Aruna & Jaga
We had a whole line up of events leading up to the big day. Our wedding journey started with Nichayam (Engagement) in Feb 2019 >> ROM in July 2019 >> Parisam (Betrothal Ceremony) in Dec 2019. We also had smaller events such as henna night, bridal shower, bangle ceremony and thali padayal right before our traditional wedding. Our wedding journey was filled with many beautiful moments that we will treasure for a lifetime together. We are grateful to share these moments and be able to rightfully credit all the amazing vendors that helped create our dream wedding!
The most memorable moment for us was seeing our families having fun and dancing the night away together at our reception, a day after our temple wedding, at Serangoon Gardens Country Club. I remember telling Jaga that we finally had nothing left to check off from our to-do list! We were able to let our hair down for the night and celebrate our marriage with everyone.
The hardest part was coordinating practices and briefings. We had to work around conflicting schedules and I don't think we ever had one meet up where everyone was present! The DORSCON level was raised to orange a week before our traditional wedding and we were issued an advisory to avoid large scale gatherings. We had to check with our venues on the new safety measures introduced and had very little time to prepare for these changes. The days after the announcement of DORSCON orange was really nerve-wracking as we were anticipating new restrictions on social gatherings. We had to mentally prepare for a low turn up rate due to the ongoing pandemic. At the same time, we were contemplating if we should downsize. The health of our loved ones and guests was very important.
hankfully we had amazing support from our families and friends who took the effort to reach out to us personally and check if we needed any extra help. Our wedding events would not have been a success without their guidance and support. We were relieved that we could complete our wedding without having to postpone it. We understand the stress and struggle wedding couples are currently facing as a result of this pandemic. It is definitely not easy having to change wedding plans that you have spent so much time and effort putting together. We truly hope everything works out well and in favor of these couples in time to come.
Something that is not candidly spoken about is couples having to juggle the expectations of both families. We were stressing about minute details to ensure that we did not knowingly or unknowingly neglect anyone’s expectations. Looking back, we could have relaxed a little and be more present in the moment to enjoy the process. Because time flies and before we know it – it has already been 5 months since we tied the knot!! If you were to ask us to describe our wedding journey, we will call it – perfectly imperfect. It was the imperfections that made our events momentous and again we would not have had it any other way.
Our traditional wedding was held this year on Valentine's Day at Sri Mariamman Temple. We made it a point to not skip on any customaries/traditions of a Hindu wedding. It was a new experience for the both of us as we got to learn the reasons behind why certain rituals were done before and during the wedding. We also incorporated elements that had personal sentimental values to both of us. I wore my mother’s engagement saree for our engagement and it was a very special moment for me. Jaga walked in with a portrait of his late mother during our traditional wedding. It was an emotional moment that left many with teary eyes.