#FirstPerson: I Have Alopecia & Chose To Be A Bald Bride...

The reason why we feature so many weddings isn't always because they are inspirational in terms of outfits, jewellery or decor. Sometimes the inspiration runs way deeper, showing how brides can also be inspirational by showing us how to be comfortable in their own skin. Here is a bride who decided to be her bare self at her wedding despite having Alopecia- real bride Tanya decided to whip off her wig for her wedding day- she chose to be in the moment- and we have to say we haven't seen a happier bride absolutely glowing with joy! High school sweethearts Tanya and Anmol had an intimate beachside Goa wedding, and we love how all the photos just ooze so much happiness! Plus, also check out some of the creative ideas they implemented at their wedding!

Meet Tanya and Anmol

We met in the 6th grade classroom. Even in a small batch size of 30 people, there was a physical divide and we never spoke to each other much (he was a backbencher prankster and I was the teacher's pet). Our story revolves around several countries - after school, he left for his undergrad to London and I was studying in Delhi. In our first year, I went to summer school in London and we connected then. I was going through my first heartbreak and he was a great friend through all of it. 

The place and time worked out in 2016 when Anmol was visiting Delhi - we both were single and expressed lingering feelings for each other. We decided to give it a shot as I was going to London too the same year for my master's. We didn't want to wait until then so Anmol travelled for 30 hours to see me for less than 30 hours (only the weekend) in Thailand on a girls' trip. That's where we made it official. Fast forward to later that year, I moved to London and we NEVER left each other’s side.

He proposed to me the same way my dad proposed to my mom and continued the legacy. Only 3 months into dating, he told my mom he is going to marry me and sought her blessings.

Wedfest

It was a carnival-themed sundowner sangeet with different stalls (tarot card reader, henna artists, late-night maggi etc) and deadly cocktails.

Haldi Holi

To pay tribute to Anmol's favourite festival, the haldi turned into a colorful holi affair.

Mehendi & Treasure Hunt

After my mehendi, we planned a surprise treasure hunt for Anmol who loves a cryptic game. The clues were planned by my brother - from one geek to another. Each clue led up to a family member who said a few lines about their special memory with Anmol and the grand finale was a speech by me followed by a family proposal ("Will you marry us?")

Wedding 

Since most of our friends are mutual, we flipped a coin and divided the teams between Team Anmol and Team Tanya for the jhoota churai (stealing both of ours shoes was on the table). There was no kanyadaan and we had intimate vows - for each of the 7 phera, one of the couple in our immediate family narrated the phera and explained the meaning to us and everyone around, which was followed by a flash mob!

From The Bride:

We had a destination wedding in Goa because we both are water babies. I have alopecia and decided to go as my bare self (at the request of my husband). We both decided on each other's wedding look - I asked for a man bun which took 8 months to prep and he asked me to be myself as he prefers me without a wig (which took me less than 8 seconds to take off).

Vendors: Venue: Azaya Beach Resort, Goa; Photographer: Shutterbug Film Company★ 5 ; Makeup Artist: Makeup by Varsha★ 4.8 ; Decor: Soul Connect By Kabir Events★ 4.9 ; Outfits: Chitty Chui (Sangeet), Juhi Bengani (Reception), Akriti by Shakun★ 5 (Wedding); Jewellery- Apala by Sumit★ 4.5 (sangeet); Choreography: desi_thumkas_choreography; Mehendi Artist: Misba Mehendi Artist★ 5