Connect How did your love story begin?

Met online through a mutual friend, lost touch, then I accidentally re-added him thinking he was someone else. Turns out my mistake had excellent taste. We fell in love, broke up because we thought our different cultures and religions made us impossible, then realized we were creating problems that hadn’t happened yet. Our families met, the drama fizzled, and we got our happy ending.

What is your favorite memory you've shared as a couple?

Our five-day big fat Indian wedding. We celebrated with a traditional Sikh Punjabi ceremony, followed by an Hindu ceremony, and a final reception with over 1,000 guests. Watching loved ones travel from across the globe to celebrate not just our marriage, but the joining of our families, was unforgettable. We’re still told it’s the most fun wedding they’ve ever attended. There was endless food, drinks, and dancing until 3 am. In fact, everyone was having so much fun they forgot to eat cake!

What would you do with $20,000?

We’re now beginning to plan a family of our own. The past decade of marriage has held everything - illness, depression, job loss (sometimes one of us, sometimes both), the pandemic, nearly losing loved ones, then the passing of both Raj’s paternal grandparents. It hasn’t all been heavy; we also bought our first home, which brought both joy and its own stress. Life felt like one thing after another, and we never had the space to prioritize children. We’re ready for that chapter now.