Nine years and counting: The beautiful love story of Kirti and Aadya
Kirti and Aadya met during the second year of their engineering course at Manipal University. Kirti’s flatmate just happened to be Aadya’s classmate which is how Kirti and Aadya ended up being part of a group that used to go out for dinners frequently. Their first meeting was exactly nine years ago, when Kirti and Aadya met each other in the college food court for a common friend’s birthday. This friendship continued to blossom as time went by; eventually Kirti and Aadya moved to Bangalore for their jobs where they become closer friends. It took the couple a few more years to realize that love was in the air!
So, how did Kirti know that she had found her soulmate? As she says, “There was never any particular moment. Over the years, our friendship grew and at one point we were so tight that we became an integral part of each other’s lives. So for us, going from being close friends to marriage was just the obvious next step.” Keeping with the obvious next step, Aadya decided to propose to Kirti in Mumbai. He planned a surprise proposal; he told her that they were going for a short weekend trip and asked her to pack her bags. The next morning, they boarded a flight to Mumbai which happens to be a special city for both of them. That evening, under a flowery arch, just when the sun was about to set, Aadya went down on his knee and proposed to Kirti. “It all went by so fast, and he managed to keep a secret till the end. I did not have the slightest idea that he was going to propose! It was just perfect.” said Kirti.
Once Kirti said yes, it was time to start planning the wedding. Kirti and Aadya, along with their families, explored various cities and looked at multiple venues in South India. This was a great way for the families to bond; it was fun and entertaining, yet so exhausting! They had a formal yet intimate and beautiful engagement ceremony at Kirti’s parents’ house in Dubai. The ceremony took place in the garden and every element of the function was DIY-ed by Kirti and her family, in less than 2 weeks! Aadya and his family used this opportunity to spend some time with Kirti’s and her family in Dubai, bonding and exploring. There were some tiny hiccups along the way, but it all ended well and the couple decided to get married in Hyderabad.
For Kirti, the best part of the wedding planning process was the secret dance sessions with Aadya. The couple wanted to perform on their sangeet, but they wanted it to be a surprise for the family. So, they would have practice sessions on Zoom and they would sneak around the house trying to practice in secret! Kirti thoroughly enjoyed those moments and she was certainly glad that the dance turned out right. Another part of the wedding planning process that she thoroughly enjoyed was choosing the wedding outfits. “Aadya and I were both working while planning the wedding. So we have worked from such remote locations, such as trains, buses, cars, saare shops and even wedding venues. It was just epic”, said Kirti.
It was time for the wedding functions to begin. The first function was the sangeet, followed by the haldi, then the jaimala and baraat, and finally the wedding. The sangeet function acted as the icebreaker, where everyone took the opportunity to bond! “We sang, we danced and we laughed about forgotten steps. Our siblings also took this opportunity to share embarrassing stories,” recalled Aadya. The couple danced to Pehli Baar from Dil Dhadakne Do; they felt this song really captures the essence of their relationship.
The next day was the haldi function. There was a drum circle where the friends and family of the couple were playing bongos around them. “Our haldi function will be etched in my mind forever because it was so unique and so much fun. Our friends made sure we were dipped in haldi, from head to toe,” said Kirti.
“Our jai mala was the next day. Looking at each other from a distance before I walked towards Aadya, wearing those special outfits we had spent days choosing; it was just surreal. Having our families around us, all teary-eyed and emotional, while exchanging garlands was just an unforgettable moment. Nothing will ever match that moment. Everyone told me that I would not notice anything other than Aadya and they were so right! In that moment, it was only him and I, and nothing else mattered. ” recalled Kirti.
Finally, the wedding day was here. “This day truly felt as though the gods had come down to earth to bless us. We felt so connected, to each other and to our families. Once the pheras were over, we actually felt complete. When the curtains lifted and we finally got to see each other, that moment was just magical. Straight out of a book. Our eyes locked and everything was just perfect.” said Aadya. Our wedding was actually a mix of two cultures, so it took a lot of time, effort and planning for our mothers to pick rituals and mix them up. We had a Telugu-style mandap for the wedding, which made it all the more special. We had the perfect outdoor wedding that we always wanted!” remarked Kirti.
Now we had to ask, what made Kirti and Aadya choose The Wedding Fellas? Kirti told us, “When we saw the online portfolio of The Wedding Fellas, the first thing we noticed was that warm and happy vibe that was captured in each and every album; that was exactly what we wanted. We wanted photographers who would capture real moments filled with love and real emotion, not just posed shots. And that is exactly what we got. The whole team of The Wedding Fellas made us feel so comfortable and they captured such great photographs of us and our loved ones, we couldn’t be happier!”
