Sarah & Praveen
The Engagement : About four months after moving in together , Sarah and Praveen went to lake Winnipesaukee for a long weekend in mid October . “ He woke me up at the crack of dawn and dragged me to a gazebo on the lake ,” Sarah recalls . “ Steam was rising off the water while the sun rose behind us , and he proposed with my great grandmother ’ s ring .”
The Process : The couple had planned ( and put deposits down ) for a fairly large wedding comprised of a Hindu ceremony , a Jewish ceremony , a Sangeet and a reception . When you know what hit , however , everything was canceled in favor of a small ceremony on the patio behind Sarah ’ s temple followed by a reception with immediate family and a few of Praveen ’ s friends . “ Even just the small wedding was overwhelming to plan and execute , so I cannot imagine producing a much larger event ,” Sarah says . “ In this way , I feel very lucky for the small size ." Still , she admits there was also a significant loss not being able to have Praveen ’ s family from India or her extended family with them . “ I also feel sad that we didn ’ t get to perform our dances that we learned for the Sangeet ,” she says . “ I was looking forward to that probably the most as my family and I love to dance .”
The Contributions : “ Everyone really pulled together because we could only have fifteen people total , including vendors and our Rabbi and Canter ,” Sarah says . “ A family friend from my temple did the decorations with some help with set up from my mom and sisters . My sister also painted the edges of our Ketubah .” Furthermore , because a Jewish ceremony involves both the bride and groom walking down the aisle with their respective parents , Sarah ’ s mother asked if she and Sarah ’ s father could have the honor of walking with Praveen since his family was unable to attend . “ He said yes right away , and my parents felt very privileged to get to do that ,” Sarah says . Finally , thanks to the couple ’ s friend Zdan , who provided and operated the needed high-tech equipment , they were able to livestream the ceremony for faraway loved ones to witness and enjoy .
The Meet Cute : As it turns out , moms make quite the matchmakers . “ My mom plays soccer with Praveen ’ s friend , Rahul , and she was playing the song ‘ Maahi Ve ’ on her speakers during one of their pick-up games ,” Sarah says . Funnily enough , it was the same song Praveen was set to perform at Rahul ’ s Sangeet ( a pre-wedding event where the bride ’ s and groom ’ s loved ones perform choreographed dances ). Sarah ’ s mother and Rahul got to talking and she , of course , asked , “ Do you have any single friends ?” Rahul , being the great wingman he is , proceeded to score Sarah ’ s number for Praveen .
The Highlights : “ Seeing everyone on Zoom ! I couldn ’ t see them during the ceremony , so after , when I walked towards the screen and saw everyone , it was really wonderful .” — Sarah
The Advice : “ I think keeping our original date and not postponing was a good move for us ,” Sarah reflects . “ You never know when another wave will hit , and we just wanted to get married already . We were disappointed to miss out on the traditions from both of our cultures , but we are lucky to have our health and to have healthy loved ones .”
98 | ENGAGED IN SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND 2022