It all began with swiping right on Dil Mil. Ananya was very curious when she saw a "Keshav Goyal" who was 4 miles away from her. Being born and raised in Fort Myers, she knew most of the Indian families locally and hadn't ever heard of him. Turns out, he had already swiped right. And so fate willed it, and they were instantly connected.
The first question he asked was "can you say chandu ke chacha ne chandu ki chaachi ko chandni raat mein..." (you know how the rest goes, and for those that don't, it's a popular Hindi tongue twister from a Bollywood movie). Ananya rolled her eyes, & said yes. Soon after, they met for lunch and their friendship began.
They bonded over their love for the song "Ban Ja Tu Meri Rani" & if you haven't heard it yet, don't worry, you will soon ;)
Talk about fate - Ananya was supposed to go to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure with her sister (Bhuvna) one weekend. But something came up in Bhuvna's schedule and she wouldn't be able to come on Friday. Ananya told Keshav that she was going to Universal alone the first day and meeting up with Bhuvna the following day. Out of the blue, Keshav called her, told her he took Friday off and wanted to go too - after all he had never been before. "Let's go, it's a date," he said.
PS: The excitement about this "date" died down very quickly when Ananya found out--on The Mummy--that Keshav hates rides (especially roller coasters). Being the sweetheart that he is, he became the self-designated bag holder that day while she rode the rest of the rides that were too scary for him :)
Ananya started PA school in Miami, while Keshav was working in Fort Myers. Regardless, they still made it a point to meet at least once, but usually twice a month. In that almost 2 years, they enjoyed exploring Miami together and were also able to travel to Walt Disney World, Boston, The Carolinas as well as New York and New Jersey.
Every year on Thanksgiving, Ananya & Keshav met up with Bhuvna to celebrate. That year was no different. Bhuvna was in South Carolina and Keshav planned the trip while Ananya focused on school. Secretly, he and Bhuvna planned the whole engagement surprise with the help of friends (Himanshu & Eshaan).
Once in South Carolina, the plan was to go on a scenic drive to an overlook on Lake Jocassee. After the car and lunches were packed, they headed up the mountain, stopping to take pictures at all the beautiful lookout points along the way. Once they reached the summit, they set up a picnic with a beautiful view of the lake. Finally, Keshav asked Ananya to walk to the edge of the overlook for a picture, and as she turned around on the edge, he got on one knee and proposed. With the sunset behind them, the moon illuminated on a new chapter of their lives.
PS: he forgot his speech and had to pull out his phone midway to refresh his memory - talk about nerves :)
Together with the presence of their families, Ananya & Keshav had a small marriage ceremony outside the courthouse under a banyan tree to signify the start of their relationship as husband and wife. Due to the pandemic, celebrations were delayed, but they are now more excited than ever to be in the presence of both families and all friends as they finally have their true Wedding Celebrations.