Balakrishnan had never seen the pin koyaham worn in person, and recreating it for her wedding proved difficult. When she approached Anusha of Perfect Pleats by Anusha, the drapist mentioned that her own mother recognised the style. With no online tutorials to consult, Anusha practised the technique on herself, while Balakrishnan’s mother also tried to work out how the pleats were constructed. Although Balakrishnan was initially hesitant about attempting an unfamiliar drape for her wedding, Anusha encouraged her to go ahead.
For the manavarai, Balakrishnan chose a deep chocolate-plum sari from Maha and Co., with delicate floral buttas, stylised peacocks along the border and antique gold-coloured zari. Its relatively simple design allowed the distinctive pleating of the pin koyaham to stand out. She wore antique temple jewellery sourced individually through Etsy, vanki armlets from Malaysia and Surya Chandra hair ornaments from Sri Lanka.
Arnold’s vetti from Kungumam featured flame lilies along its gold-zari border, a motif Balakrishnan had introduced him to while sharing her family’s history. It also carried a Tamil verse that the couple translate as “To us, all towns are one, all people our kin.”
For the koorai, Balakrishnan chose a true-red sari from Oviyaam Saree Collections, featuring a vairoosi design and small buttas throughout. Her grandmother’s pallakam necklace had passed through several generations, while a signet ring had originally been given to her grandmother by her great-grandmother. She also wore a gold necklace she had purchased with her late father during childhood, and a vanki armlet her parents had bought in India before she was born. Arnold, meanwhile, would change his angavastram and thalapa during the koorai ritual, so that the transition into married life was marked by both partners.
The couple married on May 9, 2026, at Madison Greenhouse in Newmarket, Ontario. According to Balakrishnan and Arnold, Sangam-era Tamil literature often connects human emotions with natural landscapes, a connection that influenced their choice of the greenhouse, where the sound of a waterfall could be heard throughout the ceremony. Rather than centring the proceedings around the sacred fire commonly seen in Tamil Hindu weddings, they incorporated flowers, grains, a conch shell, brass vessels and kolam-style designs into the manavarai.
Photographs of Balakrishnan’s late father and the couple’s late grandparents stood beside the manavarai, where the couple sought their blessings. Her mother welcomed Arnold with a garland and lit the vilakku to begin the ceremony. Immediately before the thali tying, she handed Arnold the thali, which would hang from the thali kodi, incorporating the coins from her own marriage necklace. For Balakrishnan, including the coins was also a way of honouring her parents’ marriage.
Arnold recited the Tamil oath he had spent months practising, and the couple performed corresponding vows and rituals. During the koorai change, he changed his angavastram and thalapa while Balakrishnan changed into her red sari and family jewellery. The parai drummers played during the thali tying, as Kalanadan recited verses from the Thirukkural and friends and family gathered around to shower the couple with flowers.
