Charlotte, NC Indian Wedding by Anchor & Veil Photography

When the algorithm put together his “filmi” eyes and her beautiful smile it was love at first swipe for these two Dil Mil members. The first love marriage in both their families, it wasn’t until the third time they rescheduled their wedding, that they finally got to take the walk back down the aisle in July of 2021.

The bride dreamed of doing her bridal shopping in India and the way the moons aligned she got only 48 hours to get through it! Luckily her best friend and mom had come to India a month before to pre-shop for her arrival. With her mother narrowing down the shops, and the bride deciding on a traditional feel with two different colored dupattas, the hunt was on. (And, would make a great reality show might we add!) As soon as they entered House of Ghunghat the wedding angels began to sing. She tried on an outfit and could tell by glistening eyes and wide smiles all around she had found the one.

“I am not always secure in my body, but it was so important to me that I felt beautiful and confident in all my outfits. I loved my bridal outfit and there is not a thing I would change about it. I tell all brides that there will always be an outfit you fall in love with and feel like the queen of the world in - don't compromise. I would give my dress shopping experience a 10/10.”

This wedding was all about the guest experience. The crafty groom personally built a haldi swing for the bride and also a "Tequila Made Me Do It" wall for the mehendi where a hand came out of the wall to greet you with tequila spritzer. The Haldi Party, was centered around a pool party theme and they ensured guests remained cool in the sun with a snowcone truck on premises. Finally for the Sangeet the bride surprised her groom with one of their favorite singers - Mickey Singh!

Congratulations to the beautiful Roli & Nigam!

How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
I met Nigam through our fairy godmother - Dil Mil - almost six years ago. Neither of us knew how quickly we would fall for each other (some may call it love at first swipe)! I have been a hopeless romantic through most of my life (thank you Bollywood) and remember swiping on Nigam because he had the kindest and most "filmi" eyes; he says he swiped on me because he loved my smile! We bonded over our love of sports, movies, food, and our desire to travel. The only flaw is that he is a dedicated Patriots fan. While we were in our talking phase, he went away on a boys trip. That's when I started to realize how happy he made me feel and that I loved talking to him about everything and anything. Just as I started missing him, I received a package at my door. Prior to leaving for his trip, he had ordered a build-a-bear named Dilan (named after Dil Mil) dressed in a Panthers sweatshirt for me. This is when I started becoming Nigam's number one fan. When he came back from his trip, we started our days talking to each other and ended our days with FaceTime dates. We were the weirdos that said I love you before we met (trust me we know it's strange and our friends still tell us it's strange), but it just felt right. We realized it was time to finally meet up. By this point my sister, Ketika, and my friends were eager to meet Nigam, since I could not stop talking about him. Ketika invited Nigam to her graduation party (bold move that came with family drama of course). Nevertheless, Nigam came down to Charlotte and met me, my friends, and then my family all in one weekend. I met Nigam by myself first, the night before my sister's graduation party. After a couple months of interacting through a screen, there were finally no more barriers. We hugged and instantly he felt like home. He was exactly who I thought he would be and vice versa. We met up with my friends later that evening at a rooftop and went out. At the end of the night, my heels began digging into my skin. I sat down to take them off. During this time I was actually scheduled for a gall bladder removal (romantic, I know) right after this graduation weekend. Knowing I was in pain, Nigam scooped down to the grown and took off my heels for me. Sitting on the ground with his shoe in my hand, I felt like a modern-day Cinderella. That's when I knew he was the one. He is the kindest, most gentle, and fun guy I have ever known. I had never brought a boy home and I was proud to bring him. The way he integrated himself with my family and friends - that sealed the deal.

Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
Nigam says he knew within the first few months of dating that he was going to marry me. He always recounts a time I had visited him where we were strolling through a park. Our conversations consisted of talking about what we wanted in life, our families, and me asking him hypotheticals like if he could only eat one thing for the rest of life, what would it be. He said it was those simple conversations that showed him what a normal day-to-day life with me would look like. We had a long-distance relationship through our entire dating time period and I think one day he woke up and thought it was about time that we took the next step to close this distance. We both talked about marriage openly with each other and made sure we were on the same page. We went ring shopping together (one of my favorite memories). He actually did some eye-talking with the rep and I wasn't even aware he bought it until the proposal. I am the first person in my family to have a love marriage and the first non-gujarati member in Nigam's family. It took a little convincing, but we are truly lucky to have families who were willing to be open-minded and value the love we have for each other. With that being said, we are both family-oriented and knew we wanted both our families to be there whenever the proposal happened, so we could honor our families for putting our wishes above their beliefs. On April 13, 2019, a little over three years since we first swiped on each other, Nigam made me the happiest girl in the world! He proposed to me at the Brooklyn Bridge Park in front of over 100 friends and family members. It was the sweetest set-up with vases lined up in a heart shape, rose petals on the ground, and balloons and precious pictures of us tied to the railings. I knew the proposal was coming. It is very hard to surprise me because I love knowing everything. I picked up details from things people would say and little slip-ups. I just was wrong on the timing. I thought it would be at night, and prepared accordingly. I was 3.5 hours late to my own proposal (combination of NYC traffic, oversleeping, and a few mishaps). Luckily, it was a beautiful day, so my friends and family had a great time. Everyone had such a blast, that I am not quite sure how many people were sober by the time I came haha. To this day, I am still at the receiving end of many many jokes about punctuality and how patient Nigam is. I can't tell you what exactly Nigam said (luckily we had a videographer), I was so overwhelmed by the views, all our loved ones, and most importantly that I was getting engaged to my best friend!!!! That was all I ever wanted for my proposal and he nailed it!

How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I knew I wanted to do my bridal shopping in India. Growing up, I spent almost every summer there as most of our family lives there. I was having an engagement function in India, so I thought I would do my wedding shopping there prior to the event. I had a three day window to get outfits/jewelry for both Nigam and I. This window was shortened to two days when our flight from JFK was significantly delayed causing us to miss our connecting flight in Abu Dhabi. It was the best 48 hours ever! Don't get me wrong, it was STRESSFUL, but I had my parents, Nigam, Ketika, my best friend Shivani, and Nigam's cousin - Tithi to get me through it. My mom had come to India a month before to scope out the scene! Mom's really are the best. So, that helped narrow down the shops we went to. I was very open on what I wanted my bridal lengha to be. I knew I wanted something that felt traditional, but didn't necessarily want the bridal red. I knew I wanted two different colored dupattas, but didn't really have any other requirements. As soon as I entered Shaveta & Anuj's store (House of Ghunghat), I knew this was it. The staff and Shaveta were the sweetest. You could tell they really cared about their customers and were passionate about their work. It felt like I was on a Say Yes to the Dress episode. As soon as I tried on what would ultimately be my bridal outfit, I could see everyone's eyes glisten and smiles all around. I think my dad cried! I am not always secure in my body, but it was so important to me that I felt beautiful and confident in all my outfits. I loved my bridal outfit and there is not a thing I would change about it. I tell all brides that there will always be an outfit you fall in love with and feel like the queen of the world in - don't compromise. I would give my dress shopping experience a 10/10. I think my bridal dress crew enjoyed it as well, but it might be because of all the cold drinks, teas, and samosas/pakoras they were offered while I was trying on outfits.

Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
I can't say there was just one moment, because from start to finish it was such a special day! We both teared up at our first look. He looked so handsome!! We had been waiting for this day for so long. We were originally supposed to be married in May2020, but the pandemic caused a warranted delay. The long distance was getting to us and we were ready to just start our next chapter, together. Nigam and I have been through a lot together from medical issues to an active shooter situation, and to finally have our happy ending - well that is priceless. I do have to give an honorable mention to my bollywood dreams coming true when I felt that sindoor hit my maang and when Nigam put my mangalsutra on! Lastly, when we looked out into the crowd as a married couple, there is such an overwhelming feeling of being so loved by all your friends and family that is indescribable. We are truly lucky and honored to have an amazing support system!

For events other than your ceremony, please tell us as much as you would like about the decor, style, dances, and all the special details.
For my Haldi Pool Party event, Nigam actually built the swing that I sat on while everyone put turmeric on me. When I saw it in person, I felt like Nigam built the Taj Mahal for me. We actually have moved that swing to our backyard and one day I'll tell my kids "Your dad built that for me!". Our Mehndi was on a semi-rooftop, and we wanted it to be interactive. We had mehendi artists, tarot card readers, a magician (was on the Season Finale of Penn & Teller: Fool Us), and a "Tequila Made Me Do It Wall" where you rang a bell to receive a tequila spritzer. Our Sangeet was themed Two States, One Love as our families are from two different states in India and in the US! The evening was full of amazing performances and ended with a surprise performance from the one and only - Mickey Singh!