Aarati & Arun: A Hindu Wedding in Pittsburgh, PA

Aarati and Arun's romantic international courtship led to Hindu vows at a festive celebration near Pittsburgh. Bold color, traditional attire, and fantastic food created a culturally diverse wedding that won't soon be forgotten. The Bride Aarati Yelamanchili The Groom Arun Manoharan The Date September 4 Talk about a bona fide international relationship: Shortly after Arun moved from Chicago to London, his sister, Manju, told him about Aarati, a 32-year-old doctor. This was the first time my sister had mentioned a woman she thought was special enough for me, says the 34-year-old hedge fund portfolio manager. So I thought ... I should actually give this person a call. After several months of long-distance phone bills, Arun and Aarati had their first face-to-face encounter, at Heathrow Airport outside of London. I was pretty nervous because after seeing Aarati's picture, I knew what to expect and I wasn't sure I was up to grade, Arun says. Arun's nervousness quickly disappeared, and the two started dating -- even though they lived nearly 4,000 miles apart. To add spice to the relationship, the pair met up in such romantic locations as Egypt, Greece, Paris, the Caribbean, and Spain. Throughout their travels, Aarati kept a scrapbook, to which Arun added some words of his own one day. I described what our life has been, what it could be, and what she meant to me, Arun says. Of course, the last page contained the classic line, 'Will you marry me?'