When the couple first met three years ago, they had very different first impressions of one another. Rohan thought Rupal was “boring and lame,” because she only finished half of her light beer at the Shady Lady Saloon in Midtown Sacramento. But Rupal remembers a very attractive and chivalrous Rohan. “Despite wearing a sweater, I was feeling cold, and he graciously gave me his jacket to keep me warm,” she says.
And her feelings never changed. Just three months into dating, Rupal knew Rohan was the one. Even the groom-to-be questioned her assuredness after such a short period of time. “I thought about the words of wisdom my mother had bestowed upon me. She told me, ‘Marry the man that loves you as much as I do,’” the bride says. So Rupal thought it all over once more and the next day, reaffirmed her statement. “You are the man I want to marry and spend the rest of my life with.” Rohan was taken aback, yet he admired his love’s confidence. “I was really blown away with her honesty and outlook on life,” Rohan says. “It was not until I realized that spending time with her was actually forcing me to become a better person that I knew I wanted to make her mine.”
Rupal was preoccupied with her medical residency so didn’t realize Rohan was going to propose until a few days before the big day. She recalls being asked to dress nicely and paint her nails for the family barbecue, so suspicions were up. The day of the event, Rohan picked up Rupal at her apartment and proposed in the privacy of his car, before they met up and celebrated with his family and the bride-to-be’s mother and sister.
At the wedding ceremony, the couple planned to do the traditional exchange of flower garlands. In this exchange, the groomsmen often tease the bride by lifting up the groom, making it difficult for her to place the garland. But Rupal’s family would not be shown up, so when Rohan went up on his cousins’ shoulders, Rupal’s family imitated the move so that she could securely place the garland. “It was a very amusing and playful moment and a reflection of how fun-loving we all are,” Rupal says.
The couple embraced the colors of fall by including accents of eggplant and burnt orange at the reception. Rupal and her mother decorated textured glass containers with frost or gold-tinted paint and eggplant, orange or gold ribbon. Some of these vases included marbles or leaves that were reflected in the LED lights. Rupal’s sister also contributed to the table tops by designing placemats featuring puzzles and trivia related to the bride and groom.
There was no lack of high energy at the reception. The groom’s family loves to dance and their liveliness was contagious to all the guests. “Our wedding day was a bright, colorful and fun-filled festival with our loved ones,” Rupal says. “I felt like I was on some kind of mission that day,” Rohan adds. “My blood was flowing, but I also remember having a sense of calm around me as well.”
