Aaye ho mere zindagi mein tum bahar banke! Bridegroom Abhay Dange sang his wedding vows to Supriyo Chakraborty, the bridegroom - yes also the groom - at Telangana's first gay wedding on Saturday at the Trance Greenfields Resort on Vikarabad highway.
The duo announced their wedding in October and the news buzzed all over social media with thumbs-ups after Tollywood actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu retweeted the news congratulating the couple. #LoveIsLove is the credo they want to spread with this wedding.
Although the Indian law doesn't recognise same-sex marriages, the duo decided to officially solemnise their relationship as man and man with a 'promising ceremony' for acceptance, more than validation. The ceremony was officiated by Sophia David, a friend from Hyderabad, also from the LGBTQ community.
The couple called themselves 'soulmates' at the ceremony attended by over 60 people comprising family, friends and members from the LGBTQ community. The couple wore designer white suits with bow ties in the white themed wedding. "We celebrated it in an informal, yet intimate way without either of our religions or customs coming in the way.'
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Supriyo, 31 and Abhay, 34, believe that their wedding may give hope to many closet couples to come out and normalise LGBTQ relationships. " We hope to live in a world with no closets," they added. "The core value of a relationship is acceptance. We should not try to change the other person. I think a relationship stands on the firm grounds of mutual respect and that is something we would never compromise on," says Supriyo who first officially announced his relationship in The New Indian Express in the Valentine's Day special edition of 2021.
They realised they were 'different' when in school, but came to accept themselves later in life. While Supriyo, a Bengali, is a hospitality professional in Hyderabad, Abhay, a Punjabi, is an IT professional who works for an e-commerce firm.
They met via a dating app called Planet Romeo eight years ago. Ever since they have been dating each other. In early 2021, they decided they were meant for each other.
"Our parents weren’t initially the most supportive. However, they also didn’t disapprove of it either. They decided to give us and themselves a good amount of time to introspect and come to a better conclusion. Now, we have their acceptance," said Supriyo.
They have a pooch called Kaju who they believe completes their family.