In April, 2019, the Bride's sister was planning her own wedding for November, 2020 (Pre-Pandemic). She sat the Bride down and laid down the law: "Alisha, if you're going to bring a plus one, it must be someone you've dated for at least a year. So you have until November 2019 to meet him."
The Bride laughed hard. She assured her sister that there was no way she would end up bringing someone to her wedding. The Bride was not even focusing on dating in 2019. Career first!
Little did she know what fate had in store…
Before they met, the Groom was actively dating in the community (with no success) and the Bride was living her best life pre-pandemic with happy hours & bottomless brunches with her DMV besties!
The app they met on was called “The League,” which uses your LinkedIn to connect you with young, educated professionals. Because snobby elitists need love too!
The first thing the Groom said to the Bride was to apologize profusely for not being responsive. He was going to be spending that October 2019 weekend at his cousin Riya's Parents Weekend gathering at the University of Delaware. The Bride accepted his apology and allowed him to try to impress her.
A week later, the Groom succeeded. Before either knew that the other was a meat lover, the Groom revealed one evening that he was enjoying a delicious dinner at a Brazilian Steakhouse for the birthday of Groomsman Nick Smith.
"Omg were you at Fogo??!" she exclaimed.
"Yep. In Tysons."
The Bride was so excited, she texted Bridesmaid Connie Lee a screenshot of that exchange.
After a couple of weeks of talking, the Groom decided that a steakhouse would be perfect for their first date due to their mutual love of steak and researched a place that was easy to get to.
The steakhouse he selected was Medium Rare in Arlington, VA.
The Groom almost ruined the date by talking too much. But somehow he convinced her to walk with him around western Arlington (in her heels!). The Groom offered his arm to her like a southern gentleman. The Bride laughed. She wasn't done with him yet.
PICTURE: A selfie the Bride took of herself before the date. She sent that picture to Bridesmaid Connie, with the following caption: "Here's to lame 1st Dates!"
While other couples may have gone through separations and break-ups during the Pandemic of 2020, Alisha & Vivek found themselves growing closer than ever. Over the next few months after their first date, something felt different in this relationship and somewhere along the way, they realized they couldn’t see their future without the other in it.
Less than a week after her landmark birthday, the Groom took her to the most gorgeous location overlooking all of D.C., under the pretense of a brunch date. There she found her closest friends and family (who secretly flew into D.C. and kept the surprise!) waiting for them. The clouds swirled overhead as he gave his speech and professed his love for her, in view of the United States Capitol, the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial. Moments after she said yes, the clouds burst, and the skies wept with tears of joy. Thankfully the rain didn't last.
After a bottomless mimosa brunch at the Bride's favorite place, their closest friends in the D.C. Metro area gathered that evening to keep the party going.
It was the most magical day!
Featured on How They Asked: howtheyasked.com/alisha-and-vivek/
This wedding will be between two people who are themselves blends of 2 regions in India and the US. The Groom's family is Tamil (South India), but the Groom himself was raised in the American North (Massachusetts). The Bride's family is Bengali (Kolkata-eastern region of India along the Bay of Bengal, India), but the Bride herself was born and raised in the American South (Alabama).
The wedding will consist of a happy blend of Bengali, Tamilian, and American traditions built into a dream wedding weekend.