It was mixed feelings, something almost unheard of as a bride died at her own wedding and immediately her sister stepped in to marry the groom at the very same ceremony.
The original fiancée, named by her family as Surbhi, suffered a heart attack during the event in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, according to local reports.
She had just exchanged garlands with her intended husband-to-be Manjesh Kumar, as is Hindu custom, when she collapsed.
A Doctor rushed to the scene and unfortunately, the bride was pronounced dead.
But rather than putting an end to the celebrations, both families decided that she should be replaced as bride by her younger sister Nisha.
“We did not know what to do in the situation,” he said in a separate statement to the Indo-Asian News Service (IANS),” Surhbi’s brother stated.
“Both the families sat together and someone suggested that my younger sister Nisha should be married to the groom. The families discussed the matter and both agreed.”
She had to be placed inside another room.
Their uncle, Ajab Singh, said it had been a “tough call” for the family to continue with the proceedings, adding: “We have never witnessed such mixed emotions. The grief over her death and the happiness of the wedding has yet to sink in.”
The bride’s mother, Guddi Devi, reportedly called for the wedding to go ahead even after her daughter’s death, but her son Gaurav said she was suffering in the wake of the tragedy.
