Couple Who Went Viral for Traditional Indian Wedding Reveal They … – PEOPLE

Amit Shah and Aditya Madiraju were amazed when their 2019 traditional Desi wedding to celebrate their union in New Jersey went viral as a celebration of love and culture. Now, the pair is excited to see their family grow.

The couple exclusively tells PEOPLE that they are expecting their first baby, due in May, as they share photos from the paternity photoshoot, shot with photographer Dennis Tejero staged to share the exciting news with loved ones.

“Only five or six people know right now,” the couple tells PEOPLE. “I think culturally — as many other cultures also do — you don’t want to jinx something. You just kind of keep it under wraps and just wait and be patient.”

Speaking with PEOPLE about the years-long journey to starting their family, Aditya admits that the couple talked about their shared desire to become dads from the beginning.

“The funny part is that the concept of marriage and kids was something we discussed on our very first date. Usually that’s a red flag where people are like, ‘Okay, bye,’ but I think we stayed together because of that discussion,” he says.

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Building their family began in 2020, with the couple learning about the ins and outs of having biological children.

“We were so unaware at that time of what we could actually do, how much it costs, and what the process is and how long it would take,” says Amit. “It took about a year until we felt comfortable enough to move forward and really start making decisions.”

Once things were in motion, there was still a lot for the couple to learn — from the difference between surrogates, egg donors and gestational carriers to determining which of those partners would be part of their family’s growth. During that time, they were surprised to discover why the costs for same-sex couples are higher than for heterosexual couples.

“Most of this, actually 90 percent of this or more, is out of our pocket,” Amit explains, sharing that only a few insurance companies support LGBTQ couples in their fertility journey.

When the couple sat down to pick their egg donor, Amit, owner and creative director of AATMA Performing Arts, and Aditya, a wealth management bank employee and beauty blogger, knew from the beginning they wanted to prioritize the arts in their future children’s lives.

“I think for us basically the creative process, the out-of-box thinking, we were looking for someone like that, as much as we could tell from their profile,” Aditya says.

After finding an egg donor, it would take four rounds of in vitro fertilization (IVF) before the couple received their exciting baby news.

“I think the key for us was not to get attached and keep it as a process,” Aditya says of coping with the highs and lows. “And it’s hard because you try to plan a future and envision a baby that you’re telling yourself you’re not supposed to envision.”

As they cautiously shared the news with a few family members, the couple realized how — much like marriage — the concerns are the same as those of a straight couple.

“Our wedding was made into such a big deal by the community and by people all over the world, and at that time we didn’t really think what we were doing was anything out of the ordinary, at least for us, right?” says Amit. “But that story of marriage has helped so many people with their journeys in whatever capacity, and with this, it’s another way of saying ‘Look, we’re living a “normal life.” ‘ ”

Noting that starting a family is very important culturally, Amit continues, “We, as two South Asian men, are going to build this family and we’re going to build it in the best way we can.”

“I think showing that to the world will once again, prove that there is no restriction — we’re not missing anything here in this marriage or in this life.”

Aditya adds, “We are hoping us having a baby normalizes it even more, that it doesn’t matter if you’re a same-sex couple, you can just lead the life you want. I want this to be a guide for those who are trying because so many have gotten married after we have, and they have reached out to us thanking us because they figured out how to convince their parents and families because of us. So this might very well help too.”

As their little one grows, it’s Amit’s hope that “we won’t be talking about gay couples like we do now. We’ll just be talking about couples.”

“We won’t be gay parents, we’ll just be parents,” Aditya adds.

“I hope we can celebrate Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, all the holidays. I hope none of that stuff really matters.”

As dad life comes close, Amit and Aditya are looking forward to “a lot of family time, be it FaceTimes with relatives all over the world or spending time with family here.”

“I think everyone keeps wondering like how are you going to do this? Because everything’s going to slow down or everything’s going to this baby’s going to take over your life, and I can’t wait for that,” Amit shares.

Adds Aditya joyfully, “We can’t wait to be parents.”

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