Marriages may be made in heaven, but couples have the Herculean task of translating their love for each other into a remarkable marriage on earth. This Valentine’s Day, let’s go love’s way with Anurima Das, revisiting immemorial romances, champion
proposals and fairytale weddings
What starts as ‘love at first sight’ for many can be an emblematic courtship for others. On the other hand, some find their best mate only through an arranged marriage. The nature, path or journey of love to marriage can vary greatly all across the globe and differs from couple to couple. Perhaps, that sets the trend for unique love stories, fairytale marriages, and ‘too fantastic to be true’ proposals. What starts as ‘love at first sight’ for many can be an emblematic courtship for others. On the other hand, some find their best mate only through an arranged marriage. The nature, path or journey of love to marriage can vary greatly all across the globe and differs from couple to couple. Perhaps, that sets the trend for unique love stories, fairytale marriages, and ‘too fantastic to be true’ proposals.
Scoring a Goal!
One of the most talked about couples of the 21st century, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have always faced the limelight giving their fans a peek into their personal lives all through their momentous journey from proposal, to engagement, to marriage and then babies, of course! Kanye’s manner of proposing to Kardashian on her 33rd birthday in 2013 set the imagination on fire. The Yeezus singer planned and executed the most lavish proposal he could. To set the ball rolling, he rented out San Francisco’s AT&T Park, blindfolded Kardashian and brought her into the baseball stadium where a 50-piece orchestra crooned her favourite Lana Del Rey song. Finally, West went down on one knee just in time for the personalised message “PLEEEASE MARRY MEEE!!!” to shine on the scoreboard. To top it, when Kardashian nodded a ‘yes’, he gifted her with a 15-carat Lorraine Schwartz diamond ring that was especially commissioned for the event.
A Gala Proposal
Dubai, desert safari, camel ride, cushions, roses, Taj Mahal, and going down on the knees. So evocative of love, aren’t they? Whether a romantic at heart or not, you will certainly be touched by the love story that actress Eva Longria and business tycoon Jose Antonio Baston set in motion. Jose proposed to Eva during their trip to Dubai for the Global Gift Gala at the Dubai International Film Festival. He planned the proposal for six long months without letting Eva sense a ruffle. Finally, while Eva was busy snap chatting her safari moments, Jose presented her with a stunning ruby- and diamond-encrusted engagement ring. Soon after, Eva made the proposal official by sharing the news on her Instagram page, with a photo of them kissing. As a successor to this proposal and desert engagement, Jose went down on his knees once again to propose to Eva for the second time while the couple was holidaying in Agra. This time, the Taj Mahal, the ultimate symbol of love, stood witness to their forever moment!
Badshah Hooked!
If you are celebrating epic love stories, then how can we forget a story closer home? This love story began in 1984, when the ‘Badshah of Bollywood’ Shah Rukh Khan met Gauri Khan at a common friend’s party. At that very instant, the actor vowed to marry Gauri. Even though Gauri did not reciprocate his advances initially, Shah Rukh never gave up. In fact, the couple later confirmed that much like his role in the movie Darr, SRK in real life too was a possessive lover. SRK’s behaviour was so bothersome that Gauri ran away to Mumbai. This was the final blow, but Shah Rukh did not twiddle his thumbs. He set out of his home in Delhi with Rs. 10,000 in his pocket that he had borrowed from his mother to meet Gauri.
Sadly, they were living eons before the Internet days and so the actor had to run around Mumbai, sleeping on pavements, hoping to catch a glimpse of his ladylove. Finally, destiny played Cupid and the two met at the beach one day. This time, Gauri couldn’t resist, and much like ‘Raj and Simran’ from Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, they decided to get married. But that was just the first hurdle they crossed. Shah Rukh had to pretend he was a Hindu when he went to her father to ask for Gauri’s hand in marriage. The rest, as they say, is history!
Desi Mem, Firangi Jamai
‘Desi girl’ Priyanka Chopra and Jealous singer Nick Jonas’s peculiar tweet exchange to ‘call it a date’ led to a fairytale wedding where every bit was customised, right from organising an exclusive cricket match for the couple’s families to embroidering words such as hope, compassion and each other’s names on their wedding attires. The couple also included details of their courtship, choices, likes, etc. into their jewellery. Priyanka’s Kalira for the wedding was customised to include symbols of love, their favourite Disney character and the symbol of Greece, where Nick proposed to her. Other religious motifs were also specially customised on each segment. In fact, the designers involved in making this fairytale wedding a success took to their social media handles to describe how everything was a first of the firsts for them.
Don’t these love stories and weddings make you want to declare your love to the world in a spectacular way? Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Celebrate it in style.