Our Story · Dhruti & Devak

Chapter One

A sweet, and sweaty, beginning

Our story began in the most romantic of ways — at an LA Fitness, in the summer of 2022. It was nothing extraordinary: an introduction, Dhruti threatening to clobber Devak over the head with a water bottle if he tried anything funny, and then a shared workout featuring Devak's very best attempts to flex his macho-man muscles. Somehow, Devak charmed his way to a second date — which was, naturally, another gym date. Eventually we branched out — coffee shops, playgrounds, amusement parks, movies — but hey, we knew what we liked.

The more time we spent together, the more obvious it became: we are complete opposites.

Dhruti: girly girl, loves to dance. Devak: MMA guy, all boy.

Dhruti: up with the sun, morning music, good vibes. Devak: doesn't exist before noon.

Dhruti: clean and tidy. Devak: sweaty and somehow proud of it.

Dhruti: whatever the most complicated drink on the Starbucks menu is. Devak: black coffee, aggressively.

Dhruti: Ulta, Sephora, Lush. Devak: Home Depot.

Dhruti: detail-oriented. Devak: big picture guy who definitely needs Dhruti for the details.

Shared interests? Painting, the gym, and eating yummy food. Short list, but it works.

Turns out, all those differences ended up being the ultimate balance of opposites. Our contrasts didn't divide us; they completed us. We filled in the pieces the other was missing, in ways neither of us had quite anticipated. We fell for each other hard and fast. Within just one month, Devak asked Dhruti to be his girlfriend — and of course, she said yes.

Chapter Two

FaceTime, Far Travels, and Feelings (Unfortunately)

We met thanks to a well-timed summer break — Dhruti was back in Maryland for the summer, but eventually had to return to Rutgers for the school year. Cue: a year of long-distance dating. Not exactly the dream for a brand new couple, but we made it work.

It started with daily (at minimum) FaceTime calls. From there, we'd find days when one of us could make the drive — or hop on a train — to see the other. The trips were long and exhausting, but always worth it. We spent our time exploring Rutgers' campus, wandering around New York, cooking together, and making our regular pilgrimage to our favorite spot, Mamoun's Falafel. The falafel wraps never quite agreed with Devak's stomach, but the man is always willing to suffer for a good meal.

What we thought would be a hard year turned out to be… not hard at all. No fights, no tension, no doubts. If anything, the distance just brought us closer.

Chapter Three

Fee Fi Fo Fum, The Time to Meet the Families has Come

With Dhruti graduating from Rutgers and moving back to Maryland, it was time to take the next big step: meeting each other's families.

Dhruti had the straightforward path. As the second child, Devak's parents had already been through this once with his older sister. Still, Devak figured there'd be challenges. His mom, though quiet and soft-spoken, doesn't miss a thing — she watches everything from the sidelines like a hawk. And his older sister? A headstrong woman with enough personality to fill a stadium. Devak figured this could pose problems. He was, of course, completely wrong. His family adored Dhruti immediately. They saw her as gentle, sweet, and empathetic — the perfect counterbalance to Devak's loud, knucklehead energy. She brought him a calm no one else ever had, and she fit into the family like she'd always been there.

Devak, on the other hand, assumed his road would be tougher. He was the first partner to be introduced to the family — the guy bold enough to date their precious daughter — and he was fully prepared to fight for this relationship. He was, of course, also completely wrong. Dhruti's parents welcomed him with open arms, stuffing him from head to toe with ladoo and achaar. It didn't take long for them to fall for Devak too: a giant teddy bear with the world's biggest soft spot for their daughter. They watched, half-amused and half-amazed, as Dhruti's sharp, no-nonsense Type A energy completely melted the second Devak walked in — roughhousing and teasing her in ways nobody else would ever dare.

Chapter Four

Dhruti — Will you Marry Me?

Time passed. Dhruti and Devak spent more time with each other's families, and both families started spending time with each other too. Everything just felt right — so Devak decided it was time to pop the big question.

With some help from Dhruti's sister, Dhruva, Devak managed to track down a gorgeous ring and lock in a date and location: November 1st, at Stone Tower Winery in Leesburg, Virginia.

Phase 1: The Fake-Outs. Dhruti had a feeling a proposal was coming soon, so Dhruva came up with a plan — decoy dates to throw her off the scent. Devak took Dhruti to other wineries, fancy restaurants, anywhere that wasn't the real spot, just to keep her guessing.

Phase 2: The Actual Proposal. The plan was foolproof. A "double date" would kick things off, complete with a golf cart "tour" of the winery that would conveniently end at a stunning private overlook. The tour guide would suddenly remember they'd "forgotten something," leave the couple alone, and that would be Devak's cue. He'd walk Dhruti to the center of the spot, drop to one knee, and the rest would be history.

Simple, right? Wrong. Dhruti, as it turned out, had other plans. The good news: she had zero suspicions about this particular date. The bad news: with no suspicions came no motivation to dress up.

Problem: Dhruti decided it was going to be too cold and that she was wearing sweatpants and a hoodie. Solution: Dhruva swore up and down that she was dressing up, so Dhruti should too.

Problem: Dhruti didn't feel like getting her nails done. Solution: Devak gently reminded her that you should always have your nails done — you never know when a proposal might happen.

Problem: Dhruti wanted to drive up with Devak. Solution: Devak handed off all contact with the event planner and photographer to Dhruva, since he clearly wasn't going to be able to coordinate logistics with his soon-to-be fiancée sitting right next to him.

Problem: Dhruti thought the golf cart tour sounded too expensive. Solution: Devak fabricated an entire fake text conversation to convince her the tickets were already booked.

Somehow, some way, the day finally arrived — and everything was set. Naturally, there were still a few last-minute hurdles. Thanks to a healthy dose of nerves, Devak needed an emergency bathroom stop on the way to the winery, making the two of them late to their own event. Then, once the "tour" delivered them to the private overlook, Dhruti decided it was the perfect spot for an impromptu photoshoot with Dhruva — with Devak, ironically, drafted as the photographer.

Eventually, Devak managed to pull Dhruti away and start walking her toward the proposal spot. And then — everything stopped. The wind settled. The noise faded. The chaos melted away. For one quiet moment, everything felt like a dream.

Devak turned to Dhruti, her face glowing as she took in the view, still completely unaware of what was coming. He started telling her how much he loved her — and that's when it hit her. Her eyes welled up as realization spread across her face. Devak dropped to one knee, pulled the ring from where he'd been hiding it in his pocket, and asked:

"Dhruti, my love, will you marry me?" She nodded yes.

Join Us

November 22, 2026

On November 22nd, Devak and Dhruti's families will be coming together to celebrate the couple's union in marriage. We sincerely hope you'll be able to join us for these happy times.

Come hungry, come happy, and come ready to dance. We can't wait to celebrate with you.