First time in Telangana, gay couple exchange vows

Hyderabad: Telangana on Saturday witnessed it's first gay wedding in the outskirts of Hyderabad at a time when same-sex marriages are still not legally recognised in the country.

The couple, Supriyo Chakraborty (31) and Abhay Dange (34), solemnised their eight-year long relationship in a beautiful ceremony, exchanging rings and vows. The wedding, which was officiated at Trance Greenfields Resort on Vikarabad highway, celebrated the couple’s union with attendance by over 60 people comprising family, friends and members from the LGBTQ community.

Speaking on how they planned everything, Supriyo says, "Amid all the planning, the most important thing I focused on was inclusivity. We wanted to do things our way. We never wanted to have traditional or religious barriers." The couple had announced their wedding in October and left the social media buzzing with excitement, with Tollywood actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu congratulating the couple.

Although no marital rituals or formalities were involved in the wedding, the couple however opted to have a Punjabi-style Mehendi ceremony and a pool-side Haldi ceremony.

"Mehendi is always a women-centric ceremony. We decided to break that stereotype with our own Mehendi ceremony. Meanwhile, during Haldi, we wore the Bengali toppr as per custom. Our families and friends danced their hearts out in our Sangeet ceremony," Supriyo said.

The couple called themselves 'soulmates' in their vows and exchanged rings at the intimate ceremony, walking down the aisle wearing designer white suits with bow ties in the white themed wedding.

While it was the first time that the state witnessed a gay wedding, it was also the first time that a trans-woman, Sophia David, officiated a marriage.

Sophia, who is also a TED speaker, says she felt elated to be a part of the wedding. “I felt emotional because they cared about representation as much as I did. And I was committed to doing it from the get-go, since we knew this will open an important door for more queer folks to live their lives authentically and more importantly together.”

Speaking about the reaction of the guests at the ceremony, Sophia said everyone was in tears when the couple were pronounced husband and husband. “There wasn’t a dry eye in that venue. All of us were so moved by the entire experience. I never saw so much allyship and love in one place ever,” she said.

“After the couple said “I do”, I got the guests to say “I do” too to make allyship visible. The world became a kinder place for the queer community on that day. It’s a memory of a lifetime for me,” she added.