Wedding Date on Jul 4, 2020

Rima and Chris’ fourth of July backyard wedding came together in just four weeks, but their story was over three and a half years in the making. Rima and Chris met when they were living in Kansas City, both working at Cerner (an information technology company) together on the same team: “We started talking about some technical problem and he very smoothly asked me out while discussing some tech debt stuff.” Around the time of meeting, Rima originally had plans to move to New York City and didn’t think that a long distance relationship would be the best path (after all, her plans to move were for better dating opportunities!) but they decided to give it a shot, despite her hesitations. After three years of traveling to see one another between Kansas City and New York, Rima decided she was ready to move back. It was just a few months after returning that Chris decided it was time to propose. On a hot day in September of 2019, Chris had planned to pop the question on a walk in Leawood City Park in Leawood, Kansas (which Rima said is very unlike him as usually on a warm day they would be out playing tennis, one of their favorite activities to do together.) While she didn’t originally have an idea of what was going on, she caught on right before it all happened after getting a hint at what Chris was carrying with him: Hallbrook wedding photos. Summer wedding in front of a fountain. Photo courtesy of Melissa and Beth.jpg “A few minutes before he was going to propose, I saw the ring box outline in his pocket! That made me veryyyyy nervous since I wasn't really expecting to be proposed that day!” The two planned their wedding in just four weeks and while they didn’t have the timeframe that some couples have to plan a wedding, they were able to check off all of the boxes on their list that were important to them: “We just wanted it to look somewhat elegant, intimate, and have good food and cake! I think all those boxes were checked.” bride and groom in front of Hallbrook fountain in Leawood, KS. Photo courtesy of Melissa and Beth.jpg They sent invites to their friends and family featuring two people working on computers—representative of where they met and how their relationship started! As far as choosing a location for their nuptials, they wanted something that would be perfect for the small and intimate setting they were going for, making Chris’ parents' backyard deck the perfect fit. Not only that, but Chris’ uncle was able to officiate the wedding, making it personal and meaningful to the two of them: “When we decided to do something very small, but make it somewhat special, I wanted the ceremony to be at his parents' house. Their deck is beautiful, we both love it and it made it very personal...We really had no time to plan, but the goal was an elegant vibe. Chris' mom was able to take that and run with it and it turned out to be very pretty!...You would be surprised what all you can do in less than a month!” On July 4th, 2020, Rima and Chris wed! While they were fortunate to have their closest family and friends attend, much of Rima’s family lives over in India, which made her walk down the aisle even more emotional for her. While they couldn’t be there in person, they were able to livestream the wedding so they could witness them tying the knot: bride and groom holding ipads with zoom wedding live stream india. Photo courtesy of Melissa and Beth. “The combination of the song, seeing everyone there and my parents and sisters that close but not actually there made it very hard to not cry.” Their ceremony was lighthearted and vows loving and playful, with Chris mentioning how Rima’s “willful optimism towards life is infectious...although maybe infectious isn’t the best choice of words given the timing!” After officially being announced husband and wife, the two changed into something more casual to enjoy delicious appetizers courtesy of Brancato’s Catering, and dinner with their guests. One of Rima and Chris’ favorite moments was the cutting of their cake; a clean, single tier with florals from their decor and a custom cake topper that Rima admittedly says she dropped that morning not expecting it to break: zoom wedding live stream. Photo courtesy of Melissa and Beth “That morning I dropped the cake topper from the first floor intentionally, very confident it wouldn't break. It landed downstairs on their wooden floor and was in two pieces. His sister was able to salvage it but that was very embarrassing (for me). The highlight of the day for the two undoubtedly was Rima’s family sending in a video they put together of them tossing a piece of paper to one another that spelled out a message of congratulations, as well as videos of everyone dancing! Rima and Chris were very grateful to still be able to include them as they started this new chapter together virtually, and we are so grateful that we were able to be there to capture all of these special moments that they can look back on for years to come! Congratulations Rima and Chris!