Dating for 10 years before finally deciding to marry
SHALVINA Reddy and Shannon Singh’s love story began back in 2014 during their senior high school days. While Shalvina was born and raised in Taveuni for 14 years, she moved to Suva to attend Mahatma Gandhi Memorial High School where she met her soulmate.
Their meeting began as a friendship in 2013 and developed into strong feelings of love a year later when they realised how compatible they were and how much they enjoyed spending time together.
“The exact point of the love story started when our friends kept pushing us to realise that we were in love and not just friends,” Shalvina recalled.
“When we realised this, we walked to the school balcony and expressed our affections simultaneously.
“Our first date was at the Nand’s Mall tuition centre after we had expressed our feelings, which was on July 21, 2014.”
Despite their love being so young and facing many obstacles, the couple continued dating for the past 10 years before tying the knot.
“We have many things in common, including being adventurous, enjoying sports, cooking, eating and travelling places.”
Their marriage proposal was a magical one planned by the groom at the Warwick Fiji Resort by the beachside.
This was a surprise for Shalvina as visiting hotels was a common occurrence for the pair, but when she was blindfolded and carried to the venue, she knew this was something different.
So, when the dream question ‘will you marry me’ was asked, she said yes without hesitation.
The plan for the big wedding was a long and hectic process which took months, but it was worth the beautiful outcome.
“We had the Chekni (An official acceptance of the couple by both the families) in May followed by the legal wedding on May 12, 2023.”
The week-long traditional wedding rituals for the bride took place in Taveuni while the groom’s took place in Suva.
On January 26, 2024, the groom arrived in Taveuni for their wedding ceremony in the evening.
The groom and his family members were welcomed with fireworks and guests cheering them on.
“The wedding itself was almost three hours long consisting of many rituals and every bit of it was magical.
“We were looking forward to the wedding day to meet each other after a long time finally and the eagerness to see each other dressed in our outfits.
“We surely had butterflies when we saw each other.”
The next morning, the bride bid farewell to her family and flew back to Suva where certain rituals were done by her in-laws.
This was then followed by a grand wedding reception at the FMF Gymnasium with around 300 guests in attendance.
“Credits that I’d like to mention are mainly our parents Mr Krishna Reddy, Ms Zaheeda Begum, Mr Arvind Singh and Ms Aruna Devi Singh and family for supporting us throughout as well as several teams on the way.
“For those planning to get married, it always good to plan ahead and get financially stable — and to be best friends with their partners before tying the knot — as it takes a lot to stand against all odds together.”