Inside Krish and Shefali’s Journey From Train Ride to Wedding Vows

Some love stories start with fireworks. Others begin quietly, like on a six-hour overnight train to Goa. That’s where Krish first truly connected with Shefali. “We’d technically met before—her sister’s an old school friend—but that night felt like a reverse Jab We Met,” he says. That serendipitous train ride in 2019 led to conversations that never stopped, even as the world shut down. The global lockdown became their unlikely catalyst, deepening the bond that felt instinctive from the start.

Unlike their filmy first meeting, there was no cinematic lightning-bolt moment when Krish knew Shefali was the one; instead, it was a steady accumulation of little things. “She kept ticking every box I had for a partner, and a few I didn’t even know I needed,” he says. Their dynamic was grounded and natural, a quiet complement of energies—her calm to his chaos, his spontaneity to her stillness. Thankfully, their families clicked just as effortlessly. “It was like they’d known each other forever,” he smiles.

So, when it came time to the proposal, Krish wanted something magical, yet deeply personal. With a spreadsheet in tow and a teenage dream to propose under the Northern Lights, he orchestrated a multilayered surprise. First came a faux rooftop proposal in Mumbai.

“Two days before we departed, I tricked her into coming—all decked up—to my sister, Mitali Sheth’s house, saying it was her in-laws’ anniversary celebration. Little did she know, I had written a song with Mitali’s help, and recorded it at a studio, and gathered all our close ones there for a surprise,” he recalls, “When she walked onto the terrace, I played the song, serenaded her, went down on one knee, popped the ring box open...and did everything but propose. The box had a chit that said, ‘You really thought I would do it this way? Pack your bags, we leave in 2 days!’. This way, I caught her off-guard, got her sobbing, and got to share our special moment with all our loved ones—all whilst keeping her guessing about where we’re going.”

In Iceland, under a sky ablaze with Aurora Borealis, with National Geographic-featured photographers capturing the moment, he finally dropped to one knee. “It had to feel like us,” he says, adding, “Cinematic but real.”

That set the tone for their wedding. It was joyful, grounded, and gorgeously off template, unfolding across two cities.

Krish explains, “Shefali was sure from the beginning that she wanted to honour her traditions, and my family and I loved that conviction—it gave us the anchor we needed to build everything around. We knew we wanted a wedding that felt intimate but immersive, rooted in nature yet full of culture, joy, and madness. A balance between serenity and full-blown revelry.”

The rituals were held in Rishikesh, intimately designed for soulfulness and stillness. The reception and sundowner in Mumbai brought the guest list and an air of exuberance. “If it didn’t feel like us, it didn’t cut.”

Their venue, Anand Kashi by the Ganges, wasn’t even on the original list. Boutique in size, untested as a wedding destination, and riddled with logistical challenges, it was a risk. But one visit was enough for the bride and the groom. “There was a stillness in the air, a grounding energy,” says Krish. With the support of The Indian Hotels Company Limited’s (IHCL) leadership and the unwavering hospitality of the property’s GM, Anand Kashi transformed it into a first-of-its-kind wedding venue. It was bespoke, breathtaking, and deeply personal.

The aesthetic for each event reflected the different facets of their story. “We weren’t going to copy-paste Pinterest,” they say. Pyaar Da Pind paid tribute to Shefali’s Punjabi roots with a riot of colours, tractor entries, and gidda dancers. The wedding, by contrast, was all ivory silks, river breeze, and sunlit serenity. Their final celebration, a cocktail night by torchlight, was moody, metallic, and jungle glam. “Each function had its own soul,” they explain.

Style-wise, they stayed true to themselves. Shefali’s wardrobe included heirlooms, her sister Shibani Sharma’s designs, and a standout Gopi Vaid lehenga. Krish alternated between breezy kurtas, a Sabyasachi shawl, and a Su Misura tux. Their looks were planned as moods—not costumes, crafted to reflect the spirit of each event. “The experience with Mrs. Gopi Vaid was especially personal,” says Shefali. “She even offered to make Krish an outfit a week before the wedding, when his original one didn’t work out.”

The ceremonies were rich in tradition, woven with warmth and thought. Shefali wore Krish’s mother’s Gharchoda, while Krish surprised her with a dhol-filled Jaago she thought she’d have to forgo. The wedding by the river, an Anand Karaj under the open sky, was the spiritual culmination of everything they’d envisioned.

Music, food, and meaning were non-negotiables. Close friends Zehan and Zal curated every beat, from bhangra troupes to a Boiler Room-style techno afterparty. Saregamaparth’s live band brought magic to the cocktail night, while Shefali’s sister mesmerised everyone with her soulful songs during the couple’s varmala exchange, which remains unforgettable. “For us, every dish needed to be perfect, because we as people remember menus longer than moments [laughs]. So we brought in United Chaat House from Delhi, who completely blew our minds. They got in specialists for each cuisine—literally a different team for Asian, South Indian, Mediterranean, and so on...so that everything tasted like it came straight from its origin. From Chaat to kebabs to guacamole, every item they made was from the heart.”

Even with the planning prowess of Krish’s now-famous spreadsheet and a full production team, challenges came thick and fast. There was lost luggage, tech troubles, rooming hiccups, and more. But none of it dented the joy. “We always found a way to laugh through it,” they agree.

One of the most memorable moments? A surprise flash mob by Shefali and her friends at the Mumbai sundowner. “I never saw it coming,” Krish admits. “It was pure love, pure effort, and totally her.” As for the wedding day itself, “It felt like a dream unfolding in chapters,” they say. From the quiet intimacy of the morning rituals to their first spiritual moment as a married couple during the Ganga aarti, and the euphoric afterparty that followed, it was everything they had hoped for and more.

At the altar, Shefali remembers seeing Krish, regal in a Sikh turban, calm, and proud. “That’s when I knew. This is my person.” And at the end of it all, they were exhausted but emotionally soaring. “If we could, we’d do it all over again. Twice.”

As they step into their new chapter, they’re most excited about the everyday. Chai in bed, inside jokes, building a home that feels like them. “We’ve always been a team,” they say. “Now, we get to keep playing on the same side. Forever.”