was someone I’d never met. And yet, there seemed to be an intense calling. An attraction, an allegiance. A sense of familiarity that one only associates with home. Sounds crazy right, but I kid you not, every word I say here is the absolute truth. At that moment, I couldn’t, even in my wildest of imaginations, have thought that we’d end up developing this passionate and intimate bond, and yet I somehow knew that she was special.
How They Got Hitched Together
Business as usual. A meetup between the two families. Our Kundli is matched. Biodata and photos exchanged. Approval and blessing accrued from the extended family and there you have it. Marriage is fixed. Date decided. Venue booked. We met on our wedding day and lived happily ever after. That’s exactly NOT how we got hitched! From the get-go, I was sure that an arranged marriage, in its most traditional sense, was not the way for me. I wanted to cultivate a deep and more personal connection with my special someone, something she also believed I’d get to know later on.
So how exactly did it happen? Was it an arranged marriage? Did we know each other already and were just pretending and continuing to pretend as I write these words? Add to that, countless other curiosities that were directed at us during our wedding ceremonies, but I digress.
Well, the truth of the matter is that our story is different, and yet the same. It’s different to us personally because of what it means to both of us, what we mean to each other, and how it brought us together, but it still follows the same basic template. And so, once the customary meetings between our parents ensued, it quickly led to us exchanging phone numbers and getting their blessing to meet and decide the rest for ourselves. (Yes you heard that right! Decide the REST for ourselves. I can’t even put into words just how lucky we were to have such cool and awesome parents. They chose to guide us and not govern. A very special shoutout to them for being the constant pillars of support to both of us during these life-changing events.)
So comes Christmas, Santa finally bestowed his seasons’ blessings upon us and orchestrated a chain of events that led Akriti to change her plans and dash towards our very first fairytale encounter!
Yup! 25th December 2018. That’s when this silly old face was awestruck by hers for the first time (It hasn’t stopped since). The universe is one of its most mysterious ways and divine interventions chose for us to meet on Christmas. Of all the days in the year when it could have happened, it had to be this day. The streets bustling with an overwhelming crowd. The crowd charged with festive energy. And there I stood, completely still, waiting for her at what was to become our secret coffee shop. I still remember, my heart pounding with anxious anticipation. What if I blurt out something stupid (Pft, as if I ever say something that’s not). What if I sneeze and slip? What if she thinks my head is too big, or too small for that matter? A million ways things could go south. A million ways for her to say no.
And then I actually saw her. Loud and clear in a rather noisy crowd, marching towards me with her signature stride. She saw me, smiled, and then waved her hand in acknowledgment.
“WOAH!”, I remember thinking to myself. I knew then. I decided. If there really were a million ways for things to go wrong, then I had to make sure that I gave my all so that they didn’t. I had to. What followed was a bizarre yet somehow strangely romantic experience that I had ever shared with another person. She was shy, enigmatic, and constantly avoiding my gaze. I was persistent, straight-forward and not-so-surprisingly the only one speaking. All she did was listen as if absorbing every single word that I uttered. And yet somehow, even under the intense scrutiny of her enquiring gaze, I felt at ease. A calm that could only be described as ethereal.
Just like that two hours passed us by, and so with our coffee cups unburdened of their caffeinated delight, and our hearts brimming with nervous zeal, we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. Unaware of what the future has planned for us, back to the quiet of our own companies.
(Well, it took a few more hours before she could anyway, because of Christmas day traffic, of course, something which still amuses me to date).
For me, what followed was the slow and excruciating wait for an answer! Could we give it a shot, or was my own heart lying to me! I’d spend the next few days eagerly waiting for any response. Countless questions and countless answers, a debate with myself on why things would not work out, and why they would. My heart is pounding with regret and relief at its own whims. Such is the agony in the pursuit of love I suppose, but it’s also what makes it worth it.
Lo and behold, a few days later her parents called. (WHAT!) Things happened pretty fast from there onwards. A few days later our families met as well (on the last day of 2018, which is such a quaint little detail). (UNBELIEVABLE!) And then once the customary necessities of this novel undertaking were established, we were granted the liberty to take it forward ourselves. Numbers were exchanged and it was mutually agreed upon that we’d give each other a few months to decide our own fate. (NO PRESSURE WHATSOEVER!)
What came after feels like a montage. A blur and an eternity all at once. Events that would test our relationship, our beliefs, and our patience. It started with a constant stream of late-night heart-to-hearts. We’d talk for hours about the most stupid things and also the most important. It didn’t matter if we were thousands of miles apart, or that we had to go to work the next day. We discussed our past and the future. We fought and we laughed. We broke up and started anew. Heck, we even planned our Europe trips together. Slowly and steadily we crept into each other’s lives and came to discover one another for the better. If you ask me to pin down the exact moment when I fell for her when that wild euphoria transformed into unrelenting love, I can’t say but I could definitely acknowledge its presence as the days went by. Sure, we had our occasional squabbles and disagreements but I’d have been disappointed if we didn’t. In the end, it only brought us closer. We were honest and we kept going.
But where were we headed? What lies ahead! I didn’t know. And neither did our families. I’d asked her multiple times but all I’d gotten out of here were vague answers and deliberate misdirections.
It had been SIX months! Yes! Six months! And I hadn’t given my parents an answer. Needless to say, they were just as eagerly waiting for her as I was. The truth was that she was waiting. Waiting to meet me again. I hadn’t met her again since that first unexpected encounter. She would often joke about how she has completely forgotten what I looked like. Such was our relationship. Not built on looks but who we actually were on the inside. But I had to know. I needed to know. So I went back.
When we met again, things were different. Really different. Seeing her again, reminded me of the euphoria I had felt the first time I had seen her. It was electric. I was nervous and excited. Her decision would change both our lives forever.
It did! Because this time she said YES! Despite the difference in the nature of our jobs. Despite not seeing each other in person for the entirety of the six months. Despite being in two different cities. We pulled it off! We overcame the challenges! We thrived!
I was so elated that I immediately took her out for a much-needed dinner date (I had to take her parent’s permission of course). It should also be noted that it was only our third date. Impressive, I know! But the best part was that this time we weren’t strangers. We were two people who had faith and were ready to walk together for life.
To be honest I’m still amazed at where we are today. It’s been almost 2 years now. We’re married and since then we’ve had our fair share of challenges. In fact, facing the pandemic was what I’d imagine being our most stressful and yet fun time together. We had to tackle multiple opinions, people pushing us to postpone our wedding, the disappointment of our extended families and our best friends who couldn’t be invited, venue bookings, scaling down the size of our wedding. Especially challenging was the shopping. The duration crunched from months to a few days to avoid repeated outings. A boon was working from home, which allowed us to plan our wedding together, something we never thought we’d ever been able to do. We even planned an almost month-long honeymoon during the peak of the pandemic that took place in between the wedding prep.
About Their Wedding Festivities
Engagement
Haldi
Mehendi
Wedding Day
One thing we’d decided from the start was that no matter what our families do, we always had to be on the same page. That always gave us strength. The thing that I love about her is just how action-driven she is, meticulously planning every detail and then persevering till it’s confirmed execution. From the venue, caterers, photographers, and even the clothes, everything has her fingerprints. It seems impossible to even now when I think about it and she actually pulled it off. If that alone is not an indicator of our strength then I don’t know what is. We’re there to stand for each other, with complete trust and support because in the end we always come back to that first meeting, of the promises we made and moments we shared. That feeling of our own little home shall reverberate in our hearts forever.
Me being a Computer engineer and her being an architect didn’t make much of a difference as I think of it now. Let life surprise you, you never know what’s in store for you. For me, it was Akriti! The architect of my dreams.
The Wedding Vendors
Jewelry: Reliance Jewels, Sardar Ji Bentex Walley
Bride Outfit: Bhasin Brothers
Groom’s Outfit: Manyavar
Makeup Artist: Bhaavya Kapur Makeup Studio
Hair Stylist: Bhaavya Kapur Makeup Studio
Venue for the wedding: Taj Mahal, Lucknow
Planner & Decorator: Genda Phool
Photographer: Wow Wedding Films
Thanks for the feature!🥰🥰❤️
Just loved it.