A Love Story That Sprouted From The Tradition Of A Typical Arranged Marriage

Swathi from Studio 149 got engaged recently and we wanted to know all the details! When we got to know how she met her Ashwanth, we got to know how cute it was and wanted to share her Engagement Story with all our readers! So here is the story, in hers and Ashwanths own words!

Our engagement story In a country deep rooted in customs, values and tradition that has a strong belief in arranged marriages comes a love story that goes beyond all expectations. This is our story - a story of love that was arranged. I am an architect by education; my love for well-made clothes got me designing clothes as a hobby initially, but now it has become my mainstream career. I am a fun loving person who believes in living life queen size like there is no tomorrow.

 

My Fiance, Ashwanth is an orthopaedic surgeon based in the UK. Just seeing his academic credentials (which is super long) people might mistake him to be a nerd, but he is an exception. He is super outgoing, is fun to be with and has a liking for the finer things in life. He mostly grew up in Ireland and claims it was his Irish charm that got me to like him. Behind that English/Irish fa-ade that Ash has as a cover, he is a local Chennai boy who loves Tamil cinema and local food. Besides his charming looks and warm personality, it was his proficiency in work and ambition in life that got me attracted to him. I knew I finally found someone who wouldn't find me crazy. We found we could bond effortlessly, had very similar interests and were equally crazy in a lot of ways. Though I never believed in meeting my life partner in a typical arranged situation, I was proved wrong.

In Ash's words - Not knowing what was to come, I met Swathi 5 years ago, at a common friends engagement party. Although we never spoke, little did I know at that time that she would be a part of my future. We were both sceptical of the first meeting. I certainly didn't know much about her other than the short brief I got from my mum a few days before I boarded my flight to Chennai. Similarly, even she got persuaded by her dad to meet me. It was not a typical arranged situation. I didn't want to meet her with the family so I insisted that I meet her on my own. We met first in Amethyst on Whites Road, Royapettah.

This is one of my favourite places in Chennai, the landscaped gardens and the quiet calm shields you perfectly form the chaos of the city outside. It truly is an oasis! I sat down and tried to calm my nerves, which were staring to get the better of me. The suspense was a killer! Although I had seen her on Facebook, knowing that you are actually going to meet a complete stranger for the first time and that too for the purpose of ultimately marrying each other was something I never could get my head around. It was an uneasy and awkward feeling. Once I was seated, I messaged her and immediately she told me she was already there. Now my heart was racing with excitement and my mind was alight with ideas of how to greet what to say etc. I messaged her back and she appeared from around the corner looking at her phone as she walked towards me, trying to recognize me in person.

We greeted each other with a half-committed kiss on the cheek and hug and sat down. I will never forget her first words she said to me laughingly, what do we do now? This question led to a conversation that lasted for 3 hours and continued into the evening by phone and hasn't stopped till this day! There isn't a day that goes by where we don't talk at least for an hour, where we don't say we love each other, where we don't kiss each other and put each other to bed. After the first meet, we met again the following day when I knew she was the one. 6 weeks from that day she officially became my fiance and in 6 months will be my wife.

So, my engagement shopping consisted of these places. It was an enjoyable experience. I wore a Lehenga for the venue. Usually the brides get the Engagement Saree from their in-laws at the venue. So I wore a maroon Lehenga which I designed myself. The saree was from @tulsi-silks-1#. The blouse, I designed myself.

The makeup was done by @bridal-makeup-siva#. I have had a few bad experiences when I got the makeup done by someone else. So I have always done my own makeup. But Siva did such an amazing job. It was just right and I loved it! Photography was done by the guys at @wedding-stori#. They were super enthusiastic and took over 2000 pictures! They had their own style and did such an amazing job!

Decor was done by Kamesh. They followed our instructions perfectly and did a great job! I bought my jewellery from Prince jewellery. I loved their collection. The event took place at the Leela Palace. The catering was done by them too. Ashwanth got his outfits designed by @vivek-karunakaran#. I got my block heels from Aldo. I knew I had to keep standing for long, so I chose footwear that was super comfortable.

So, tips for any bride reading this is, Eat healthy. I applied homemade packs every night. It was basically curd with rice flour or curd with besan. I had a strict diet, did not eat out, had spinach juice every morning. This was to ensure my skin had that healthy glow and let me tell you, it had that glow.