Friends to Lovers
The Wedding Story of Maskeen and Akash
Wedding Date: July 18, 2024
Location: Lower Mainland, BC
Guest Number: 400
What happens when two best friends fall in love? You get a story like Maskeen and Akash’s–best friends who slowly realized they’d been in love all along.
“Our story is your typical friends-to-lovers,” they say, but the connection these two share is anything but ordinary. They first met at a party after high school, where mutual friends brought them together—friends who might’ve seen what they couldn’t just yet. “The friendship always had a bit of a spark in it, but we denied it despite everyone pointing it out until it was too hard to ignore,” Maskeen admits.
Over time, that spark grew into something more. “Having seen each other at our best and worst as just friends yet still having that build-up of attraction is what gave us such a solid foundation,” they share. “Falling in love with someone after having seen it all is something really special. I would not have had it any other way.”
And honestly, how could they not fall for each other? These two are the kind of couple who light up a room just by being in it. “We’re both the life of the party,” Maskeen shares. “The male and female equivalent of one another in that department.”
Maskeen describes Akash as having a charm that’s almost unfair. “This beautiful boy could charm his way into or out of anything,” she says. But it’s not the overconfident, flashy kind of charm; it’s the kind that wins people over effortlessly. “I wish I could have that effect on people the way he does,” she adds, noting how everyone on her side instantly adores him.
And while Akash might be the charmer, Maskeen is the comedian. “One thing I love about her is how funny she is,” Akash says. “She’s always dropping these one-liners. She’s so quick and has perfect timing. Sometimes we go on these long bits, and I’m always the one to stop them because she’ll keep going, and I can’t keep up.”
But it’s not just her humor that has Akash hooked—it’s the way she makes everything and everyone around her feel a little brighter. “She radiates fun energy,” he says. “It’s like she has this aura around her that everyone sees and wants to be a part of. Sometimes I watch her in action just because I love seeing how people light up when they talk to her. Makes me feel so lucky to have her.”
Their love deepened over time, leading to a moment that Maskeen will never forget: the day Akash proposed.
It was May 20th, 2023, and Maskeen thought she was headed to a pre-shoot for her cousin’s wedding. Her cousin had asked her to join for pictures, so Maskeen didn’t think twice when she, her sister, and a cousin made their way to a loft in Vancouver. “I thought nothing of it,” she recalls. “Just assumed it was a studio for her to touch up before taking more pictures.”
But when they arrived, something felt different. The loft was quiet as they climbed the stairs and walked down a narrow hallway. At the end of it, Maskeen saw a room filled with glass vases of water and candles arranged in a circle. All of a sudden, a video started playing on the TV, and there was Akash, talking directly to her. For a moment, she just stood there, completely confused, trying to figure out what was happening.
“I was so unbelievably overwhelmed and uncomfortable,” Maskeen shares. “I can’t explain the feeling.” She had known the proposal was coming eventually—they had talked about it and even booked the gurdwara. But as she puts it, “Nothing, not even knowing, can prepare you for the feeling of being proposed to.”
On the screen, Akash spoke from the heart, sharing incredibly sweet words. But as meaningful as they were, the moment was so overwhelming that much of it became a blur. “I blacked out and couldn’t remember anything,” Maskeen recalls. “I just remember that after the video stopped, he was behind me kneeling with my ring in his hand.”
But Akash wasn’t done yet. After she said yes, he told her they were going to dinner—but of course, that was just the cover story. When they arrived, Maskeen walked into a room filled with 50 of their closest friends and family, all clapping and cheering. “Pure shock x2,” she says. “He really hit the hammer on the proposal. It was the perfect day and night.”
Even before the proposal, Maskeen and Akash had already begun planning their wedding.
“We planned our wedding for two years,” they share. The early start was partly because their parents wanted to make it “official” and partly because Maskeen wanted to take her time to get everything just right.
One thing Maskeen credits for making the process smoother was her vendors, whom she clearly adored. “I loved every one of our vendors. They did a great job, but our photographer and videographers went above and beyond,” she shares. “I think it’s so important to pick those two vendors carefully because they’re with you for the entire week, and you want to feel comfortable with them. I’m extremely happy with the ones that I chose. They really made the week that much more special.”
She also highlights the importance of makeup artists, a detail many brides can relate to. “Your makeup artists are such important vendors because they determine how you look and feel the week of your wedding,” Maskeen says. “I was so lucky to have two great makeup artists that made me feel so beautiful and confident. Gopal played a huge part in why I walked into the gurdwara calm and ready.”
One of their favorite moments happened just before their big day, during Akash’s Bakara party. While they’d talked about crashing each other’s events during the planning phase, it didn’t seem possible since both had the same events on the same days, and neither wanted to leave their families behind. But Maskeen’s side had a last-minute change of heart the night before.
“My side decided we’d crash Akash’s Bakara party just the night before, so he genuinely had no idea,” she shares. When they arrived, the look on Akash’s face said it all. “His energy—it felt like a movie moment. Everyone saw and felt it. We talked about that moment all week long.”
The crash wasn’t just a surprise; it came with a soundtrack. “I picked our favorite brown song to play for the crash,” Maskeen recalls. “This song is so special because at one time we couldn’t find the original version on any music streaming app. We had to ask this one DJ to email us a file of it, which is now how we play it in the car.”
“We were all vibing all night. Dancing, jumping, hugging! We got a party bus last second and ended the night on the best note with the surprise crash,” she says.
Of all the events during their wedding week, the reception was the most demanding to organize. “We had to essentially create it from scratch,” they say. The venue, Hillcrest Farm, provided only the tent and lighting, leaving them to handle every other element through separate vendors. “This was the bulk of our planning. Planning the rest of the week was a piece of cake in comparison.”
But the payoff was unforgettable. “It was so gratifying to see every detail we spent so much time planning come together. Hillcrest Farm is an all-outdoor venue on a hill with an amazing view of Kelowna. It felt like a ‘wow, we did this’ kind of feeling.”
Even their parents, who had initially been nervous about the unconventional venue, were in awe. “Our parents were surprised, relieved, and in awe of what we pulled off,” they explain. “Originally, they were uneasy with the thought of us wanting and doing something unconventional—worried about weather, mosquitos, and a whole list of other things that could go wrong.”
But those concerns melted away. “Akash’s parents snuck in a sneak peek earlier that day and called us excited to tell us how beautiful they thought it was. At that moment, we knew that all their anxiety leading up to the day had cleared,” Maskeen recalls. “It was a really fulfilling moment because we sensed their worries over the course of planning, and despite our efforts to calm them, they needed to see it to believe it would work out—and it did beautifully.”
One of the details they loved most was the guest list. “We had a little over 200 guests at our reception,” they share. “We wanted it to be as intimate as possible with just our closest immediate families and friends.”
The smaller gathering meant they could truly let loose. “It felt like we could be our most authentic selves without holding back,” Maskeen says. “We were playfully unserious throughout the night because we truly felt at home—just delirious with love and happiness.”
And of course, there was golden hour. Guests were so mesmerized by the breathtaking view that no one stayed in their seats. “The guests were in awe—not a single person on the dance floor or at their seat, everyone scattered taking pictures with the view as the sun was setting,” they share. “This will forever be engrained in our memories.”
And even with all the effort, they wouldn’t change a thing. “If I could go back in time, we would definitely do it again though, just to witness the magic of golden hour at this venue,” Maskeen says.
For Maskeen, her wedding outfits weren’t just about fashion—they were a reflection of her personal style and the unique vibe she wanted for each event. To bring her vision to life, she traveled to India in January, dedicating an entire month to finding the perfect outfits.
“Spent an entire month there, but it felt like I had no time at all,” she shares. With so many options and styles to explore, she went in with an open mind. “I wanted a different look for each event. I didn’t go into it too specifically because I didn’t want to hold myself back from trying out different looks, but I did have a couple of things I was sure of. I knew I didn’t want to wear the classic red on my wedding day because darker and antique styles suit my personal style.”
When she found the one—a stunning maroon lehenga with blush pink accents—it wasn’t just Maskeen who felt it. “The second I put on my wedding lehenga, my sister started crying and said it was the one. I knew it was too,” she recalls. The moment quickly turned into a chain reaction. “She made my mom start crying, and then the shop worker was talking about his daughter, and soon he and my dad were in tears too,” she laughs. “It was such a sweet and endearing moment.”
The lehenga was a surprise even to Maskeen herself. “I really didn’t think I’d get a maroon lehenga for my wedding day, but it suited me so well, especially with the blush pink. It gave the antique look I was hoping to find.”
But while her wedding lehenga was unforgettable, her absolute favorite look was her Jago outfit. “I think it represents my taste to a T,” she shares. “We were walking across a shop, and I saw it hanging on a rack in the back through the window. I went inside to have a proper look at it, and I knew right away I had to have it.”
The unique red, orange, and sage combination, along with its intricate vintage-style detailing, made it pop. “It has a vintage look to it, like you took parts of someone’s grandma’s rug and stitched it together,” she says. “It’s my absolute favorite look to date.”
Her reception lehenga came with its own challenges. With an outdoor venue in mind, she needed something summery that would look beautiful in the sun. “A typical reception lehenga wouldn’t suit an outdoor venue,” she explains. After trying on several options that didn’t match her vision, she found it: a sage lehenga embroidered with branches, flowers, and even a deer.
“Nothing screams ‘outside’ as much as this outfit,” she says. “It has nature embroidered all over it.” But despite loving it, she was hesitant. “I found it the first day but was worried it wasn’t enough, even though I absolutely loved it. I actually picked out my Jago, wedding, and reception outfits the first day of shopping but only bought the wedding lehenga because I thought it was too good to be true.”
After hours of trying on outfits and a good night’s sleep, Maskeen knew her instincts had been right. “The next day, I was still stuck on both the Jago and reception lehenga. Everything else I tried on just confirmed that I wanted them. Couldn’t believe it.”
Her parents, who had been nervous about her finding what she wanted, were stunned at how quickly it all came together. “They were so worried because I’m really picky, but I somehow found my three main outfits within the first day and had bought them all by the second. Crazy!” she laughs.
Somehow, everything fell into place, and Maskeen ended up with looks that perfectly captured the vibe of her wedding week while staying true to her personal style.
One thing Maskeen and Akash emphasize is that, while the wedding week is unforgettable, the process leading up to it can be intense. “One thing about planning that I think every couple should be aware of is how it almost takes over your entire relationship,” Maskeen shares. “You eat, breathe, and sleep wedding for the last six months, and it can cause some tension at times.”
For them, the key was remembering to step back and make time for themselves outside of the planning. “Just remember to take a step back and make time for your relationship outside of planning,” she says. Whether it’s a date night, a quiet conversation, or just laughing together about something completely unrelated to the wedding, those moments help keep the focus on what really matters.
Maskeen and Akash’s love story is proof that the best relationships aren’t just built—they’re lived. From sparks they couldn’t deny to a wedding week bursting with surprises, laughter, and magic, their journey is a reminder that love is in the moments you don’t plan, the ones that catch you off guard and leave you breathless. Because at the end of the day, the best part of their story isn’t the golden hour sunsets or perfect outfits—it’s that they found home in each other.
GALLERY
VENDORS
Photography: Photography By JB
Videography: Amavi Films
MUA: Beauty Blend Artistry + Pink Orchid Studio + Makeup By Gopal
Decor: Kapari Decor + White Rose Decor + RTR Decor
Mehndi: Jasmine Henna
January 21, 2025
By TK