When Mishi Jain met Sunny Shah at a wedding in Alabama in 2016, it was a meetcute worthy of a Bollywood script. Although they had countless mutual friends, they never crossed paths until that very night. But what began as a chance meeting quickly transformed into something deeper: long, thoughtful conversations about justice, faith, and the future exchanged from afar while each pursued law degrees on opposite coasts. “We started chatting and realized the many parallel interests, like our profession and love for animals,” Mishi said. “We started as friends but eventually, we moved forward in our relationship.”
Their connection was grounded in their shared Jain values of nonviolence and their evolving journey into veganism. Both vegetarian their whole lives, Mishi’s family went vegan first, leading her to follow suit. Soon after, Sunny made the switch, too. So when it came time to plan a wedding, a celebration that felt as ethical as it was epic was non-negotiable. The result? A five-event, history-making, 150-person vegan wedding set against the dramatic palatial backdrop of Udaipur, India, proving that a “big fat Indian wedding” could be equal parts tradition and compassion.
Prakash Creation
Prakash Creation
Prakash Creation
Held at Chunda Palace, a regal venue with sprawling lake views and opulent décor, the couple’s three-day celebration was the first completely vegan wedding ever known to be hosted in Rajasthan. Tradition was honored but reimagined with modern-day ethics. Real flowers were swapped for elegant faux arrangements to avoid waste, and both sets of parents sat beside the couple at the mandap rather than just the groom’s family—an intentional choice to center community and equal support.
The events unfolded like a storybook: a colorful welcome dinner with local folk dancers and intricate henna designs to immerse guests into Rajasthani culture; a fun turmeric-filled haldi ceremony surrounded by drums and bright marigold hues; and a high-energy, pre-wedding sangeet featuring not only music and dance, but a surprise skit from friends reenacting their love story—legal jokes and all.
Prakash Creation
On the wedding day, Sunny arrived in a vintage car (a nod to the groom’s procession traditionally done on a horse) and opted for a symbolic oil pour rather than clarified butter—tiny details that honored ritual while rewriting it gently.
“We didn’t tell anyone it was vegan until the last day,” said Sunny. “We wanted people to come in with an open mind.”
One cousin confessed he’d never heard of a vegan wedding before—and was now curious to try it himself.
For Mishi and Sunny, the wedding wasn’t just about the start of their life together—it was about what kind of life that would be. The celebration gave the couple the idea for their vegan food blog, a shared Instagram project called @plantbasedpyaar to show others that culture, family, and ethics can coexist beautifully.
Prakash Creation
The Style
With Indian wedding wear traditionally crafted from silk, the couple sourced entirely vegan attire, commissioning artisans in Mumbai to create custom outfits that honored their cultural roots without compromising their values.
Prakash Creation
Prakash Creation
The Second Wedding
In Houston, the couple hosted an encore 300-person celebration complete with speeches, performances, and more delicious vegan food, further showcasing just how flavorful and diverse plant-based cuisine could be.
Prakash Creation
The Menu
Chunda Palace had never catered a plant-based event before, but the couple worked closely with their team—bringing in outside consultants, conducting blind taste tests, and reinventing dairy-heavy classics without a drop of ghee, milk, or paneer.
The three-day festivities kicked off with an American-style continental breakfast buffet before transitioning into a traditional Indian welcome dinner and lunch featuring crispy samosas, kadai tofu, and melt-in-your-mouth coconut barfi (sweet, milky bars made from coconut and cardamom). A bold, flavor-packed Indo-Chinese dinner followed, with plates of spring rolls, vegetable manchurian, and creamy fruit custard.
To close, a Rajasthani-style welcome lunch gave way to a grand Punjabi reception dinner, complete with lemon coriander soup, vegetable kebab wrapped in paratha bread, and tofu lababdar (vegan paneer in a cashew-tomato gravy)—proof that tradition and innovation can go hand in hand.
The couple opted for a lush chocolate lava cake and treated guests to an assortment of desserts including jalebi, boondi ke ladoo, and various pastries.
Prakash Creation
Prakash Creation
Prakash Creation
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Aruka Sanchir (@ruukes) is a writer based in Los Angeles, CA.
