The Engagement & Mylanchi

I woke up on the morning of the engagement with a sick feeling in my stomach. The day I had been so eagerly waiting for had finally arrived. I knew it was going to be a long day—one that would test every ounce of hard work and dedication from me, my friends, and my family.

The sky seemed clear—phew! I’d been paranoid it would start tipping it down, but we still had 7–8 hours left until everything kicked off. June and July are monsoon months in Kerala, so I had expected some rain, but it looked like we were in for a bright, sunny day.

After freshening up, Achachan, Ani, and I went to the venue—Kaduthuruthy Parish Hall—to check the progress of the décor. There were plenty of workers on site, and Sheren Paul was in charge of event management and décor. We knew he’d do a great job—months ago, the manager from Dreams Events and Décor had come to our house to discuss the vision, and I had trusted them to bring it to life.

After spending about 30–45 minutes there, we headed to church for some silent prayer. Prayer has always been an integral part of my life, and I wanted to start this special day in the presence of God at the beautiful Valiyapally. Afterwards, we made a few quick stops in town before heading home.

Back at home, mum had made my favourite Kerala breakfast—but the nerves really kicked in, and for once, I couldn’t eat a thing! Around lunchtime, the incredibly talented Laxmi Saneesh arrived to get us glammed up. I’d come across Laxmi Chechi’s page over a year ago and knew then that I wanted her to do my makeup and hair. She was lovely to work with and helped bring my dream look to life!

The look itself was curated by Amritha, a celebrity stylist based in Kochi. I had told her I wanted something clean, classy, and timeless—Mullapoo in the hair, a small bindi, and antique gold jewellery. Back in February, when I came to India for wedding prep, Amritha, Ricky, and I went to Koskii in Ernakulam to buy my lehenga. The blouse was later customized to perfection at K.A. Wedding House, and honestly, my engagement look turned out to be one of my absolute favourites of the wedding season!

The engagement service at church

I made sure that mum and Ani’s outfits also complemented mine. Laxmi Chechi’s team handled their hair and makeup beautifully. Mum’s saree was from Iha Designs, which my sister-in-law had recommended, and their collection—and customer service—was top-notch. Ani’s lehenga was customized by Amritha as well, again through K.A. Wedding House.

About two hours into the makeup session, it started raining—and my heart dropped. All I could think about was the décor, the Nazic doll we’d planned for outside the venue, the guests… the “what ifs” flooded my brain. What if it ruined the photos? What if things didn’t go as planned?

But this is where my CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) knowledge kicked in. I practiced grounding techniques and some relaxation strategies that helped take the edge off. Thankfully, the rain gradually stopped, and Laxmi Chechi did an amazing job at distracting me with light conversation and a calm presence.

Around 4:00 pm, the photography team—Tuesday Lights—arrived. From the very first moment, I knew Ricky and I had made the right choice. Akhil and Anoop, the photographer and videographer, were amazing. They calmed my nerves and reassured me that we had enough time for photos and to get back home for prayer and ‘sthuthi’. The photos turned out absolutely stunning, and even amidst the stress and unpredictability, they held it down. I had even sent Anoop a few reference photos in advance, which helped streamline the whole process.

After the shoot, we headed home and had time to do all the traditional prayers and blessings. Just as Achachan was giving me the final blessing, I started crying. I had tried so hard to hold it in, but I couldn’t anymore. It was happy tears—but overwhelming nonetheless. In that moment, I knew this day would be unforgettable. All the hard work, sleepless nights, meticulous planning (and spreadsheets—ikr, such a nerddd) would be worth it.

Once we reached the church, we had a 45-minute service. It was so heartwarming to see our friends and families come together to celebrate our love. After the service, we arrived at the parish hall—and seeing the décor fully set up brought tears to my eyes. It looked absolutely stunning. My friends who watched the livestream later told me I looked calm and relaxed throughout—but the irony is, my mind was racing the whole time, praying that everything would go smoothly.

The event kicked off with our amazing anchor, Mariya Mathew, introducing both families. Honestly, finding the right anchor was one of the hardest parts of the whole planning process. As a perfectionist, I knew I needed someone who got the vibe I was going for. Mariya nailed it. Her delivery, presence, and energy were just right—exactly what I’d hoped for. Mariya, if you're reading this—thank you. You made the day so much better with your presence and professionalism!

Following the introductions, we had the candle-lighting ceremony and cake cutting. It was such a blessing to have my grandparents—my mum’s parents—on stage with us. My Appachan was being extra careful not to step on my lehenga skirt, and I kept reassuring him that it was fine! If only I could go back and relive those moments again.

After the formal photos, it was time for food and dancing! Ani and my cousins were the first ones on the dance floor, and it was so fun watching them let loose and have the time of their lives. Ricky and I joined in later, and it was a vibe. We also had the incredibly talented Chatteyum Mundum perform a few dances. Their energy was electric and added so much colour and vibrancy to the event! They even performed the traditional Knanaya Margamkali—a beautiful circle dance symbolizing unity, celebration, and spiritual light.

We had three final Knanaya rituals before beginning the Mylanchi & Ichapaadu. The Knanaya Mylanchi Ideel is one of the most symbolic and cherished pre-wedding ceremonies in our tradition. Rooted deeply in our heritage, it marks the bride’s transition into married life and is meant to ward off the evil eye while blessing her with purity and prosperity. For me, it was an emotional, almost spiritual experience. I felt deeply connected to my roots, to generations before me. It wasn’t just a ritual—it was identity, love, and tradition rolled into one.

I had carefully planned the Mylanchi entry with the help of the Brahma Dance Group, and they smashed it. Our cousins and friends joined in, and the vibe was pure Kna energy! I wore a traditional set saree with a dark green brocade blouse (from Milan Design Kochi, with beautiful handwork customized at K.A. Wedding House). For jewellery, we opted for rental pieces from Golden Cup Rental Jewellery, Ernakulam—one of the best decisions we made! The pieces were classy, elegant, and budget-friendly.

Mylanchi Entry

We then had the much-awaited Ichapaadu! We had planned a dance entry involving the Chatteyum Mundum team, cousins and family. I loved it but was annoyed with myself for forgetting the choreo halfway through - it must have been the nerves but it'll bug me forever 😭 but oh well, like I mentioned in the previous blog (Trusting the Process: How I survived wedding planning), there is beauty in imperfection. My outfit was a Pink Banarasi lehenga customized at Label Pallavi. To be honest, the pink was my least favourite out of the three. The fit was really poor, and I had to go into the store twice to make changes, despite communicating clearly about measurements in the very first meeting! It was frustrating and I was slightly disappointed. Upon reflection, I feel like I should let go of it because I did receive many compliments for that particular lehenga AND it was my favorite colour!

Following the Ichapaadu, we slowly wrapped up the night. The whole day had been such a whirlwind of emotions—excitement, anxiety, gratitude, love—and now, it was all settling in. As guests began leaving, many of them came up to me with hugs, words of love, and compliments about how unique and heartfelt the event was. It truly meant the world to me, especially knowing how much time, effort, and intention we had poured into every detail. By the time we got home, it was well past midnight, but my heart had never felt fuller. I changed out of my lehenga, removed the heavy jewellery, and sat on the bed for a second, just taking it all in. Ani came into the room and hugged me tight, she was beaming from ear to ear. We both teared up—happy tears, proud tears, emotional-overload tears. She whispered, “You did it.” And in that moment, I truly felt it: I did. The day was everything I had envisioned and more.

Although I wanted to hit bed, Ani and I decided to sneak downstairs, grab a few snacks and rewatch the live stream of the event! Whilst everyone was fast asleep, Ani and I sat in our PJs binge-watching the whole thing like it was our favourite drama, and wishing that we could go back and do it all again. I knew the Engagement was the start of many beautiful events, and I was so so right.