Nidhi Patel and Rohan Somasundaram’s love story gives us hope that the right person makes everything right. Their love story is nothing short of fairytale bliss, where they met through a friend and fell in love. After years of dating, the two lovebirds tied the knot in 2022.
This love story needs to be heard as it will make you fall in love with the idea of love itself. Read on as Nidhi Patel and Rohan Somasundaram exclusively talk to iDiva about their journey, challenges, and everything in between.
How it all started
Instagram/kunalrawalofficial
When asked about how they first met, Nidhi tells us, “Back during my junior year of college, I landed an internship at LexisNexis. It was the summer, and I was working with Karthik, who happened to be one of Rohan’s childhood pals. One evening, out of the blue, Karthik hit me up with a text, inviting me to chill at our local Applebee’s. Without thinking twice, I replied with an ‘I’m down,’ but, well, I didn’t quite get down there as quickly as I promised – I was just too cosy in bed! When I finally showed up, a couple of hours late, they were still there. That’s when I first met Rohan, in 2016. After that initial meet-up, we started hanging out with our friends, doing all sorts of stuff together—amusement parks, shopping mall trips, restaurants and bars in NYC and, even playing some tennis matches.”
Who ever thought a random meet would make Nidhi and Rohan best friends? Well, talking about how quickly ‘Dosti Pyaar mein badal gayi’, Nidhi said, “Rohan did try to ask me out once, but I was not in the right mindset to commit to a relationship at that time. Still, we kept texting and talking every single day. Then one night, while he was out with some friends, one of them decided to play matchmaker. They told Rohan, ‘Call her right now and ask her out!’ And guess what? That’s exactly what he did, and I said yes!”
Well, that ‘YES’ was indeed the start of something beautiful. We asked Nidhi how things turned out post their first official date and she said, “For our first official date, I picked him up from his place, and we headed to California Pizza Kitchen. Life was busy for both of us, with work taking us away from Monday to Thursday. So, our weekends were the only time we could see each other if we were lucky. But then, COVID happened, and the work-from-home life turned out to be a blessing for us. During that time, our families met, and we got super close to each other’s folks. We even started going on vacations together and our consulting jobs gave us the chance to travel and work from different cities.”
Well, talking about their love story, Nidhi beautifully said, “To have a relationship like we do, makes us excited for the next phases of life and growing old doesn’t seem so scary – rather, more fun to see what memories we will make over time”.
A dreamy love affair
Credits- Instagram/nidhi.k.patel
Both Nidhi and Rohan come from different religious beliefs. While Nidhi is a typical Gujarati girl, Rohan comes from a Tamil-Brahmin family. Talking about what changes have each other’s backgrounds and beliefs brought to their lives, the couple said, “India’s diversity is fascinating because despite being from the same country, the multitude of cultures can make it feel like India is several countries rolled into one. The dynamic mix allowed us to experience and appreciate both sets of holidays and their respective traditions. What’s even more intriguing is discovering the unexpected similarities in our cultures that might not be widely known. It often feels like northern and southern India are distinct entities, especially in the way people talk about them. But in reality, there’s a lot of common ground. The best part of exchanging cultural experiences has to be the food. While many restaurants serve typical Punjabi cuisine, as vegetarians, we always enjoy indulging in our favourite, paneer tikka masala. However, meeting Ro has opened up a whole new world of home-cooked South Indian dishes for me to savour. One dish in particular, Bisi Bele Bath, has become a personal favourite. In turn, Ro has had the pleasure of sampling Gujarati cuisine, thanks to my mom’s culinary skills and her eagerness to whip up delicious meals for us.”
It makes our hearts full knowing how two people who are in love make each other a better person each day. When we asked Nidhi and Rohan about what’s the most liberating thing about finding each other, the couple replied, “Discovering each other has been incredibly liberating. You know how you always discuss with friends or family, saying, ‘One day when I get married’ or
‘One day when I have kids’, well, finding that special someone changes the game. It shifts from ‘one day’ to ‘when should we?’ It’s like those daydreams and fantasies suddenly morph into reality. And the best part? It’s happening with your best friend by your side.”
Opposite attracts
Instagram/nidhi.k.patel
You might wonder why we call them opposite attracts and well, that’s cause they are pretty opposite, much like one’s day and the other is night. “Rohan is calm, collected, and organised, and he loves routines and quiet moments. On the other hand, I thrive on spontaneity and chaos, and I tend to get a bit fiery in intense situations. I like to think that I add excitement and spontaneity to his life, while he keeps me grounded and logical. He is quite literally my best friend and with my personality, he never feels bored. But, our core values match perfectly when it comes to family, careers, priorities, and how we show love and care. Despite our personalities being so different, it feels like we run on the same wavelength.”
Being together for so many years, the one thing that remains constant is love. We asked them how the idea of love has evolved over the years. The couple said, “For both of us, there was always a strong initial spark of attraction. Both of us were always in the mindset of looking for a long-term relationship rather than a ‘fling’. Our idea of love in a relationship has been to keep those initial sparks of attraction and add a deeper bond built on mutual respect, understanding, and commitment as time passes.”
The love remains unchanged
Instagram/nidhi.k.patel
Being together for so many years comes with lots of challenges and hurdles. Speaking about what challenges they faced over the years as a couple, Nidhi said, “The biggest hurdle we faced was getting real about commitment. At the start, it was all about having a blast and making memories. But as time flew, things got serious, and we had to tackle the big questions: When to meet each other’s folks? Do we move in together? What’s next? The major commitment challenge was moving past each other’s insecurities and realising that they didn’t matter when we were together. When you realize someone makes all your insecurities vanish, it builds a different type of confidence for yourself, and trust for that person, and adds to the love that you already feel. After the mental shift of committing to each other and having these ‘in the future’ conversations, we decided it was ready to move things forward with families etc.”
Sweet, isn’t it?
Exchanging vows at a midnight swim
Credits- Instagram/nidhi.k.patel
Revealing about their dreamy wedding, the couple spoke about how they took their vows at a midnight swim in Napa Valley before their vineyard wedding. When we asked them about who came up with that plan, Nidhi said, “Our photographer, Mili, mentioned the idea of a midnight swim in passing. With all the wedding activities happening, we hadn’t given it much thought. However, at the end of the day, after the Tamil ceremony and sangeet, I brought it up to Ro. What appealed to me was the opportunity for an undisturbed moment amidst the chaos, where it would be just the two of us, sharing a calm conversation. It offered a departure from the typical exchange of vows, feeling more like a natural conversation. Despite the late hour and the icy cold water, we decided to give it a try. Initially hesitant, I dipped my feet in, but Ro’s attitude was more like, ‘Since we’re already awake, why not?’ His wholehearted plunge into the water encouraged me to join him. What started as just dipping our toes turned into a bracing nighttime swim, ultimately leaving us refreshed for the Gujarati ceremony and reception the following day.”
At last, they also told us about their viral wedding video and added, “The aim was never to go ‘viral’. Neither of us are influencers, nor do we have careers in social media. Our priority was ensuring that our families and friends had a fantastic time and that we created one of the most memorable moments of our lives. I hope that our wedding video and celebration inspire others to stay true to themselves as they plan their weddings. In today’s wedding culture, there’s often a focus on how to gain fame from the event, but I believe this shouldn’t be the ultimate goal. For us, authenticity is key to the wedding experience. Rather than striving to be different or seeking virality, I hope more people prioritize authenticity and stay true to themselves throughout the planning process. Looking back on our wedding, what brings me joy is seeing how everything reflected our personalities, rather than trying to be something or someone we’re not.”
We are in awe of this beautiful couple and how beautifully they turned from lovers into friends. Their love story is nothing short of a fairytale with a forever happily ever after.
Social and lead images: Instagram/nidhi.k.patel
