Thoibi & Romen

Khurumjari · you are invited to our Luhongba

Thoibi & Romen

two islands, drifting together

April 19, 2027The Wedding Venue

With the blessings of our elders

Come Home to Manipur With Us

With the blessings of both our families, we invite you to the Luhongba of Thoibi and Romen. There will be the pung and the kartal, a feast cooked by the village’s best, and a quiet morning on the lake for anyone who wakes up early enough.

with love, from both our homes

Until the Luhongba

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the pung is already being tuned

Before the wedding

Two Fish, Released Together

At the Kujaba, a pair of fish is released into the water — one for each of us. If they swim off side by side, it is a good omen. Our grandmothers have already decided they will.

Heijapot

baskets of fruit and sweets carried to the bride’s home — the yes, made formal

Nat Sankirtana

the pung drum and the kartal, sung through the ceremony

Kujaba

the bride’s hand tied to the groom’s, before her seven rounds

How two islands met

Our Story

Winter 2021

A Boat at Sendra

A college trip to Loktak, one boat too few, and two strangers told to share. The boatman talked the whole way; we were too busy laughing to hear a word.

2022 – 2025

Letters From Delhi

Four years of video calls across two time zones of work, and a parcel of chak-hao from home every time someone’s mother found a traveller going west.

Spring 2026

Yes, in the Hills

Above the clouds on a trek through the hills, with the valley full of mist below. He had carried the ring up for six hours. She said yes before he finished the question.

From Heijapot to Mangani Chakouba

The Celebrations

Heijapot

Two days before · 11:00 AM

The bride’s family home

The groom’s family arrives with baskets of fruit and sweets, and the wedding date is set.

The Two Fish

April 19, 2027 · 1:30 PM

The Wedding Venue

A pair of fish released together at the Kujaba, just before the seven rounds. Come early, it is over quickly.

The Luhongba

April 19, 2027 · 2:00 PM

The Wedding Venue

Nat Sankirtana, the bride in her Potloi, seven rounds and the exchange of garlands in the mandap.

Watch the Luhongba live

The Wedding Feast

April 19, 2027 · 6:00 PM

The Wedding Venue

The wedding feast on banana leaves, cooked by our leikai, finished with chak-hao kheer.

Mangani Chakouba

Five days after · 12:00 PM

The bride’s family home

The new couple comes back to the bride’s home for a feast with her family.

Getting to Imphal

Travel & Stay

Manipur is a valley ringed by hills, with Loktak at its heart. Most flights land by midday — arrive a day early and see the lake.

A thatched hut on a floating island on Loktak lake

The Venue

The Wedding Venue — the mandap, the feast and the music all in one courtyard.

Getting Here

Fly into Bir Tikendrajit International, Imphal (IMF), with direct flights from Kolkata, Guwahati and Delhi.

Where to Stay

Rooms are held at two hotels in Imphal — mention our names for the family rate.

What to Wear

White or cream is traditional for guests — a phanek and innaphi, or a white kurta. Bring a shawl for the evening.

While You’re Here

Loktak & Sendra

A boat out among the floating phumdis, with tea on the island after.

Keibul Lamjao

The floating national park, home of the dancing sangai deer.

Ima Keithel

The Mothers’ Market in Imphal, run entirely by women for five hundred years.

Kangla Fort

The old seat of the Meitei kings, on the bank of the Imphal river.

A Meitei wedding, explained

The Luhongba

If this is your first Meitei wedding, here is what you will see — what we will be wearing, and what happens in the mandap, in the order it happens.

the Potloi

What We Wear

Potloi: The bride’s cylindrical skirt, stiffened into shape and worked with mirrors and gold thread. It is also worn by Ras Leela dancers.
Innaphi: A fine, almost transparent shawl draped over the shoulders.
Kajenglei: The bride’s headdress, worn with her hair pulled back and a sandalwood mark on her forehead.
Pheijom & Kokyet: The groom wears white — a pheijom (dhoti), a kurta and a white turban.

In the Mandap

1
Nat Sankirtana

The pung drummers and the kartal singers open the ceremony. Their singing carries through all of it.
2
The Groom Arrives

He is welcomed and seated in the mandap, dressed in white, before the bride is brought out.
3
Kujaba

The bride’s hand is tied to the groom’s, and a pair of fish is released into the water for luck.
4
Seven Rounds

The bride walks around the groom seven times, scattering flowers. On the last round she garlands him, and he garlands her back.
5
The Blessing

Elders from both families bless the couple. This is when you can come forward.
6
The Feast

Everyone sits down in rows for the feast on banana leaves. There will be chak-hao kheer.

Moments

lake, lamps and lotus

The Sanamahi temple rising out of the green hills

Good to know

Questions & Answers

What should I wear?

White or cream is traditional for guests — a phanek and innaphi, or a white kurta. Bring a shawl; evenings in the valley get cold.

Where do I sit for the ceremony?

On mats around the mandap. Shoes come off at the courtyard gate, and chairs are kept for anyone who needs one.

Will there be vegetarian food?

Yes, plenty. The feast is served on banana leaves in long rows, and every dish is named as it comes round.

How long does the ceremony last?

About three hours with the Nat Sankirtana. You are welcome to step out and come back.

Can I bring a plus one?

Please check your invitation — if a guest is included, their name will be on it.

Still have a question?

Both families are happy to help — call or WhatsApp either of us.

Bembem Ningthoujam Bride’s sister

Tomba Singh Groom’s cousin

With gratitude

Your Blessings Are Enough

Travelling to Manipur to be with us is the gift. If you would still like to give something, we have put together a small registry.

View our registry

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Thoibi & Romen

Come Home to Manipur With Us

Two Fish, Released Together

Heijapot

Nat Sankirtana

Kujaba

Our Story

A Boat at Sendra

Letters From Delhi

Yes, in the Hills

The Celebrations

Heijapot

The Two Fish

The Luhongba

The Wedding Feast

Mangani Chakouba

Travel & Stay

The Venue

Getting Here

Where to Stay

What to Wear

While You’re Here

Loktak & Sendra

Keibul Lamjao

Ima Keithel

Kangla Fort

The Luhongba

What We Wear

In the Mandap

Nat Sankirtana

The Groom Arrives

Kujaba

Seven Rounds

The Blessing

The Feast

Moments

Questions & Answers

Still have a question?

Your Blessings Are Enough