The love story of Sumita Dalmia and Anuj Patel began with a tweet. Two years later, their Twitter-themed proposal ended with one, too.
Patel, 26, and Dalmia, 27, both from the metro Atlanta area, fell for each other through the social media network, exchanging tweets for the first time in 2013. And once he knew he'd fallen, Patel proposed to Dalmia last month in an all-out Twitter-themed event, down to the font, graphics, hashtag and time-stamp.
He planned to have Dalmia's sister take her out on a day of fun — masked as a "Christmas present" — starting with a glam appointment at DryBar in Alpharetta. Then the clues began.
Patel had created a Twitter-themed scavenger hunt, with instructions and several clues packaged in an envelope, designed to look just like tweets, time-stamped exactly at the moment each would land in her hands.
Sumita holds up a paper tweet-clue from Anuj. Photos contributed by Credit: Meghna Nagarajan, Nawal Taoussi.
Each clue led Dalmia to a different iconic location in their relationship, and each was hashtagged #SumitaFindAnuj.
Not only did Patel create the paper versions for her to hold, he live-tweeted the entire thing, too.
After leading Dalmia to some of their relationship's memorable locations around the city, the penultimate tweet-clue led Dalmia on a horse-and-carriage ride to a hotel in Midtown, where Patel had a room booked and a dress waiting.
Anuj Patel lays out a brand new dress for Sumita before they meet. Photos contributed by Meghna Nagarajan, Nawal Taoussi.
After changing into her new black-and-blue dress, Dalmia went up to the hotel's helipad, where Patel was waiting for her, holding a final tweet.
It read:"Will you marry me?"
Sumita Dalmia holds up her answer to Anuj's Twitter-themed marriage proposal. Photos contributed by Meghna Nagarajan, Nawal Taoussi.
It was just three years ago, back in 2013, that Patel had asked another question on Twitter, earning another fateful answer from Dalmia.
He wrote then, "I have an extra ticket for (Zoo Atlanta's) Jazoo this Saturday! Anyone want to join?"
Though Patel had given his extra Jazoo ticket away before he heard from Dalmia, the two connected and exchanged contact information — their initial courtship preserved, still, on Twitter.
Photos contributed by Meghna Nagarajan, Nawal Taoussi.
"I remember joking with a friend that day, saying, 'I think I just met the man of my dreams,' " Dalmia told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
In December, at the end of the scavenger hunt, Dalmia got her last tweet-clue. It was time stamped for 5 p.m., exactly when the sun would set on the newly engaged couple.
The newly engaged couple after Patel's Twitter-themed proposal. Photos contributed by Meghna Nagarajan, Nawal Taoussi.
Dalmia said she was amazed at the detail that went into each and every clue, and that the proposal was very reflective of their relationship.
Their wedding is set for fall 2016. They've already picked out a hashtag: #Tweethearts2016.
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