Kanakavalli Bride : Janani

Janani weds Yugesh

Kanakavalli Bride Janani says that she has always been a bit skeptical of the idea of 'love at first sight', but her husband Yugesh is a hopeless romantic. He swears to this day that he fell in love with her the first time he saw her. The two met when they worked at the same office four years ago. Many coffees and many conversations later, Janani and Yugesh found a close friendship that brought them together.

Janani and Yugesh remained friends, but life took them in different directions - Janani to Germany for her Masters and Yugesh to London for work. Two years later, when Janani returned to India for her first visit since leaving, he surprised her by flying down to Chennai as well. Janani says this was the surprise that changed her life. Yugesh told her that he didn't want to spend time with anyone else, and she was floored by his gesture. After a few dates, Janani told Yugesh she didn't have the time for a long distance relationship and that if they were both serious about each other, they should get married! Yugesh had always known Janani was 'the one' for him, and so they decided to get married, to their parents' delight.

Janani arrived in India just three weeks before the wedding, having done almost no prep for her big day. But her cousins, who she calls her core squad, came down from across the country and spent the next three weeks helping her with every single thing. This was the happiest she had been in a long time.

Just before leaving for India Janani met up with her friends in Germany. One them, who’s been married for five years, gave her the most real piece of advice. She said “Mamasita (she is Venezuelan), wedding preparation is not going to be all dreamy like it is in the movies. This next week is gonna bring out all your demons and his too. If you guys can handle each other through this, you are going be just fine."

Right from the start, Janani and Yugesh knew that they didn't want to get married in a traditional 'mandapam', and were delighted to find the beautiful location of their dreams in Rina's Venue in Chennai. They had a traditional 'Mappilai Azhaipu' or 'Janavasam' on the first evening. Yugesh arrived in style on a Royal Enfield with his brothers dancing to the beat of drums. Janani was carried in on a palanquin by her brothers. This was followed by the exchange of gifts between the families to mark the couple's engagement. The next morning was the muhurtham in traditional Tamil style. "What I loved the most is how easily our families obliged with each others’ requests and blended different family traditions to make it our own," says Janani.

Instead of having their muhurtham on a stage, the couple decided to have theirs in the traditional courtyard of the house. Moments before Yugesh tied the thali, Janani remembers looking up. In the midst of all the emotions overwhelming her, she remembers seeing her brothers and sisters on her right, her best friends from school in front, and her parents to her left. She said she felt like she was surrounded by so much love, and this image will stay with her forever. Moments later, Yugesh tied the knot as tears flowed from Janani's eyes.

Janani ordered three gorgeous kanjivarams online without having seen them in person! A customer care representative assured her that they would fast track her order and accommodated all her requests. For brides who don't live in India, Janani says, this is a god send.

A big thank you to Janani for being such a beautiful Kanakavalli Bride and for sharing the story of her wedding with us. We wish her and Yugesh a lifetime of togetherness.