Hardik and Gabriela moved in with each other.
In a case of long-distance love, an Indian man got married to his Dutch girlfriend in a traditional ceremony.
Hardik Verma, from Uttar Pradesh’s Fatehpur district, tied the knot with 21-year-old Gabriela Duda on November 29, 2023.
Their relationship began when Hardik moved to the Netherlands for work.
The 32-year-old found a job as a supervisor in a pharmaceutical company and soon met Gabriela, who worked at the firm.
The pair began speaking and discovered that they had a lot of things in common.
Their friendship soon blossomed into a relationship. Hardik and Gabriela moved in with each other.
After three years of living together, the couple decided to marry. It was a decision they shared with Hardik’s parents over the phone.
Hardik returned to his home village with Gabriela, where his family welcomed them.
The couple got married in a traditional ceremony. Villagers and family members participated in the celebrations.
Hardik revealed that on December 3, his family will travel to Gujarat’s Gandhinagar where the couple live.
He said his wedding was held in Fatehpur because it is his ancestral home.
A wedding reception is scheduled to take place on December 11.
The reception will be attended by Gabriela’s father Marcin Duda, her mother Barbara Duda, and other members of her family.
Following the wedding celebrations in India, Hardik said he and Gabriela will return to the Netherlands on December 25.
He said they will have a Christian wedding ceremony.
Marriages between foreign nationals and Indians continue to rise. While the wedding between Hardik and Gabriela stemmed from their friendship as co-workers, many marriages start on social media.
In October 2019, an American woman named Celina Lopez got married to Haryana-based Sushil Saini.
They were married a year and a half after getting to know each other on Facebook.
Sushil had come across Celina’s Facebook profile and decided to send her a friend request. She accepted and the two regularly chatted to one another.
Their friendship gradually turned into a long-distance relationship. After, Sushil decided to propose to her. They had a traditional Indian procession.
On her relationship with Sushil, Celina explained that she has always admired Indian culture.
Celina chose to have an Indian wedding ceremony as she wanted to experience the process. She said that wedding rituals in America are completely different in India.