Meera Chidambara and Aman Shah announced their intentions to get married in late May, 2002. The official engagement occured on June 30, 2002.

On June 29, 2002, Meera held a "Mehandi" Party, where all the "young ladies" of the family got together to have Mehandi painted on their hands. Barbara, one of Meera's closest friends, flew from California to be present at her engagement. Aman and his cousins joined the party as well. Pani Poori was served to all the guests. As we all know, Mehandi "disables" the use of your hands for a few hours, so many of the "young ladies" enjoyed "being fed" by their elders !!!

On June 30, 2002, the Official Engagement Day, all the guests met at Chand Palace. The engagement was conducted according to the customs followed by Aman's family. Meera was not seen by anyone until the "offical" ceremony began. Prior to the arrival of Meera, mouth watering appetizers and snacks were served. The appetizer menu consisted of: Paneer Tikka Kabab, Vegetable Spring Roll, Vegetable Samosa, and Aloo Chat.

The Shah family was gathered at one end of the hall, while Meera's family was gathered at the other end. Meera was brought down a flight of stairs, by her immediate family (Chidambara, Indu, Pramod, Sripad, & Indira). The 2 families "met" in the middle of the hall, where Meera was officially "presented" to the Shah Family. Meera was looking fabulous, dressed in an elaborate pink dress, with gold earrings and necklaces, while her hair was beautifully arranged. Her radiant smile brightened the entire hall, which allowed her to carry herself with a glamorous elegance.

Girish and Asha Shah were truly delighted to start the process of bringing Meera into their family. They looked youthful, and one had to wonder if "they" were the couple getting engaged !!!

Both sets of parents exchanged blessings. Indu gave Aman some blessings, while Asha gave Meera some blessings. This was followed by a small slide presentation arranged and delivered by Pramod, depicting many of Meera's "finest moments". Pramod is not about to lose a sister, but rather, is about to gain a new big brother !!!

This was followed by the ring exchange, where Aman "wowed" the entire crowd when he got on his knee to officially request her hand in marriage. They then joined hands for their "first" dance.

The festivities were highlighted by a series of dances presented by various family members. Chirag Shah gave a sweat inducing, high energy dance show, which was followed by Akhila who did 2 dynamic, tantalizing South Indian Bharatanatyam dances. Aman's cousins then entertained the entire crowd with various, joyous dance routines.

Afterwards, everyone enjoyed a fantastic meal. The lunch menu consisted of: Malai Kofta, Saag Makai, Paneer Moghlai, Bhindi Masala, Daal, Pilau Rice, Naan, Poori, Paratha, Salad and Raita. The waist enhancing sumptous dessert consisted of: Gulab Jamoon, Ras Malai, and Ice Cream.

The union of these 2 families has begun. They will officially "tie the knot" sometime in early 2003. Till then, they will continue to enjoy their "independence" !!!

Click here for details on the wedding, held on April 20, 2003.