24-year-old woman set to marry herself in what's being hailed as India's first sologamy

In what is most likely the first "sologamy" in India, a 24-year-old woman is all set to marry herself on June 11. According to The Times of India, Kshama Bindu from Vadodara, Gujarat, plans to tie the knot with herself in a traditional Hindu wedding that'll feature almost every ritual except the "baraat"—a celebratory wedding procession for the groom involving live music and dancing. Sharing what went into her decision to marry herself, Bindu told the publication that although she never wanted to get married, she always wanted to become a bride.

"Ever since my teens, I never wanted to get married. The tradition, somehow, never appealed to me. But I did want to become a bride. So I decided to marry myself," she said. Bindu shared that her thoughts to marry herself reignited after she heard an actress in a web series say that "every woman wants to be a bride but not a wife," reports Times Now News. According to Bindu, her marriage could most likely be the first sologamy in India. She revealed that although she did some online research to find out if anyone else had married themselves in the country, she couldn't find any. "Maybe I am the first to set an example of self-love in our country," she said.

Bindu shared that she has made all arrangements for the wedding, including booking the venue and preparing her vows for herself. Set to feature traditional Hindu wedding rituals like Pheras—the seven sacred rounds that brides and grooms take around the holy fire—and the application of Sindoor—the vermilion red or orange-red colored powder worn by married women on their forehead as a symbol of matrimony—the wedding will reportedly be solemnized at a temple in Gotri. Bindu will also be going on a two-week solo honeymoon to Goa.

"Self-marriage is a commitment to be there for yourself and unconditional love for oneself. It's also an act of self-acceptance," she said. "People marry someone they love. I love myself and hence, this wedding." Bindu, who graduated in Sociology from The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda and now works at a private firm outsourcing manpower, added that while some people might perceive the marriage as "irrelevant," her aim with this ultimate act of self-love is to highlight the fact that "women matter."

"Some might perceive self-marriage as irrelevant. But what I am actually trying to portray is that women matter," she said. Around 15 friends and colleagues are said to have been invited to Bindu's big day. The wedding celebrations are set to begin on June 9 with the Mehendi ceremony. The bride-to-be revealed that her parents have given her their blessings for the marriage. "They said that as long as it makes me happy, they are fine with it," she shared. Although rare, sologamies appear to be on the rise across the world.

In October 2020, an Atlanta woman married herself in an intimate ceremony in front of family and friends as an act of self-love after breaking up with her long-time boyfriend. According to Mirror, life and business coach Meg Taylor Morrison had always wanted to get married on Halloween 2020. So when she amicably split from her partner just four months before that date, she decided she didn’t need anyone else to go ahead with her dream wedding. "I wanted to marry myself as an act of self-love," Morrison said. "Part of marrying myself was about going beyond people-pleasing or trying to look a certain way. It was about saying yes to my own desires."

"It was the most wonderful experience," she recalled. "Before the ceremony, I sat down with my officiate Sara who interviewed me about what it meant to me to be marrying myself. I then welcomed everyone and handed them bubble wands and tambourines. One of my best friends Peter walked me down the aisle while my guests blew bubbles and hummed 'Here Comes the Bride.' I said my vows and couldn't help but cry throughout them. I cut the cake and every person at the wedding fed it to me in whatever way they wanted. We then had an evening of dancing and ordered in some food. My friends were so wonderful. They brought me wedding gifts, treated the time as sacred and special and said beautiful words."

Morrison added that she would recommend self-marriage to anyone and that one of the biggest misconceptions about getting married to yourself is that you have to be single or recently heartbroken. "I wasn't trying to compensate for anything, fill a void or heal through this ceremony," she said. "I would have married myself even if I was still in a relationship."