The story started in 2011, the year in which Game of Thrones premiered, Steve Jobs still ran Apple, and Occupy Wall Street was all the rage - so it's been quite a while!
Priyanka and Ananth had known each other through mutual friends and after a few different hangouts, Priyanka was drawn to Ananth's humor and charm while Ananth loved Priyanka's vivacious personality and wit. A few more movies and lunches later, they decided to take a leap of faith into a brand new relationship!
Over the course of the next ten years, Priyanka and Ananth grew up together. The kids who met in high school went to college – Priyanka to UC San Diego and Ananth to UC Berkeley – and spent enough time at each other’s alma maters to become honorary Tritons and Bears while building great bonds with each other’s friends! Their journey took them through countless "firsts", live concerts, twenty states, five countries, and a lifetime of shared experiences already ranging from spending time in their hometown’s parks to rappelling down a 200-foot waterfall in Costa Rica!
Throughout the past decade, through various adventures in life, Priyanka and Ananth's love for each other never faltered and only strengthened over time.
Priyanka and Ananth knew earlier on that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together as they loved their friendship above all else. Conversations were effortless, time spent felt invaluable, and a near decade of shared experiences made popping the question feel like the only natural next step.
The challenge was proposing during the height of the COVID19 pandemic and ensuring a memorable experience could occur while still being safe. The best way to accomplish that goal was to propose in a beautiful landscape with both immediate families present so Ananth decided on Joshua Tree National Park in California as the location.
To prevent Priyanka from being suspicious, Ananth enlisted the help of his parents – his mother told Priyanka that October was an inauspicious month in the Hindu calendar and his father created a group chat with both families suggesting a trip to Joshua Tree National Park so Priyanka would think it was someone else’s idea. Priyanka's mother and father corroborated both the curveballs, and worked hard to ensure that Priyanka wouldn't doubt a single thing.Soon, everyone packed their bags, brought Laddu Shirur (Rottweiler) and Raj Cherukupally (Labrador Retriever) along as well, and drove down to the desert.
The first couple of days were really well spent enjoying the landscape from the Airbnb’s hottub, hikes, and endless food. The third day, Ananth told Priyanka that he wanted them to go watch the sunset together and drove at 25 mph to the park in a 45mph speed limit to guarantee everything would go smoothly (much to Priyanka’s dismay!). They went to a location in the park where the photographer was already hidden, Ananth asked Priyanka to turn around quickly to look at the sunset and got on his knee to ask Priyanka to marry him. Though she took a long second, the answer was always yes (which is why we have this website obviously).
After two years of planning a wedding through the various challenges the pandemic has presented, Priyanka and Ananth are ecstatic to be celebrating their wedding surrounded by the most important people - which is you!