Priyanka and Nick have been making headlines for quite a while now, and for good reason! They officially got married on December 1st, 2018, and it was quite a celebration for both of their fans. From their pictures on Instagram to their People Magazine feature, everything about their wedding seemed like a fairytale. However, their wedding had more substance than just being visually appealing.
1. This is the age of breaking traditions.
No, they are not the first mixed couple out there. And they most definitely will not be the last one. The reason why their wedding was so iconic is because this is one of the first times such a famous Indian figure (arguably known as the Indian Beyonce) was married to someone not originating from the Indian community in an extremely public and extravagant fashion. As someone who is from India, I know that it can be difficult to marry someone from a different community depending on your family’s beliefs, traditions, and sadly sometimes even castes. Priyanka took that risk and chose to follow her heart. Having such a loved person in India make this decision has the power to change mindsets. This wedding has opened up a dialogue and a lot of perspectives as well. My own parents seem to understand that a mixed marriage is not about losing your own culture but, instead, it is about mixing another one into your life. Thank gosh, my family will finally agree to my wedding with Harry Styles now.
Via People
2. The mixture of culture is beautiful.
We are in living in the era of globalization. An era in which people, traditions and perspectives have the opportunity to interact. This wedding was a great example of how wonderful the amalgamation of cultures is. Their wedding consisted of both Indian and Western traditions. They had the Sangeet, a pre-wedding event, which is basically an musical extravaganza. There was also the mehndi party, where the bride and guests get henna tattoos. There were two types of wedding ceremonies performed: Christian and Hindu. What I enjoyed most about the ceremonies was how comfortable both Nick and Priyanka’s families were with each other’s cultures. For example, Priyanka’s wedding dress for the Christian ceremony consisted of parts of her mother-in-law’s wedding dress. On the other hand, the Jonas’s looked amazing in gorgeous Indian lehengas and sherwanis (the traditional attire for a Hindu wedding).
Via India DNA
3. Haters gonna hate.
No wedding is complete without drama. What was different about Nickyanka’s wedding was that the drama occured after the wedding, instead of during it. Mariah Smith wrote an article on The Cut titled, “Is Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas’s Love For Real?” in which she advises Nick to leave Priyanka ASAP because she is only using him to further her career and claims she is a “global scam artist.” In one statement, Smith said that the only reason why Priyanka is famous is because she married to Nick, discrediting the fact that she was Miss Universe at age 18, is a critically acclaimed actor that has been in over 50 movies and is the first Indian woman to headline a TV show in America. The article was filled with hatred, sexism and racism. Smith got attacked by not only all of Priyanka’s fans, but also Joe Jonas. He tweeted, “This is disgusting. The Cut should be ashamed to have someone write such evil words. What Nick & Pri have is Beautiful Love. Thank u, Next.” The Cut acted quickly and took down the post, but that does not excuse the fact that they gave Smith a platform to spit out such hatred in the first place. It’s saddening that Smith, a woman of color herself, would try to hurt another woman of color for something so baseless. Articles with no journalistic integrity attempt to not only damage people’s reputation, but also their relationships. Do better, @TheCut and @MariaSmith.
Via The Daily Mail
4. How to be Extra AF and Rock it
On a much lighter note, those who were following the wedding know that the three-day celebration was a visual treat. Nickyanka had the wedding that seemed like an absolute fairytale. The venue was the Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace, which was recently awarded as the World’s best Hotel by Traveler’s Choice. The majority of the western wardrobe for both Priyanka’s and Nick’s family was by Ralph Lauren, which is appropriate since the first time they were seen in public together was at the Met Gala in 2017 wearing Ralph Lauren (they were “just friends” at the time). In the Hindu wedding, both Nick and Priyanka wore Sabyasachi, one the most high-end designers in India. She once said in an interview that she even had important dates stitched in the dress. The highlight of the wedding, at least for me, was Priyanka’s 75 feet veil. It was probably one of the most beautiful and shocking sights of the entire wedding. Overall, I would just like to thank Nickyanka for inspiration for my own wedding. Get ready to make an 100 feet veil, Ralph Lauren.
Love is love no matter your race, gender, class or anything else, collegiettes!