A beautiful love story now blossoming into a gorgeous family, Ayreej and Tejas’ Ravenswood Mansion maternity session is stealing our hearts! Their genuine love is so evident and you can tell the two both are glowing with excitement as they prepare for the arrival or their son. Dolly Delong Photography is to thank for these sweet film and digital images. She’s sharing them with you along with Ayreej and Tejas’ story below!
Dolly: Ayreej and Tejas are going to be welcoming their firstborn (Kabir) in late May and were wanting some classic and timeless portraits at historic Ravenswood Mansion. We were able to take these portraits before the COVID-19 virus lockdown, and I am so grateful to have gotten to work with such a sweet and tender-hearted couple!
I want to share both their backstories and their love story with you to show you how loved their son already is: A little backstory of their pregnancy journey AND why how they chose their son’s name: Ayreej (Dad) and Tejas (Mom) met in India in 2010 in Pune. Tejas was a senior at college and Ayreej was working in Pune. Tejas moved to Cincinnati to pursue her master’s in information systems in 2013. Ayreej left to work in Dubai around the same time. The couple had a long-distance relationship for around 3 years. When Tejas got her current job in Nashville through a friend and Ayreej joined her in Nashville in 2017 to pursue his masters in information technology at Lipscomb University (another University in Nashville).
Dolly: Their son’s name will be Kabir. It is the name of a 15th-century Indian mystic poet whose work transcends religions. Their son has his roots in two very rich and diverse cultures (Tejas is from Maharashtra and Ayreej is from Kerala) and religions(Tejas is Hindu and Ayreej is Muslim) and they feel the name encapsulates it perfectly. Tejas’ pregnancy has been a little challenging because of needing small emergency surgery in the second trimester and the current coronavirus situation and the uncertainty around it.
Their fondest memories are of the blessing in disguise of social distancing. They are able to spend quality and quiet time together before the baby arrives and that has bonded them further as a couple. They are looking forward to sharing the unique life that they have across continents with their son. Tejas and Ayreej hope and pray that their son appreciates his heritage and honors the best of his American and Indian halves.
Dolly: Here is a little backstory of their wedding story: By some stroke of luck, in 2009, Ayreej moved to Pune(Maharashtra, India) well north of his hometown in Kerala and way out of the comfort of familiar tastes and tongue of the southern states. Tejas was finishing up her undergraduate studies in the same city and it was her second home and knew it inside out. Ayreej and Tejas met by another stroke of luck and quickly became friends over their shared love of books, travel, history, poetry, general eccentricity, and food. They met and talked about everything and nothing over countless cups of cutting chais. Tejas showed Ayreej, the real Pune-away from the swanky malls and glass towers of the IT industry. They explored the old palaces and forts, art galleries, ancient caves, century-old temples, mosques, and churches and ate at roadside eateries and sipped chai at wee hours of the day. The love that blossomed there has survived moves to Dubai and Cincinnati and 3 years living continents apart.
Their 9-year and still going strong journey is finally reaching the wedding milestone. We want to invite you to the confluence of two cultures and most importantly, the realization of the dream of these two hopeless romantics. (The photos submitted are a mix of film and digital)
What a lovely story! Congratulations Ayreej and Tejas! And huge thank you to Dolly Delong Photography for sharing this beautiful Ravenswood Mansion maternity session with us!
