Where did #SnehalMehtaNehal?


{HIS STORY :: IN THE WORDS OF SNEHAL}

It all started in the summer of 2017 when Pinali (Nehal’s sister) asked me if I was interested in meeting someone at her upcoming wedding in Mexico. My friend, Vibhuti, had also mentioned something about this girl. Trusting these two awesome people and trusting the process, I agreed to meet this mysterious girl. In full Spirit (airlines) I arrived in Mexico looking paler than ever. I soon learned that this person was none other than Pinali’s sister, Pinku. After multiple fumbled (all-inclusive) attempts of introducing me, my friend Karan(Rick) finally managed to introduce me to Pinku. The first thing that I noticed was her beautiful radiant smile. She looked absolutely stunning in a purple and orange Indian outfit. I soon learned that her real name was “Nehal” to which I thought “oh my god, so many jokes”. I immediately realized that I had to keep my mouth shut! She must not know about my dad jokes if I wanted to have a real chance. We only spoke for a few minute, but in this very brief interaction, I knew that there was something special about this girl. Soon our friends and family got wind of us being set up and what followed was random echoes and chants of #Snehal and #Spinku heard around the resort. Let’s not forget the [Saved By the Bell ] “Woooos” every time I attempted to talk to Pinku. I quickly realized that this wasn’t the right place or time for me to get to know Pinku, so I decided to take a step back. As I left Mexico, just as pale, I couldn’t stop thinking about Pinku so I decided to ask Pinali for Pinku's number.

Sometimes you have to a take a small step back to take a huge leap forward...

After returning from Mexico, we started texting and talking over the phone. Off the bat, I knew this was different! As I got to know Pinku better, I realized that this girl was far more special than anyone that I had met. She was easily the nicest and most thoughtful person that I had met. At the same time, she was also hilarious and fun. We decided to finally meet for a first date in Manhattan at Penn Station, as we would for many more dates in the future. As I walked downstairs to meet her near the LIRR, I got this pit in my stomach and I started becoming increasingly nervous. Those nerves immediately went away the second I saw her pretty, smiling face. We had a great first date. It was so easy to talk to her. I fought myself to unleash some of my jokes but alas I knew I had to be strong! We lost track of time as we made our way back to Penn Station. It was late and the last NJ transit train was about to leave in 10 minutes, but she had 15 more minutes until her train was arriving. I found myself not wanting to leave, so I decided to just continue talking to her while we waited for her train. I waited for her to get on the train and ran back towards the NJ transit, but the last train had left. I did not care at ALL. With a goofy smile on face, I got into an Uber and headed back toward home in PA. After she got service again, Nehal gave me a call. She had no idea that I had missed the last train. I decided not to tell her because she would have felt terribly bad (that’s just how she is). We picked up where we left off and continued talking. I momentarily lost service in the Lincoln Tunnel and then as the signal came back I heard her voice again. Right there and then at 2AM on September 9, 2017... outside of the Lincoln tunnel in my Uber, I realized that this girl was THE ONE! It didn’t make sense to me then and it was beyond any rational logic or reason, but I just knew that I had to go with my gut on this. As I write this today, I know that that was best decision of my life...

P.S. Of course, Nehal decided to "friend zone" me immediately, but eventually, I made it out! On our third date, I told her that “I felt like she was already a part of me” (Nehal is part of Snehal, get it?!). She didn’t run for the door upon hearing this and that’s when I REALLY knew that she was the ONE!


{HER STORY :: IN THE WORDS OF NEHAL}

When we were prepping for my sister Pinali’s wedding, her then-fiance / now-husband Jesse texted me and said "I know a guy who would be perfect for you". I casually texted back "no thanks, Jesse, I don’t want to date anyone right now". You see Snehal and Jesse have known one another for years and were good friends.

Fast forward to a few weeks later in Cancun where we were celebrating Pinali and Jesse’s wedding. People kept telling me, “OMG Pinks, Snehal is here!” I tried not to pay any attention to them! Finally at the reception, while everyone was dancing, Jesse’s friends Karan(Rick) introduced us to one another. He casually said, “I want you to meet my friend Snehal". I replied with a simple "hello". Next thing you know, Snehal asks me if I wanted a grab a drink at the reception bar and I obliged. We grabbed a drink, exchanged a few words and then I politely made my exit with a “well, I’m gonna go back and hangout with my family". The next day we saw each other at the post-wedding pool party and exchanged a few words - nothing special - just "hey, are you having fun?" type casual conversation. I saw Snehal again the next day in the resort lobby as he was departing. I told him to have a great trip home and that was the end of that.

Once I was back in New York, Pinali told me that Snehal asked my number. Two days later, Snehal texted me, and we started texting back and forth for a few days. The first time we spoke on the phone, our conversation went late into the night. And from there we continued to talk and text for the next few weeks.

We finally decided to meet in Manhattan on a Friday evening. Normally, I would have be super nervous, but that day I wasn’t. I though to myself— this guy seems so nice and if anything we can be friends. I still didn’t think anything of our so called “date”. I had no expectations from that first “friends” hangout (as I liked to call it). We met at Penn Station and went to dinner at a super yummy Thai place (I highly recommend Thai Villa) and a bar for some drinks. I expected an early evening with a quick dinner but we ended up staying out pretty late. I don’t know where the time went! It didn’t feel like a first date at all, it felt like I have known Snehal forever and we were just two homies hanging out. Even that night, I thought— wow this is so cool. We ended our first date and continued talking to each other until both of us reached home. I remember thinking to myself— wow, he is so nice, probably one of the nicest people I have ever met! I recall telling my sisters how awesome Snehal was and how I couldn’t believe I had such an amazing time on our first date and how I couldn’t wait to hang out with Snehal again! It wasn’t until our second date that I thought — man, there is something so special about this guy! I remember feeling butterflies— a feeling that I couldn’t remember the last time I felt. I knew at the end of our second date as we walked out of Pennsy Bar— this is it, this is how it’s suppose to be! And here we are today, planing our wedding. I’m so excited to marry the best person I know!

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That is how #SnehalMehtaNehal

We're thrilled to be getting married in July and couldn't be more excited about what the future holds for us! We hope you'll be able to join us for our special day!

Help add to our story... capture memories at any point during the festivities and post them to social media using the hashtag: #SnehalMehtaNehal