Indian weddings have always been grand and extremely pious occasions. Decked up brides, well suited men, and ornamental guests, so it wasn’t a surprise when Amit Shah and Aditya Madiraju got married at a temple in the US, that the internet lost its mind.

Apart from the traditional Indian wedding, the other thing that caught the eye of the people was the spectacular outfits the two were wearing. But what stood out was their careless declaration of love to each other.

But why is this wedding such a big deal even then?

The fact that the two took to their roots and had an honest to God wedding, Poojas and all, has everyone swooning. It is only so often that you get to see a gay couple make an announcement of their love and tie the knot in such a traditional manner. Though this is what struck a chord with most people, the talks of the town were their gorgeous outfits designed by Anita Dongre.

This wedding blew up simply because of its fashionable grooms, which reflects on the kind of progress we’re making as far as acceptance is concerned. This wasn’t just another “rare gay wedding”, it was a fashion spectacle.

The conventionality of the wedding broke through the walls of the classic stereotypes of highly feminized gay men. The grooms were adorned in classic wedding suits, the location was decorated as per standard Indian rituals and the ceremonies were as classic as they get. The groomsmen’s parents were also an equal part of this marriage. Keeping in mind the stereotypes associated with gay men and their repercussions on their lives, this wedding almost normalized the rarity that is gay marriage.

Though it wasn’t intended to be such a spectacle and inspiration for the LGBTQ+ community, it resonated with people and prompted them to be more proud of their sexuality. A wedding is a rather personal occasion, so when Amit and Aditya found out they were somewhat of an inspiration, they were taken by shock.

On their Instagram they shared their feelings about this popularity – “We didn’t realize the impact a simple wedding at a temple would have on people around the world looking for hope. There is no secret to acceptance, tolerance, or happiness. You just have to find the right partner to take the step with. Let the truth of your love speak for itself.”

With the recent decriminalization of homosexuality in India, the LGBTQ+ community in India has taken to the couple’s ceremonious wedding.  Harish Iyer, a gay rights activist very aptly put into words the beauty that this wedding was – “...there would be a day when we will realize that they didn’t get gay married...they got married.”

The two have set the bar high up for one of the most gorgeous weddings in history. Here’s to more such weddings and highly fashionable groomsmen.