This couple’s Nepali-Parsi wedding started with a proposal prank gone right

Straight out of a romantic comedy, Sujala Newar and Rashid Currawalla met at a New Year’s Eve party they were never meant to attend. “I guess the universe had a different plan,” reveals Newar, who runs The Local Vintage across Shillong and Mumbai. The meet-cute blossomed into a decade-long relationship between her and Rashid, who manages his family’s shipping
and logistics business.

When it came to the proposal, Newar had a hunch that Rashid would do it during her birthday trip to Thailand last year. “But knowing how meticulous he is about safeguarding our valuables while travelling, I wasn’t sure if there would be a ring,” Newar shares. A proposal without a ring might seem unconventional—until you realise it was a prank.

“Just before my birthday dinner, he gave a sweet speech and knelt down—without a ring. He had me wear my own ring, promising to get me an actual one once we returned home.

I was annoyed, especially when he insisted that I put my ring back in the safe before heading out. When I opened the safe, the real engagement ring was inside. I was surprised and he was chuffed,” she says.

Following the passing of Newar’s grandmother in February, the couple had a civil ceremony in May with their loved ones. What began as a modest celebration gradually transformed into something more meaningful. Newar explains: “We figured if we were going to do it, we should do it in a way that honours both our cultures.” This led to a Nepali wedding in Shillong and a traditional Parsi ceremony in Mumbai.

But their venue underwent a dramatic transformation just weeks before the Shillong wedding. “When I visited with my decorator for a walk-through, I was shocked to see that the trees
on one side of the property had been chopped to make way for a road,” she recalls. So, they brought their “enchanted forest” vision to life at a new outpost, The Oak, with abundant greenery and white florals creating a mystical atmosphere under the winter morning sun.

Their Nepali ceremony condensed elaborate customs into a meaningful 45-minute ritual. When Rashid and his wedding party arrived, they received a traditional Newari shagun platter that included boiled egg, samay baji, sel roti and whisky. “Though we’re Hindu, the Newar customs differ quite a bit,” Newar explains. The couple exchanged garlands of dubo (Bermuda grass), symbolising prosperity. The priest then conducted a brief puja and kanyadaan, followed by the sindoor and potay ceremony. “Potay is the Nepali version of the mangalsutra.”