Weddings are often imagined as this slow-motion montage of perfection — flower petals floating, violins playing, everyone crying at the right time.
Daniel and Ira's wedding was nothing like that.
It was real. Messy. Chaotic. And absolutely unforgettable.
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The Preparation
It all began a week before the wedding, when Daniel realized the suit he had ordered didn't fit. The shopkeeper stared at his reflection and muttered, "Sir, you seem to have… developed shoulders."
Daniel groaned. "That's what gym does to people?"
Meanwhile, Ira was wrestling with an entirely different enemy — her lehenga. Or rather, the matching blouse that, despite multiple fittings, still refused to sit properly on her shoulders.
"I'm going to look like a flying squirrel in this thing," she hissed to her mother.
"You'll look beautiful," her mom reassured her while attacking her hair with jasmine pins.
They were both going slightly mad. And yet, there was a strange kind of happiness woven into the chaos — the kind that comes when two people know something life-changing is coming, and they're both racing toward it, heart-first.
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The Wedding Day
The day of the wedding arrived like a scene out of a dream — the sky painted soft orange, the smell of marigold and sandalwood thick in the air.
The venue wasn't extravagant, but it was perfect. A simple hall at the edge of town, with fairy lights draped across the ceiling and flowers strung around every corner.
Daniel stood near the altar, dressed in a cream-colored sherwani, hands slightly trembling, not because he was unsure — but because he'd never wanted something this much in his life.
Then she walked in.
Ira, dressed in deep red, her hair braided with flowers, eyes searching for him in the crowd — and when they met his, the world felt still. For just a second, it was like nothing else existed.
Then came the rituals, the laughter, the occasional misplaced line of Sanskrit by the priest, which made both of them snort while trying to stay solemn.
At one point, while exchanging garlands, Daniel whispered, "This is definitely heavier than I expected."
Ira whispered back, "Get used to it. Marriage comes with weight."
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The Vows
They didn't write traditional vows. But when it came time to speak, Daniel looked into Ira's eyes and said:
"I thought love was something you only get right once. That after it breaks, it's gone. But then you came. And you didn't fix me — you made me remember who I was before I broke. And more than that… you made me better."
Ira blinked back tears. Then smiled and replied:
"You were always kind, Daniel. But you didn't just carry your pain — you carried others through theirs too. You're not my second chance. You're my first right one."
There wasn't a dry eye in the room. Even the priest looked a bit glassy-eyed.
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After the Wedding
They were surrounded by friends, relatives, kids running around with sweets, old aunties loudly speculating when they'd have children (to which Ira said, "Let us eat dinner first?").
At one point, while sitting quietly on the steps outside the venue, Ira rested her head on Daniel's shoulder.
"It was a little chaotic," she said softly.
"A little?" Daniel chuckled.
"But perfect," she added.
He nodded, then turned to her. "You ready for forever?"
She looked up at him, eyes twinkling under the starlight. "With you? Always."
And as the music played inside and laughter echoed through the night, Daniel realized — this wasn't just a happy ending.
It was a beautiful beginning