May 6, 2017 - Anjali crashed an engagement party in NYC to meet her friends, Mahesh and Atisha! Luck would have it, these two were also Suraj’s friends as well! Suraj and Anjali met briefly that night, by chance, and thought nothing of it and went on with their lives.
Later that year in September, Mahesh invited Anjali to meet him, Suraj, and some other friends out in the city to hang out. As fate would have it she was unable to join; but that Sunday, Anjali showed up in Suraj’s Coffee Meets Bagel app. Suraj thought she looked familiar so he figured, “what the heck, why not swipe right?”
The next day, while at work, Suraj received a notification around lunchtime, saying "You've matched with Anjali!" and he smiled, while he racked his brain for a witty first message, Anjali messaged a funny Bollywood-inspired riddle. He answered correctly, obviously and from then on both Mahesh and Atisha received texts respectively asking who the other person was and whether or not "they were chill".
Anjali and Suraj texted constantly those first few days, and even spoke on the phone late into the night, getting to know each other, laughing, and acting like teenagers. Anjali really wanted to see Suraj and only had certain days available as she was in her Masters program.
September 24, 2017 - the Sunday after they matched - Suraj had been at a wedding this past weekend and Anjali told him she'd meet him in NJ for lunch and drinks. Refusing to wait until the next week when Suraj planned to visit the city, she got her way. Suraj picked her up from the train station, they went to lunch at a sports bar/restaurant by the station, and Anjali - for the first and last time - acted interested in football as the Giants were playing that afternoon.
After lunch, Anjali and Suraj found a local park and talked for hours (literally) about every topic under the sun. Leaving the date was so hard for both of them because they had such a good time! Both debriefed with their respective friends after for hours and thought the date felt special.
A couple of weeks later, Suraj met Anjali in the city. Within a few weeks of talking and after just a few "dates", Suraj knew that this girl was someone he wanted in his life. On October 7, 2017, at dinner at Maria Pia, he asked "Do you wanna do this thing for real?" Luckily, Anjali said yes! Since then, there have been a lot of ups, some downs, and a whole lot of laughing, eating, learning, and growing together!
Each of you has played a part in our lives in one way or another and we are so lucky to share this story, OUR story, with you all! We are beyond blessed and so excited to celebrate our love with you!
- Written by Suraj, co-signed by Anjali
Sept 18, 2017 - Who knew a lazy Monday on the couch would turn into one of the most incredible days of their lives? Following this text, Anjali and Suraj talked on the phone for 3 whole hours! Little did Suraj know that 3-hour phone calls would soon become a weekly occurrence for him!
Shoutout Coffee Meets Bagel, thank you for helping these two connect again!
July 24, 2021 - Suraj had apparently been crafting up a way to get Anjali to NYC (her favorite city) for months! She was supposed to come to NYC the night before the proposal and stay with a friend. The next day she would meet some of her friends, Suraj and Suraj's cousin near the Top of the Rock for a few drinks before heading to Prerna and Kevin's Gossip Girl Housewarming Party! It truly was the perfect plan - the group texts, the planning, the coordination - was all flawless!
Here's the twist: Anjali, currently ill with an ear infection, was still debating on if she could make it to NYC. She felt miserable and had a rough week at clinics and just wanted to relax this upcoming weekend. Little did she know that Suraj and almost everyone else they knew were internally having panic attacks.
Anjali's friend Kathrine (who was in on the plan) convinced Anjali that it would be a great way to make memories and she still had one more day to rest and get her body to feel better. Kat’s valiant efforts worked - Anjali decided she was right and hopped on a train the next day (thx Kat!) She landed in Weehawken, New Jersey to spend the evening with her sweet friend Fransheska! Fran was also part of the big plan the whole time. She planned the perfect girls' night in to help Anjali relax and get ready for what would be the biggest day of her life.
The morning of the proposal came and Fran took Anjali to de-stress and get her nails done. She insisted that she wanted to do Anjali's makeup for the Gossip Girl Themed Party and wouldn't take no for an answer (thx Fran!). Anjali knew she was running late and was really anxious about making Suraj and his family wait. She was stuck in the Lincoln Tunnel and realized she didn't take her antibiotics that morning so was starting to feel uneasy.
But as soon as she saw Suraj waiting outside the Rockefeller Building, she felt a million times better. One hug from him and all felt right in the world. Meanwhile Suraj was trying to make sure the photographer knew his cues and that Anjali didn't feel the ring box in his pockets. Anjali and Suraj waited for their friends Shruti and Jay who showed up a little later and were going to join them all for drinks at the bar.
As the group was making their way to the top floor (where drinks were happening) Suraj suggested we take a quick photo since they were both dressed up and you could see The Empire State Building (Anjali's absolute favorite building) perfectly from where they were. Anjali didn't want to keep the cousins waiting but will also never pass up a good opportunity for a picture of her and Suraj. Suraj suggested they recreated the posed picture from their recent trip to Punta Cana where it looks like Anjali is leading Suraj by the hand. Anjali, excited as ever, agreed to this immediately.
Unfortunately, the ear infection made it hard for Anjali to hear when Suraj called her name (3+ times) and finally the staff members got her attention. She finally turned around…
There he was! Suraj was down on one knee with the most beautiful ring she'd ever seen. Anjali was mindblown and speechless (for once in her life)! She could barely get the words “Yes!” out!
Of course, Suraj didn't stop there. He had family and friends in on the surprise as well. He organized a dinner where their families were waiting for them! Anjali was beside herself and couldn't stop crying. And if you think it ends there, you're wrong!
With the help of Prerna, Nilam, and Jasmine (Anjali's sisters), he managed to get dozens of friends from all over the states to meet them at the bar where they had a private room all decorated and ready to embrace the couple! Suraj pulled of the perfect proposal and made sure Anjali got everything she wanted!
A huge shoutout to all the people involved into making the most perfect proposal happen!