Hursh and Manali first swiped right on each other in September of 2018! When Manali came across his profile, something in Manali told her to swipe right. It was mostly because one of Hursh's videos had a beautiful Portuguese Water Dog, Louie licking his face, and who can swipe left on such a good boy! Just like that, they matched and started talking...
After texting for a couple of weeks (Manali texted Hursh first), they had their first date on October 19th, 2018, at the PhD rooftop in Manhattan. Manali was walking to meet Hursh, and as usual, Manali got lost (not the greatest when it comes to directions). Hursh being Hursh came to her rescue and helped her navigate over the phone.
As they chatted over cocktails, the entire conversation was very easy going and they both had the time of their lives. Both of them did not want the date to end.
After the first date, Hursh knew right away that this could be the start of something but Manali was still skeptical. As the first date turned into a second date and then the third, Hursh and Manali did not want their dates to end so they would walk around New York City for hours. It took Manali until their 4th date to realize this could turn into something, especially after Hursh surprised Manali by giving her the mini French Blue Horn from "How I Met Your Mother!" for her birthday!
As time went on, both of them started meeting up for more and more dates in the city, and eventually in NJ. It was the start of their beautiful love story that continues to grow!
Throughout their time of dating, both Hursh and Manali have grown and learned so much from one another. They have traveled to different countries and states, including one of their favorite trips to Punta Cana. It was Hursh's first time at an all-inclusive resort and he soon realized how amazing it can be, especially when you have the right company! Some of the places they have visited together are California, Nevada, Vermont, Baltimore, Virginia Beach, D.C, Mexico, and DR. Hursh and Manali love to travel and plan on traveling to India, Italy, and Hawaii in the near future.
During their time together, Hursh and Manali also started graduate schools, while working full time. It was never easy, but Manali graduated with a 4.0 in May 2021. While Hursh will be graduating in May of 2023 from NYU Stern, shortly a few weeks after they get married! Both of them are always encouraging one another to take huge leaps in their careers and constantly supporting each other.
One of the important things to Hursh and Manali is family. Even though they enjoyed each other's company, soon enough, Hursh and Manali met each other's families and clicked with them immediately! Hursh and Manali love spending time with each other's families, especially their nephews! Over time both families have gotten close and enjoy spending quality time with each other!
After dating for years, Hursh finally popped the question in Napa, CA. Hursh planned a grand proposal at Castello De Amorosa, a vineyard with an actual castle, that Manali wanted to go to for years. However, Manali didn't make planning the surprise easy. She wanted to go to this vineyard so badly that she booked the tour for both of them. After weeks of Hursh convincing Manali that visiting this vineyard shouldn't be on their itinerary, Manali canceled the tour and was disappointed. Little did Manali know that this is where Hursh is going to pop the question!
As the days of the trip passed, Hursh told Manali that he had a special day planned for her. Manali had no idea where they were going and as Hursh was approaching the castle vineyard, he told Manali to close her eyes. Once they entered, Manali opened her eyes and was super excited because this was the one place she had been dying to go to! After taking some pictures, Hursh and Manali started their group tasting tour. Manali did not think anything of it and was still amazed at how beautiful the castle looked.
During the group tasting, an event specialist approached the group claiming the vineyard does a "raffle picking" every week and that this week, the two names that have been drawn to go up to their private tower. Manali thought to herself, “I never win anything” so she continued to drink wine and have her chocolates. Eventually, the event specialist drew the names and it turned out the winners were Hursh and Manali! The guju in Manali was really excited because this meant beautiful views and a free bottle of wine! As they climbed the stairs, Manali was super excited while Hursh was getting nervous to pop the question. When they got upstairs, Manali was so surprised by how beautiful the views looked she didn’t notice right away that Hursh had gotten down on one knee. Eventually, she realized what was happening and Hursh popped the question! And of course, that was the easiest YES Manali has ever said!