Akanksha and Sameer: A Vibrant Multi-Cultural Fusion Wedding in the Heart of Liverpool, UK

By Team Weddingz | Oct 15, 2022

“Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination, full of hope!” – Maya Angelou

Akanksha Gupta and Sameer Alam’s Indo-Pak Fusion Wedding Story will have you believing in a happily-ever-after – despite the miles of unpredictability and differences one may be shrouded by, love always wins over!

When Akanksha Met Sameer

Matches are made in heaven and going through the pages of Akanksha and Sameer’s love story just made us realize how! When Akanksha and Sameer attended their mutual family friend’s 18th Birthday party, little did they know what fate had in store for them! Enjoying the penultimate years of school, falling in love was surely not the first thing on their to-do list, but hey, love moves in mysterious ways, right? “He was quietly confident and charming, and I, excitable and fiercely opinionated (although, he didn’t know that yet). I was flattered that he even approached me! Afterward, we just couldn’t stop chatting, and we continued to message each other for weeks on end.” says Akanksha, the bride.

But just like every Bollywood movie, their love story had a big twist too! Sameer hails from a Pakistani Muslim family and Akanksha is an Indian Hindu. “There were obvious differences on paper and hurdles, we could not deny. However, as we discussed our interests, ambitions, and values in life, we realized that everything aligned, and there was no stopping it.” shares the bride.

When Akanksha got accepted to medical school in London, 3 hours away from her then residence, she didn’t expect Sameer to move there. “But after a year, he also applied to medical school to follow me there. Coincidence? I think not.” – Akanksha

In India, we believe marriage doesn’t happen between two people, but two families and two communities tie the knot too. When one is in a faraway land, it becomes even more crucial to have a support system and to know that you belong. Sameer and Akanksha’s parents took it upon themselves to create a large Indo-Pakistani, multi-religion community, bringing their friends and families stronger together. Fast forward 6 years and they are both working as doctors in the North-West, got engaged in December, and married a mere 7 months later on 19th July 2022.

How Sameer Popped the Question

Theirs was the most romantic and thoughtful proposal with the groom taking care of even the minutest details. Akanksha recounts, “Sameer, my now husband, planned to propose to me at his uncle’s Manor House. From how he wanted to do it to the people he wanted there, he had been planning it for months.

Two weeks before the proposal weekend, a freak storm hit the North-East of England. With 4 days to go, only 6 houses in the whole region were left still without electricity, the Manor House being one of them. Clueless about the plans behind the scenes, I reassured him that we could postpone the visit. But he was STRESSED to the point he even considered sourcing gallons of fuel to power the backup generator!

Luckily 2 days before the proposal day, the power was magically restored and the plans were back on. If that isn’t a sign we’re meant to be together, I don’t know what is. We drove up for the weekend with my nearest and dearest and he proposed privately after playing me a video he’d made recapping our 9 years together. I didn’t even have to say yes – he already knew my answer.

The rest is history. We celebrated for the weekend and got married over an Indian-Pakistani week-long affair 7 months later. It was a dream!”

All the Deets about the Couple’s Wedding Planning

The duo knew that they wanted to host a wedding weekend infusing touches from both Indian and Pakistani culture! Though the couple quickly realized that roping in a wedding planner who shared a similar vision wasn’t going to be a walk in the park.

“We wanted to have events that both catered to and respected both cultures and religions. What we were attempting to do seemed as though it had not been done in our area. So we were going to have to start from scratch, and that was an exciting, although daunting prospect. Luckily, all 4 parents treated it as their own wedding, as much as ours, and all the jobs were quickly divided. The first thing mummy and I did was book flights to India whenever my rota allowed in order to source the outfits.”

How Did the Duo Came Across their Dream Venue

The couple’s journey to finding the perfect venue is a jaw-clenching story in itself. And our bride has penned it down so beautifully, we are left speechless –

“The moment Sameer asked my parents’ permission to marry me, my parents put down a deposit for a venue near us they’d had an eye on for years (This was 2 months before the actual proposal). 2 months after the proposal, however, disaster struck. A boiler exploded, and the incredible building erupted in flames. We were back to square one. 4 months before the wedding, 400 invites were sent out, with no venue.

We needed a venue that could take the numbers we had. Our largest event was 380 people and most venues around us were limited to 200, 250 at a push. After the fire forced our hand, we traveled a lot further than we’d hoped to scout a few more venues. However, all we had to do was look right at our doorstep. We fell upon the incredible St George’s Hall in Liverpool, an outstanding neoclassical landmark, the dream location we had envisioned.”

The Bride Spilled the Beans about Their Wedding Shopping

If you have a gang of girls you can rely on through the thicks and thins of life, then wedding shopping is not going to be a big deal. “The bulk of the bridal wedding shopping was done in India. I had been scrolling Instagram for years, sending things to my best friend, preparing for this very moment. We landed in Delhi within 4 days to get it all done. It was an efficient operation, immaculately planned by mummy and her best friends, who knew Delhi like the back of their hands. We managed to get it done, despite Delhi traffic. I left to go back to work, and mummy stayed on, heading to Jaipur to look into the decor.

At the exact same time, Sameer was in Karachi, Pakistan, not too far away at all, getting his own outfits together. Sameer is one of the most particular people I know when it comes to style and design. He wanted to be there himself and have input into all of it, and I think this really came across.” explained the bride.

If there was an award for the quickest wedding shopping, Akanksha would surely be the front runner!

Akanksha & Sameer’s Favorite Moments from the Wedding

Well, we know how incredibly difficult it is to choose just one best moment when your whole wedding saga is a treasure trove of memories. Nevertheless, the pair agreed upon a few wedding highlights that they would love to relive together.

*Groom’s surprise Bollywood-style dance to ‘Dus Bahane’ at their wedding reception

*Cutting the wedding cake with an antique naval sword from Pakistan

*Couple’s reception entry to one of the biggest organs in the UK

*Driving off for the rukhsati surrounded by family and friends in a rare Mercedes 190SL convertible