Since the shaadi season hit us like a tidal wave last November, we have been flooded with loved-up wedding photos on every possible medium. And while most of them make us go aww, every once in a while, we stumble upon pictures so lovely that make us wonder “apna time (kab) aayega?”
Yesterday, we came across one such couple and the beautiful story behind their surreal wedding pictures. Shared on photography page Humans Of Bombay, NRI Colin Mascarenhas opened up about how he met his now-husband, Andrew, on a dating app in Chicago. Colin was drawn to him because of how much Andrew loved and appreciated Indian culture, despite being a foreigner. So, they decided to meet over a bowl of ramen noodles.
“After our date, Andrew invited me to his house for tea… here I was thinking I was going to get American ‘tea’. But when I walked into his house, I was hit with the smell of roasted onion and ginger-garlic! He had a round steel spice box and a pressure cooker… and when he made me tea, it was adrak chai!” Colin told Humans Of Bombay. And the rest, as they say, is history.
The couple hit it off instantly and felt so comfortable with each other that they decided to move in together within nine months. And before they knew it, they decided to tie the knot! I guess when you know, you know, right?
“The decision to get married was simple; we’d realized that we’d found our soulmates in each other and there was no point in waiting! We flew out to India to tell my parents where they organized a south Indian banana leaf meal to celebrate us,” said Colin.
Since they are an inter-faith couple, with Colin being a Hindu and Andrew a Christian, they had not one but two ceremonies–double the fun, amirite? The sweetest part was that their relatives travelled from far and near to help them plan the big day.
“We got married in June of 2019 and had a huge celebration with all the possible wedding ceremonies — a Haldi, a Sangeet, a dhoti ceremony, and a western black tie celebration… After all, you only get married to the love of your life once! We had family and friends travel in from all over to help us organize our wedding… I can’t even express the amount of love I was surrounded by.” Isn’t that so heartwarming?
However, the most touching statement was what Colin’s father said during the toast: “If you have a child, love them and understand them, if you don’t understand them, then love them more.” If only more parents, especially those who have children from the LGBTQIA+ community, would understand and live by this beautiful sentiment.
In fact, both their parents adore them and have showered all their blessings on the couple. “The first time we went down to India after our marriage was so lovely. There was a proper Indian swagat, and we were showered with so much love. Our families have accepted us so beautifully — my mom always asks about Andrew when I talk to her, and the same goes for his family,” said Colin.
What plans do the two have about their future together? Colin has the most beautiful reply, “I don’t know what the future holds for us, but that doesn’t frighten me at all — because a love like ours was meant to be. We’re going to continue making Bollywood playlists, we’ll always come home to the comfort of adrak-wali-chai… And we’ll always fall asleep knowing that when we wake up, ‘we’ will still be there tomorrow, and every single day for the rest of our lives.”
We’re not crying, you’re crying!
We wish Colin and Andrew a life full of love and happiness together! Meanwhile, we’re still swiping on dating apps. Haven’t felt this single before!
Featured Image: Facebook
