Vrushali had her own reasons to bypass the customary wedding ceremony. “I was determined that my parents will not spend for my marriage. Fortunately, Sandeep too was very supportive,” she says.

It was a little different in Anita’s case. “We were comfortable only with our close relatives. Although we didn’t mind the rituals, we definitely did not want to go for all of them. Therefore, we only did the saptapadi ritual at our new house,” says Anita.

For Vrushali and Sandeep, the wedding was a simple affair, with Sandeep dressed in formal trousers and shirt, while Vrushali wearing a green floral kurta and a patiala. Anita wore her grandma’s navvari saree with light make-up, while Sadanand was in a sherwani and kurta.

The couples had to make a lot of efforts to convince their parents. “It was not that easy but we persisted and they eventually gave in. However, they still try to convince us to hold a reception,” Anita says. The couple, though, did organise a wedding treat for their close friends post-marriage. “It made sense as we could share our joy with every friend, unlike the typical wedding ceremony,” avers Sadanand. While Vrushali’s parents were fine with their way of getting married, Sandeep’s parents were upset. “We settled for a small family get-together some days after the wedding,” he says.