Poorna & Paul

May 25, 2025 • Rochester, NY

36 Days To Go!

Poorna & Paul

May 25, 2025 • Rochester, NY

36 Days To Go!

Our Story

How We Met

Paul and Poorna met in the most traditional way: by swiping right on Bumble! They started chatting in the height of the pandemic, and quickly bonded over their mutual love of urban vegetable gardening. Their first date in August 2020 was over FaceTime. While unconventional, it was clear from the very first video chat that the spark was real.

The first "in-person" date happened one week later at Father's Office in Culver City. It turned out that Paul lived only about a mile away from Poorna, and they each walked to the restaurant to meet. They arrived wearing facemasks and awkward elbow bumps took the place of introductory hugs, but once seated the masks came off and the conversation was effortless. At the end of their date, Paul walked Poorna home and bravely risked his respiratory well-being with a hug goodnight!

Early relationship

The first photo of Paul and Poorna together was taken on a weekend getaway to Big Bear in October 2020. Paul referred to Poorna as his "girlfriend" without prior discussion, which certainly surprised Poorna and initially resulted in some protest ("oh... um... okay..."). The protest didn't last, and after a few glasses of wine later that evening Poorna happily agreed to the title.

In the early parts of their relationship, Paul had short hair and Poorna had purple hair. Paul's hair grew longer and Poorna's grew darker, all while their love grew fonder.

Travels & Adventures

One of the many things that drew Paul and Poorna together was their love of travel and adventure. They made it a point to go on at least one big adventure per year - and many times more than one!

March 20, 2021

Their first big trip together was to Zion National Park. One of their favorite parts of the trip was zipping around the park on electric bikes. It was such a unique and fun way to view all the magnificant scenery!

August 19, 2021

A trip to Isla Mujeres, Mexico turned interesting when a category 2 hurricane was projected to land right where Paul and Poorna were staying! Thankfully it diverted, but it resulted in a whole lot of rain. Importantly, although both of them knew long before the words were said, this trip was very special because it was the first time they said "I love you" (spoiler alert: Poorna said it first).

November 19, 2021

For Poorna's birthday in 2021, Paul took her to Costa Rica. Here they enjoyed the mystical cloud forests and explored wildlife parks and volcanoes. They also enjoyed some down-time in the natural hot springs.

November 15, 2022

Birthday trips are one of Poorna's favorite things. For her 40th, she and Paul went to the Cayman Islands. The goal was to get Paul SCUBA certified (more on that later...) and see the magical bioluminescence the islands are famous for. They managed to fit in some beachside drinks and relaxation, too!

February 23, 2023

In early 2023, Paul and Poorna traveled to Mendoza, Argentina to help celebrate the marriage of some dear friends. The trip was full of delicious Argentinian barbeque, sweeping views of the Andes, and a whole lot of wine.

March 03, 2023

After the wedding in Argentina, they made a stop in the Galapagos. Here they explored multiple islands of the archipelago on a liveaboard boat. They were able to see some truly unique wildlife, learn about evolution, and were even lucky enough to swim with tropical penguins. Poorna threatened to stay there forever and turn into a penguin herself, but Paul did not allow it.

January 30, 2024

Paul and Poorna's most recent international adventure was an epic trip to Tanzania. They trekked Kilimanjaro and then rewarded their hard work with a safari, including the famous Serengeti National Park. Their safari was so impactful that they are considering returning to Africa for their honeymoon.

June 21, 2024

In the summer of 2024, Paul and Poorna explored Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks together. It turns out June is the season for baby animals in the parks - they saw baby bison, pronghorns, golden eagles, grizzly bears, river otters, and even wolves!

Relationship Surf n Turf

As many of you know, Paul is a rugged mountain man at heart, while Poorna is an ocean-loving mermaid at her core. They say opposites attract, and in their case this has proven true. Paul has encouraged Poorna to get out of her comfort zone with many camping and hiking adventures together. Meanwhile, Poorna has introduced Paul to the underwater world, and he even earned his SCUBA certification! Thankfully, it turns out Paul loves the water almost as much as he loves the mountains. Poorna... is still being convinced she can be a mountain lady (work in progress).

Our Engagement

On December 9th, 2023, Paul proposed to Poorna after hiking to the summit of Mount Lowe, a scenic peak in the nearby San Gabriel mountains. He was nervous that day, but was eager to reach Mount Lowe after reaching the summits of nearby San Gabriel peak and Mount Disappointment. He thought about proposing to her on Mount Disappointment, but didn't want to risk being thrown off of it by an enraged Poorna. The proposal was short and sweet with the words, "Poorna Chowdry, will you?" Poorna's response was naturally, "ARE YOU SERIOUS?" After catching her breath, she said, "Of course!" It was beautiful and intimate and they had the whole mountain to themselves.

Looking Foward

Paul and Poorna can't wait to share the next chapter of their story with all of you! Below is a collection of photos from their engagement photo shoot in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania.