Some weddings are remembered for their floral decorations, others for their music. But a wedding in Changanacherry, Kerala, in India, will be remembered for an entirely rare sight — every key role at the ceremony was filled by a pair of twins.
When the wedding began at the Metropolitan Church in Changanacherry, Akhil K Thomas took the hand of Maggie Mary, while Akhil’s twin brother Nikhil K Thomas stood beside Maggie’s twin sister Maria Mary.
The unusual celebration grew even more remarkable as two twin priests conducted the religious ceremony, with two more twin teenagers present as their altar servers.
For the two families, this was no ordinary wedding but the realisation of a dream nurtured for many years.
Akhil and Nikhil are the twin sons of Kunjumon Thomas and Jomol, residents of Vettuparambil in Changanacherry, Kerala. Maggie and Maria are the twin daughters of Tomichan and Marykutty, residents of Kumbuluvelil in Kulathur, Pathanamthitta district.
Remarkably, the priests too were twins. Twin priests of the Kanjirapally diocese, Father Anto Pezhumkattil and Father Ajo Pezhumkattil, conducted the wedding, while another pair of twin brothers, Jeron James and Johan James, assisted them at the altar.
The presence of twins in all the wedding’s key roles was no accident. The brides themselves had been searching for twin priests, and finally found them through a church in Kothanalloor known for its special gatherings of twins.
The twin sisters said: “Holding the wedding surrounded by twins was our childhood dream. Our parents and everyone in the family wanted this. Jesus Christ fulfilled that dream for us. When we invited the Fathers, they agreed at once.”
After conducting the ceremony, the priests too shared their special feelings. In an interview with Indian media they said: “Marrying twins is a very special experience that will stay with us as a lifelong memory. Such special moments remind us of brotherhood and goodwill.”
Recalling being twins themselves, they added: “They were born together and are starting a new life together. The two of us were also ordained into the priesthood together in the same way. It really is a beautiful feeling.”
In their working lives, both grooms, Akhil and Nikhil, serve in the merchant navy, while the two sisters, Maggie and Maria, work in the information technology sector.
Beyond the rare images of the twin pairs standing side by side in the crowd, the wedding left a beautiful message — however different life’s journeys may be, how joyful it can be to begin certain special relationships together. For the invited guests and the whole family, it was an unforgettable wedding.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report