Picture this, girl is at the temple with her friends and as they come around the corner of the ornate structure, boy spies her and BOOOM, love at first sight (queue the dance number)! You are all probably thinking to yourselves that we just described a scene out of Tamil Movie and that’s exactly what we pictured when we read this couples story. We have all seen this scene play out in numerous South Indian Films and thought to ourselves ” Like that ever happens,” but hold your tongues as this couples story is exactly that. Their story had us squeal with glee and we are excited to share with you the Wedding  of Sharmela and Milan, a lovely couple from Montreal , Canada. 

I would say that it was destiny that brought Milan and I together on the fateful day at the temple. Although we had a few mutual friends, we did not actually meet until 2006 when Milan saw me at the temple talking to one of our mutual friends. You could say that it was love at first sight for him, because when he went home that night, he asked her for my number but she was reluctant to give it to him. She then called me and told me about this guy at the temple. When she described him to me; an image popped in my head, of this guy I had seen at the temple that morning and as fate would have it, this guy turned out to be Milan. You could say it was love at first sight from my end too!

Milan and I started talking and getting to know each other and shortly after we decided to go on our first date: June 4th, 2006, which we didn’t know at the time, would also be the day that we unite together for life. He of course was late for the date and I remember being very annoyed, as I am always punctual. But my disdain all went away as soon as we met, I never felt more safe and comfortable with someone. By the end of the night I knew he was the one for me. Fast-forward 11 years later and I’m happy to say that I indeed married my soul mate.

After being together for a very long time, we decided it was time to tie the knot.

Planning the wedding was my favourite part of this whole process. Working in the Fashion/ Retail industry, getting to plan my wedding was a dream come true.  The first and most important step was choosing our wedding date. Both his and my family came back with dates and June 4th was on the list.  Sunday June 4th, exactly 11 years from our first date.

I had been following many wedding vendors years in advance. This was a great help in the wedding planning process as we had already pre-selected our wedding vendors that we felt would fit well with our personalities and our vision.  

Our vendors helped us execute our vision and the only regret we have now is that we unfortunately can’t go back in time to re-live the day again. DigitalPlus Photography, Genie Media for videography, Sharmika Beauty and Elegant Events are all incredibly talented individuals and their work speaks volumes but their customer service is what won us over. It is every couple’s dream to work with individuals who go above and beyond their call of duty to make sure you have nothing to stress or worry about on the day of the wedding; and for that we are so grateful to be one of those lucky individuals.

The days leading up to the wedding went by so quickly with last minute wedding prep and preparation for the henna party. The day before the wedding you could say we had a very bad day: from my car battery dying in a parking lot to the limo company cancelling on us, and the tholan’s outfit not fitting, but instead of stressing we just let it be. Whatever was meant to be was meant to be – Milan & my aunts somehow worked their magic because a limo did show up at my house the next day and the tholan wore the outfit that we had chosen. The day of the wedding I remember waking up at 2am and being so excited to get married, Milan claims he did not sleep at all.

My morning was calm and filled with laughter; I remember just wanting to go to the venue so I could finally marry my soulmate and best friend. Although we were running a few minutes late, we got to the venue on time and found out that Milan was stuck in traffic. The wait for him to come to the venue was the longest 30 minutes of my life. I kept walking back and forth to and from the window and when I finally saw the Rolls Royce pull-up, my heart swelled up with so much excitement and I couldn’t help but  take a sneak peak at Milan.

After this point, much of the day was a blur, it went by so quickly but I remember the feeling I had when I was about to enter the hall for the first time. I don’t think anyone can quite explain the feeling; it’s something you have to experience yourself. It’s a mixture of emotions when you walk down the aisle towards the love of your life, both nerves and excitement as well a little bit of sadness at the thought of leaving behind your family home. But all that was washed away as soon as I saw Milan sitting at the manavarai and from that point on we were both all smiles.

My advice to anyone planning a big event is to take the time to create checklists, and ask for help. My younger sister was our go-to person throughout the planning process; she helped us create check lists to make sure every aspect of the wedding planning occurred stress free.  I was also very lucky to have incredible friends and family in my life who were a tremendous help with all the DIY projects that we took on for the wedding.

I also recommend taking lots of pictures throughout the day because the day goes by in a blink of an eye, and the day, the videos, photographs and memories are all you have left to savour and relive those moments all over again.

My most important advice is not to stress, especially on the day of the wedding. At one point, a few days perhaps the day before the wedding, you will need to let go of all the worries you have and have faith that the wedding gods, along with your family members will take care of all the little details, allowing you to every moment.

Milan and I enjoyed every single moment of our wedding and if we can go back in time and do it all over again – we would in a heart beat!

Wedding Highlights

Wedding Next Day Edit & E – Shoot

Sharmela + Milan | Highlight Edit from Genie Media on Vimeo.

SHARMELA + MILAN (Wedding Highlight) from DigitalPlus Photography on Vimeo.

SHARMELA + MILAN – (E-Shoot Highlights) from DigitalPlus Photography on Vimeo.

Featured Vendors

“…their customer service is what won us over. It is every couple’s dream to work with individuals who go above and beyond their call of duty to make sure you have nothing to stress or worry about on the day of the wedding; and for that we are so grateful to be one of those lucky individuals.”

Grooms & Bridal parties outfit : Aarathie Supercentre

Tie • The • Thali thanks Sarmela and Milan for sharing their day with us and would like to wish this lovely couple nothing but the best for their married life.