Wedding Party
Poulose Chirayath
Father of the Groom
Alphonsa Chirayath
Mother of the Groom
Juby Vincent
Sister of the Groom
Vincent Culangattil
Brother-in-law of the Groom
Bijo Chacko
Father of the Bride
Mini Bijo
Mother of the Bride
Udith Tanwar
Best Man
From our first bus ride in the U.S. to working as colleagues in the same company, Udit and I have had a lot of great memories together. We continue to build those memories with Friday night chai and dinner. Udit has been a great friend over the years and is probably someone I have shared almost everything with. We may walk our individual paths, but it has been a great ride together!
Sheba Joshy
Maid of Honor
As someone who grew up without siblings, Sheba has always been the closest thing I have to a little sister. I’ve known her for as long as I’ve been in the States and watching her grow into the woman she is today. Over the years, we’ve shared so many conversations about life and have always been there for each other whenever a call or a hug was needed. When I was in college and she was in high school, she helped me feel less alone during a time when I often felt out of the loop with everything around me. She is loving, kindhearted, and one of my biggest supporters. One of my favorite things is hearing her excited “Hiiiiii Divya chechi!” whenever we see each other. Even though we are completely opposite in many ways, she will always be my best little sister, and it means so much to have her standing beside me as my maid of honor.
Aniket Bhojane
Groomsman
Aniket and I go a long way back. We have been friends since 10th grade, and we still continue to be part of each other’s lives through long phone calls on the weekends. My fondest memories are of when we used to walk home after school in the name of fitness, but with two packets of chips in our hands every day.
Netanya Garcia
Bridesmaid
I met Netanya in 2020 at UH Powerlifting, and she was one of the first people who made the gym feel welcoming to me. She has a way of talking to anyone and making them feel like they belong, and in many ways she’s the reason I became more social there. Since then we’ve celebrated so many moments together—from her wedding to her baby shower—and many coffee dates in between. For the longest time I actually knew her simply as “Tuna,” not realizing until her wedding that Netanya was her real name. She’s the kind of friendship that reminds me how special it is when someone stays part of your life through different seasons. No matter the distance, she will always be someone I cherish, and it means so much to have her standing beside me on my wedding day.
Rachit Pradhan
Groomsman
A lot of credit goes to Rachit for my career choices. I consider him a mentor and someone I have looked up to since the time we started studying together during our diploma. Today he is Dr. Rachit Pradhan, and as fate would have it, we are colleagues at work as well. We have had a lot of train rides together and an immense number of great conversations, which have slowly transformed from electronics to gossiping—but it has always been fun!
Thao Nguyen
Bridesmaid
I met Thao around 2021–2022 at a powerlifting practice, and not long after, I ended up taking my referee test at her first meet. Over the past few years, our friendship has grown into something really special, and she has become someone I can always rely on. She is sweet, thoughtful, and has such a way with words. Some of my favorite memories with her are from when we traveled together for Tuna’s wedding, spending time exploring the city, finding the pinkest café, and just enjoying being together. She is always up for a girls’ day or night, and those moments mean so much to me. I admire her loyalty and the way she shows up fully for the people she loves. Even though we are completely opposite in so many ways, we’ve built a friendship where we can talk about anything, no matter how big or small. She is someone who loves with her whole heart, and I’m so grateful to have her standing beside me on my wedding day.
Raghav Maheshwari
Groomsman
Raghav and I studied together during our Master’s. I used to consider myself someone with only a two-dimensional personality, but Raghav is worth admiring for his willingness to try several things and his ability to accept different opinions. Just like the Friday night dinners with Udit, several of us—including Raghav—used to have Saturday night dinners in Boulder after a long stretch of finishing assignments, along with the coffee rendezvous we had on Saturdays.
Gina Gates
Bridesmaid
I met Gina in 2021 at UH Powerlifting, and from the beginning, she was someone I knew I could always count on. She is incredibly lovable and the kind of person I can go to for anything, whether it’s celebrating something good or figuring out how to approach the challenges life puts in front of us. Some of my favorite moments with Gina are our simple catch-up dates, sitting together and talking through whatever is going on in our lives. I admire her resilience, her no-nonsense honesty, and the deep loyalty she has to the people she loves, especially her family. We have been through so many seasons together, both in life and in powerlifting. She has shown up to my local meets when hardly anyone else did, and one moment that still makes me smile is when I was refereeing a meet and ended up being the referee for one of her lifts. Gina is someone who truly shows up for the people she loves, and I’m so grateful she will be standing beside me on my wedding day.
Rajat Devagiri
Groomsman
Rajat is one of my other classmates from Boulder and now also a colleague. It’s amazing how most of my friends have been my classmates at some point in time! Rajat and I work very closely together, helping each other solve problems whenever either of us gets stuck at work. For the longest time, Rajat and I had a Friday night dinner ritual, and through that we explored many restaurants in and around the Bay Area. Nowadays, our discussions about life and work still happen, but they have moved from restaurants to the workplace.
Emily Joel
Bridesmaid
I’ve known Emily for a long time, but our friendship truly grew closer around December 2024. Over the past couple of years she has been someone I can always turn to, especially during stressful moments. She is incredibly sweet and always open to sitting down and talking things through. Some of my favorite memories with Emily are our late-night Korean food runs, finishing the night with boba, and walking around while talking about everything going on in our lives—questions, worries, and advice included. I’ve also had the joy of celebrating special moments with her, from being there for her haldi and bachelorette to meeting her and her husband while I was in India. Emily is someone who brings warmth and calm into every conversation, and I’m so grateful she will be standing beside me on my wedding day.
Jisha, Austin, Stanlyn
Honorary Attendants
Outside of people from work and school, and before life in the U.S. happened, Jisha, Austine, and Stanlyn were the people I spent most of my time with. Jisha and Austine have been married for close to five years and are currently living in Dubai. We became friends through church events, and those are probably some of the best memories I have ever had. Austine and I used to have Indian Chinese food every week from the same shop for a very long time, until we realized our pants didn’t fit us right anymore. Street food was a way of life, and all four of us have definitely abused that privilege. Jisha and I have always been like cats and dogs whenever we meet, and it still continues to this day—now mostly over calls. Stanlyn and I also became friends through school, but that friendship extended into every part of life.