Chand and Sarika met their freshman year of college at the University of Michigan after a mutual friend (thanks Leah!) introduced them on Sarika's birthday. (Weirdly, Sarika still expects birthday gifts from Chand.) Sarika was a student at Michigan State when they first met, and a few months later, after meeting Chand for a second time on a ski trip, Sarika told her parents that Chand was "one of the most annoying guys she had ever met." (Ask her in July if she still feels the same way!) Nevertheless, Sarika and Chand continued to see each other when Sarika would visit Leah at Michigan, and they even got Thai food when Chand was in East Lansing visiting family. Sarika ended up transferring to Michigan for her sophomore year, apparently due to her academic interests (sure!), but Chand maintains the real reason was to be closer to him. They started dating shortly after Sarika started at Michigan.

Chand's bros were not a fan of the new relationship initially, since he suddenly had less time for tailgates and videogames. But everyone quickly became close friends. Likewise, Chand and Sarika soon met and became close with each other's families. Chand met Sarika's Anand Mama and Milli Mami, and little Milan (please refer to him as Big Milan in July, he gets upset if you call him anything else), at a Michigan football game. Chand met Sarika's father at a late night coffee chat at Zingerman's, where Chand learned that Sarika's father may be more Italian than he is. Chand later met Sarika's mother at a much less stressful lunch at Sava's. Sarika met Chand's parents at a fraternity tailgate—a shared passion of the couple and his parents at the time—and Chand's siblings when she visited his family in Okemos over winter break. The rest is history!

After finishing undergrad, Chand and Sarika moved to New York City and later Chicago for work and graduate studies. The couple got engaged in Michigan on April 1, 2023 (yes, he proposed on April Fool's Day—not sure if that makes him or her the fool—time will tell, I guess!). Today, she’s in med school, he’s in law school, and they're not as insufferable as you might think. (Though we'll let you be the judge in July.)

More seriously, as Sarika and Chand begin the next chapter in their lives, they and their families are so grateful and excited to celebrate with you. See you in July!