Ceremony

Reception

Spring

In 2017, Payal and Zander graduated from medical school and first crossed paths during their interview for a Chicago emergency medicine residency program. Little did they know that they would match into the same program later that year. Sparks flew between them as they spent time with each other and worked side by side in the emergency department. Payal did her best to conceal her love of Zander's good looks, natural charisma and charming sense of humor, while Zander tried equally as hard to conceal his love for Payal's stunning beauty, brilliant intellect, and perpetual thoughtfulness. One fateful night, at the wedding of one of their co-residents, their feelings for each other were exposed when Zander started talking about how he missed his late grandmother's home on Long Island. He looked deeply into Payal's loving eyes as he reminisced about his time there. Payal listened intently, as always, and was enchanted by Zander's storytelling, his love for his late grandparents and the magical place in which they had lived. As Zander spoke, Payal's eyes couldn't help but show him that she saw him and loved him for who he truly was. He knew in that moment that he couldn't live without her. Of course, that is just the very beginning of the story for these two crazy lovebirds. Since that time, they have had many adventures, played many jokes on each other, and fallen even more deeply in love– and they continue to do so each and every day.

Their Story

Our Wedding

According to Payal:(and probably how it actually happened...) On the first weekend in April, we had planned to be at a friend's wedding, but it was postponed due to the pandemic. We all decided to keep that weekend off and go on a group trip. Zander told me he would plan the whole thing, which made me immediately skeptical. Despite knowing months in advance we had this weekend off, he waited until what felt like the last minute to choose the destination - Amelia Island. The days leading up to the proposal, there were a few hints by my mom and Zander's mom. My mom kept telling me to get my nails done and have nice dresses for the trip. Zander's mom texted saying she was excited for our big weekend. I was suspicious at this point but unsure of when, where, or how it would happen. On the day of the proposal, I was told by the group that we had a reservation for a nice dinner that evening and we would be taking pictures on the beach beforehand. We spent the day at the beach and returned to the cottages to get ready. Of course, I was told the wrong time for dinner, so I was stressed and rushing to get ready, and bickering with Zander about who's fault it was. Meanwhile, the rest of the group got ready early and was secretly preparing decorations for the celebration after the proposal. There was a close call where I unknowingly almost walked in on the decoration preparations! Zander and I, with two of our friends, left for the beach before the rest of the group. Once we got to the beach, we started to walk along the water while our two other friends split off the other way. Zander started to get nervous, stumbling over his words, repeating the same sentence of "Do you remember our first date?" I laughed and kept saying yes and encouraging him to go on. He finally gave up on the speech and got down on one knee. He opened the box to a beautiful ring set and then dropped one of the rings in the sand! After we found the ring, Zander asked if I would marry him. Just to give him a hard time, I said "you can do better than that." We laughed and he struggled to figure out which hand the ring went on until I ultimately gave him my left hand. He said "I love you" and I said "I know" - making a reference to Star Wars (which he loves) that went over his head in the heat of the moment. Later, Zander explained that the ring set is composed of three pieces, each symbolizing something different. The top piece - represents the sunrise. The bottom piece - represents the moon (aka the wedding band, to be worn soon!). The stone - a galaxy diamond (unique salt and pepper look to represent the galaxy). He chose this design for a multitude of reasons, but my favorite was when he said "you are my universe." Words cannot begin to describe my emotions about that weekend. I am extremely thankful for our friends who were able to celebrate with us and for our families who supported us. According to Zander:(the more colorful account of what happened...) Ok, so, we all know I'm not much of a planner. And yet, it turns out proposals are things that require a lot of planning. Especially when one's fiancé is one of, if not THE most organized, perceptive and intelligent person on the face of the earth, says "I don't care what the proposal is like, as long I am completely surprised by it." Right, sure, no problem. I got this. For months, I came up empty as I sat and pondered a way to accomplish this Herculean feat. At last, our friend's wedding, scheduled for early April, got postponed due to COVID. Perfect, I thought, many of our friends had that weekend available so I told Payal I would plan the big group trip that we had been talking about doing for years. Little did she know, I would turn this seemingly casual group trip into a surprise proposal. Honestly, I should have known that as soon as I said I would plan something, she'd know something was up. But whatever, it was a risk I was willing to take. I then obviously planned the perfect proposal on my own, without any help from any of our other friends and we all executed it flawlessly and Payal was totally surprised. The end. Just kidding, I was pretty much a lost puppy frantically shooting off random ideas and schemes until Dhara, Shreya, Justin, Dominika, Lawrence and the rest of our close friends molded the plan into something realistic and beautiful. Once the plan was set, all we had to do was execute it. There were a couple hiccups here and there. For instance, my mom texted Payal and I during the weekend, "I'm so glad Ian could be there for your big weekend!" That definitely wasn't a major hint or anything. Eventually, we made it onto the beach, where I was supposed to deliver an eloquent and romantic speech. Everyone told me I'd be nervous. They told me to keep it short. I said "I can bring people back from the brink of death, I know how to keep it together." Oh, how wrong I was. As we strolled on the beach backlit by a gorgeous sunset, I said "Do you remember our first date on the beach?" and proceeded to immediately forget everything else I had planned to say. She said "yes," and I, improvisational master that I am, snapped my fingers and said "right, so... Remember that?" She replied "yes" again and knew instantly that there was something more to this speech. The jig was up. I got down on one knee and said "Payal Patel, you are the love of my life, will you marry me?"Payal: "You can do better than that."Me: *laughs* "come on, please? You know I can't live without you"Payal: "Yes. Of course I'll marry you."Me: *drops part of the ring and struggles to determine which hand and finger the rest of the ring goes on*Payal: "It goes on the left hand."Me: *finally puts ring on correct finger* "I love you"Payal: "I know" Like I said, the whole thing was perfect.

The Proposal Story

The Proposal

In traditional American culture, the engagement of a couple is usually a surprise planned out by the groom. In traditional Indian culture, the Sagaai (engagement or ring ceremony) is an event where close family and friends are invited to witness the bride and groom exchange rings, thus formally accepting each other as partners. It is an opportunity for the families to meet and become one large family. Since my brother, Parth, and his fiancé, Kristin, got engaged in the same year as us, we decided to combine our engagement ceremonies. The ceremony starts out with a pooja (prayer) to Lord Ganesh (God of prosperity). The pooja is performed for good luck to be bestowed onto the couple and their families, so that whatever obstacles they may face will be destroyed. All auspicious ceremonies in the Hindu religion commence with a prayer to Lord Ganesh. Frequently, the tilak ceremony is combined with the ring ceremony, which involves welcoming the groom to the family by applying red vermilion on the groom's forehead. After the pooja, there is an exchange of gifts/sweets and the couple seeks blessings from both families. Following this, there is often a variety of food, games, and dancing to celebrate!

Sagaai (Engagement)

Engagement Ceremony - Sagaai

Engagement Ceremony - Group Photos

Engagement Ceremony - Performances/Games

Engagement Ceremony - Dancing

We wanted to use this website to highlight our proposal and engagement ceremony. We are thrilled to celebrate our future wedding with our families and friends. We will be in touch with a wedding date and location!

Payal & Zander

Payal & Zander

Engagement Ceremony - Group Photos