A Cardiologist and a Urologist walked into a bar... and the rest was history! Well... almost ;) During Kunal's Cardiology fellowship and Shivani's intern Cardiothoracic surgery rotation, we can thank the dating apps for bringing us into each others' lives! Whether it was the magic of the Hinge algorithm or a little divine intervention, who can say? But from our first drinks-turned-dinner date at Meddlesome Moth to pandemic-induced Lord of the Rings and Star Wars marathons, we both knew there was something special between us.

As we fell in love and the topic of marriage came up, Shivani only had one ask of Kunal: that the proposal be a complete surprise. Fast forward three years later, Kunal and his family managed to orchestrate the perfect proposal. Kunal's sister, Jharna, was celebrating her own upcoming nuptials with her "girls only" bridal shower - or so Shivani thought. Kunal even dropped her off at the airport at 7am on Saturday, with a plan to "run errands" around Dallas. When she landed in LA, the rest of the day was spent celebrating Jharna. The following day, Sunday, Kunal's cousins had arranged a family brunch to celebrate their own anniversary at their flat in Long Beach, and Shivani and Jharna were going to come early to "help decorate". When we arrived, we went up to the building's rooftop terrace instead of their apartment, and at last Shivani sensed that something was amiss. As she climbed the final steps to the glass-enclosed terrace, she saw Kunal standing outside on the balcony and it all clicked. Cue the waterworks! With stunning Pacific Ocean views surrounding them, he got down on one knee and popped the question, and she said, "of course!" But the surprises weren't over just yet! Shivani's parents had secretly flown into town, and when we came down to celebrate with the rest of the family, they popped out to surprise her too!

After such an incredible engagement in southern California, we can't wait to bring our families and friends together during our wedding weekend in beautiful South Texas Hill Country. Blending Kunal's Gujarati and Shivani's Marathi-Goan cultural traditions, we're #GoanPatel in May 2024! See y'all in San Antonio and May the Fourth be with you!