From Cappuccinos To Commitment; Love Brewed Alongside The Coffee

Pooja and Sagar had distance on their side when they matched back in 2016. Yep, that’s right, this love story is now about 8 years old. As they like to say, they are one of the “met on a dating app” couples, before it was cool or considered “normal”; it couldn’t be more true. They’re what we like to call the Dil Mil OGs!   

At that time, Pooja was in the process of moving to Chicago for a three-month-long summer clinical rotation. Originally from the Philadelphia/New York area, her mother encouraged her to download Dil Mil and try getting to know new people in other cities. Meanwhile, Sagar was in Chicago, and a little nudge from his sister to find a girlfriend prompted him to take a chance on love through Dil Mil. Another common factor that bought them both to Dil Mil was the ability to find someone from within the same community & religion; it was important to them and their families.  

One ordinary Thursday evening, Pooja finds herself in a seemingly endless cycle of guys inviting her out for drinks. But when she matched with Sagar, he took a different approach, inviting her to a coffee date. For Pooja, this gesture not only signaled a green flag but also resonated with her love for coffee. They locked in the following Tuesday evening for a cute, nonchalant coffee rendezvous.

Their initial meeting saw Pooja donning what she humorously describes as “ugly scrubs,” while Sagar arrived dressed in smart business attire. Both met at a charming Cuban coffee shop, expecting a brief encounter that instead blossomed into a magical night filled with hours of what they describe as incredible conversation. In fact, it went on so long that Pooja had to conclude the date to catch the last train for safety’s sake!

Two coffee dates and a city tour later, Sagar summoned the courage to ask Pooja to be his girlfriend on June 18th 2016, an invitation she enthusiastically accepted and a date that’s eventually become extremely significant in their relationship. The couple immersed themselves in getting to know each other better and spent quality time together. When the three months drew to a close, Pooja had to return to Philadelphia to complete her final year of school. Despite the daunting geographical separation, Pooja and Sagar remained undaunted in nurturing their relationship. While two years of long-distance posed challenges, the solid foundation of communication they had built during those initial three months carried them through. Pooja’s parents, who leaned toward traditional values, posed another hurdle as the couple decided to take the next step to move in together in Chicago, as did the outbreak of COVID, given Pooja’s role as a frontline healthcare worker. Yet, the couple  approached it all head-on and emerged stronger and more resilient every time. 

For Pooja and Sagar, their relationship, despite its obstacles, flowed with a natural ease. Even in the face of adversity, they effortlessly communicated and united to overcome the toughest of situations.

Three years after he asked her to be his girlfriend, Sagar proposed to Pooja at the very spot where they had shared that pivotal moment. Despite having to postpone their wedding due to the pandemic, the couple eventually tied the knot (both civil and religiously) on the same date as when he had asked her to be his girlfriend, bringing their love story, despite all of its trials and tribulations, full circle in the most heartwarming way.

Pooja and Sagar’s initial civil ceremony took place on June 18th 2020 at the only open courthouse in the Greater Chicago Area during the height of the pandemic. Two years later, on June 18th itself, the couple celebrated with a grand destination wedding in Cabo San Lucas, surrounded by their closest friends and family. The festivities included a Mehendi, Sangeet/Garba, Wedding Ceremony, and Reception. The couple blended tradition with modernity, preserving some customs and nixing the archaic patriarchal while putting their unique spin on others, such as the rice-throwing ceremony where both Sagar and Pooja cast rice over their heads to begin their new journey together. 

Despite the odds and challenges, Pooja and Sagar stayed true to their love story, upholding old traditions and creating beautiful new ones as they start building new memories of spending quality time together, coming home to one another every day, and partaking in the grand adventure that is life as a team. Here’s to the OGs, cheers!

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