When Sangeetha Tandalam and Brayden Jensen matched on Hinge, she was surprised to find he went to the same medical school.
Sangeetha was in her second year and Brayden his third at Creighton University School of Medicine, and people in his class had great things to say about him.
“We started texting, and for our first date, we went to see a horror movie — a genre we both love,” Sangeetha said. “We instantly clicked.”
After they dated for a year and a half, Brayden teamed up with Sangeetha’s friends to plan a surprise proposal.
One Friday evening, her friends persuaded her to dress up for what she thought was a fun girls night out.
“As we walked through Heartland of America Park, I was surprised to find Brayden waiting for me in front of the fountain, surrounded by tealight candles and rose petals,” she said. “He got down on one knee and proposed with a ring that had the diamond stone from his late mom’s wedding ring.”
Celebrating their cultures
Since Brayden is white and Sangeetha is Indian, they wanted to celebrate both of their identities on their wedding day.
For the rehearsal dinner, her family wore traditional Indian attire, while Brayden’s family wore black-tie attire. However, for the wedding ceremony in a church, both sides of the family wore formal Western attire.
The post-wedding reception embraced Indian traditions. Both families dressed in Indian attire, symbolizing the acceptance of each other’s cultures.
A henna station was a big hit. “Everyone loved it and happily waited in line to get their turn.”
They also wanted to honor the parents they’d lost in recent years. Brayden’s mom and Sangeetha’s dad both passed away while they were in medical school.
“Though we never had the chance to meet each other’s late parents, we reserved seats for them at the ceremony with special signs in their memory. It was an emotional day. My mom walked me down the aisle, and Brayden’s dad officiated the ceremony,” she said.
Perfect moments
At the reception, they created a special table with framed photos of their late parents. Instead of the traditional father-daughter and mother-son dances, Sangeetha danced with Brayden’s dad, and Brayden danced with her mom.
“The dance was super fun and was filled with lots of laughter,” she said.
It was also one of the sweetest moments of the day, especially watching her mom dance with Brayden.
“It was pure joy seeing her break out dance moves I’d never seen before and twirl him around the dance floor the entire time,” she said. “I was also deeply touched to see everyone in Brayden’s family wear Indian attire for the reception. It was a beautiful and meaningful gesture that made the evening feel absolutely perfect.”
You forgot what?
Because the wedding ceremony was at 11 a.m., Sangeetha and her bridesmaids had to arrive at the church’s bridal suite by 6 a.m. for hair and makeup.
Some of them had stayed over at her apartment the night before, which made the morning hectic as everyone tried to get out the door on time.
“After finally making it to the church and getting started with hair and makeup, I suddenly realized I had completely forgotten my wedding gown,” she said. “We all had a good laugh, and my roommate (also a bridesmaid) quickly drove me back to the apartment to retrieve it. I was thankful I remembered when I did and not at 10 a.m. That would’ve been a disaster.”
Unfortunately, they didn’t make it in time to pick up their wedding cake.
Family photos after the ceremony ran longer than expected, and they arrived at the bakery 10 minutes after it had closed. Despite multiple attempts to contact the bakery, they weren’t able to get in touch with them.
“Thankfully, not having a wedding cake didn’t take away from the celebration — our reception was still perfect. We had already planned to serve gulab jamun, an Indian dessert, to all our guests at the reception. Plus, the floats station provided by the Durham Museum was a hit and more than satisfied everyone’s sweet tooth.”
Treasured gift
Brayden’s mother died from breast cancer in 2021. One of their close family friends held on to several of her shirts and took the time to make a beautiful, quilted blanket out of them.
“Not only is it priceless due to its emotional value, it’s also comfortable. We had so many incredible gifts, but this one took the cake,” Sangeetha said.
Sangeetha’s family purchased a gold chain, a traditional Indian practice, and gave it to Brayden on the wedding day. Brayden’s family took bridal portraits of Sangeetha in the week leading up to the wedding.
Sangeetha also added her own created touch to the day.
“I DIYed a stained-glass wedding welcome board with my medical school roommate, who was also one of my bridesmaids,” she said. “It was such a fun project for us to work on — one final creative project that marked the end of four wonderful years of living and doing fun stuff together.”
Impossible dream
Sangeetha recalls venting to one of her closest friends, wondering if the type of man she wanted even existed.
“I was so shocked when I found Brayden, and I still am — he is my unicorn,” she said. “He is everything beyond what I ever wanted. He loves me and my family very much. He was my rock when I lost my dad. I am often amazed by his intelligence, and he also makes me laugh with his goofiness. Life has just been so fun with him.”
Even though Brayden said he’s been surprised by how many clothes-filled suitcases his wife brought along on their move to Kansas City for their residences — he says she’s been storing them inside each other like nesting dolls — she is his inspiration in every way.
“She has displayed an enormous amount of resilience throughout her entire life and continues to do so every day,” he said. “She loves her family and always strives to do right by them. She cares about people of all walks of life and wants to truly make a difference in peoples’ lives. I hope and pray that our kids get mostly her genetics.”
marjie.ducey@owh.com, 402-444-1034, twitter.com/mduceyowh
Stay up-to-date on what’s happening
Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly!
* I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Marjie Ducey
Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily!
Your notification has been saved.
There was a problem saving your notification.
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Followed notifications
Please log in to use this feature
Log In
Don’t have an account? Sign Up Today