Weddings bring two people together, not just them, but also two families, several generations, traditions and so on. This is one of the most cherished and important moments in a person’s life and that is happening to one of our own members of the yCrash family. Her wedding is on May 24th which her own family had planned. As her work family, we decided to throw her a bridal shower to create some beautiful memories and in this article you will read about how it was planned and executed, with so many twists and turns.
The wedding date
It all started with a simple discussion about what we could do for Vishnupriya’s wedding. We hosted a baby shower about a year ago, so we decided to do something similar. Unlike Prithi, we did not have challenges with her location, because she was in her hometown. But the first obstacle that we faced was to find out the wedding date without hinting to the bride-to-be that we are up to something, and our attempt to learn the date was successful. Kumar confirmed the wedding date as May 24th.
The gift
Now that we had the date, we then wanted to decide on what gifts we could give her. We started to throw some ideas across, like whether the gifts should be traditional or useful or modern and we felt, why not do them all. So we picked to give her Gold which is both traditional and very much useful for occasions like weddings. Initially we thought we’d give her a gold ring, but then we didn’t know her ring size or taste in design, so we decided to keep it simple and give her some gold coins instead.
The cake
Next, What is a party without a cake? So we also decided that the bridal shower will include a cake as well. Alagappan, who is in the same city as the bride, helped me out with this. I tasked him to find a bakery that can make cakes. The first one that he picked did not work as their cake designs or my vision for the bridal shower cake did not match at all. So he had to find a different bakery and finally found the one. This shop understood my vision and after like an hour’s call of my description, they said they could deliver. We did have to make some compromises but in the end, it was all worth it. They delivered what they promised. I’d say that this was the next obstacle that we crossed.
The personalized Greeting card
Then I thought that something else was missing. As you all know we all work from different places and we will not be able to convene at one place for the event. But we still wanted to share the wishes and give her our blessings like any family would do. What more can we do other than a personalized greeting card? So I decided to collect all their wishes and put them all in as a greeting card. But I did not want to stop there. I wanted this card to tell a story, and so I decided to add some details while designing the card. At the bottom of each page, I set up traditional aspects of a wedding event. Like from the arrival of the groom, to the functions that follow which celebrates the wedding with various ceremonies, the traditional temple visit, the wedding stage set up and everything else. The card came out beautifully and once it was done, I couriered it to Alagappan so that he could deliver them to the bride-to-be on the date of the event.
Save the date invite
Now we have put together the gift packet. We have the bride-to-be, the wedding date, the gift, cake and card, but no date for the bridal shower. The next challenge was to figure out when it would be best to host the event. We did not know when the bride-to-be was going to take leave and so I had to call her and find out what her plans were. After that discussion, the team got together and we agreed that May 17th was the best date to host the event. On May 10th, I sent out an invitation to the whole team, and the bride-to-be had no clue what we had in store for her.
Checking and double checking
We just had 7 more days to go from the day that I sent the invite. I kept calling Kumar, Alagappan, Umayal to make sure everything was on track. Kumar being the backbone of this mission, made everything happen. He made sure that the payment transactions were smooth so that we could pull it off. Alagappan purchased the gifts and co-ordinated with the cake shop about picking up the cake. I also troubled Umayal to ensure that the bride-to-be will work on the planned day. There was too much checking and double checking, and I appreciate everyone for being so cooperative with me, even though I was very pushy.
The reminder email
After checking and double checking everything, I decided to send an email reminder to the team, the day before the big event, with some clear instructions of what to expect and how it is going to be handled. But less did I know that there were some serious twists and turns coming up the next day.
The Surprise Bridal Shower
My day began with a call from Alagappan at morning 7:30 AM, just two hours before the big event. What he said made me jump out of my bed in complete panic mode. Turns out the bride-to-be was down with health issues and decided to take the day off and had sent out an email. All this meticulous planning and time spent was about to go to waste. But I wouldn’t give up. I immediately decided to call Umayal and informed her that it was her task to make sure that Vishnupriya made it to the Zoom call where we had planned the virtual bridal shower.
I then realized that the bride-to-be had also cc’d her leave request email to most of the team members. I didn’t want them to think the plan was off and so I made sure that I responded to the email, excluding the bride-to-be that the plan was still on and other arrangements have been made. Then I called Alagappan and informed him there are no changes in his part of the plan, and started preparing myself for other challenges.
Alagappan had picked up the cake from the shop and was on the way to Vishnupriya’s house. He got to the address but couldn’t find the house. He had asked several people but there was no way that he could identify her house. Everyone had assembled on the call and Ram even thought that we should postpone it to the next day. But I was not ready to give up, because I can’t. We were almost at the destination and something kept telling me just one more step.
Then it struck me. We had the database with emergency contact listed, including Vishnupriya’s. So we got her mother’s number from the list and co-ordinated with her. With their help, Alagappan finally reached the destination, and then things all went smoothly according to the plan. Once he reached Vishnupriya’s house, everyone turned on our cameras so that we could surprise the bride-to-be.
Then there was cake cutting, gift unwrapping, the card reading, wishing, clapping and some out of sync singing involved as well. Overall, I am just glad that with so many twists and turns, we made good memories and we definitely hit the brief by surprising the bride. I am immensely grateful to the entire yCrash family for coming together, overcoming challenges, and creating beautiful memories that will be cherished for a lifetime. Special mention to Vishnupriya’s parents, for, if it was not them, we could not have reached the destination at all.
Here is a small video that I have put together that captures and highlights the precious moments of the Surprise Bridal Shower:
Vishnupriya’s bridal shower was a remarkable success, thanks to the collective efforts of the yCrash family. We celebrated with joy and created unforgettable memories together.
Looking ahead, we eagerly anticipate future surprise events where we can come together to celebrate and honor our team members. Until then, we wish Vishnupriya all the best on her journey towards marriage, supported by our heartfelt blessings.
Stay tuned for more moments of joy and celebration as we continue to strengthen the bonds within our yCrash family.
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