Home PeopleBridal This Hudson County Couple Got Engaged at The Rooftop at Exchange Place in JC

This Hudson County Couple Got Engaged at The Rooftop at Exchange Place in JC

by Samantha Impaglia
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Risha Jagadish and Anshul Manglani are a Hudson County couple who just recently got engaged locally. The two are originally from India and met via Instagram after not matching on a dating app — two years later, they’re engaged and ready for wedding planning. Read on to learn more about this local couple and their movie scene-like engagement at The Rooftop at Exchange Place in Jersey City.

risha engagement

(Photo credit: @klavallee.photography)

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Hoboken Girl: What do you both do for a living?

Risha Jagadish: I work at Facebook (now Meta) in the Compensation Analytics team and Anshul works at BlackRock in Portfolio Management.

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HG: What city do you both live in + for how long have you lived there? What’s your favorite part about living here?

RJ: I’ve been in Hoboken for almost 5 years, which was when I first moved to the east coast from California (and before that, India). Anshul has been in Newport for the last 3 years.

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risha engagement

(Photo credit: @klavallee.photography)

HG: When and where did you + your partner meet?

RJ: Funny story — we originally saw each other on a dating app but didn’t match. Anshul then sent me a message on Instagram. After a bit of back and forth of platonic romance on Instagram, we finally had our first date at Lutze (now Smorgasburg).

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HG: How long have you been together?

RJ: 2 years.

risha engagement

(Photo credit: @klavallee.photography)

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HG: Was there an instant connection/chemistry between you two?

RJ: Absolutely! A few minutes into the date, I knew he was the best friend I’d been waiting for. I just loved talking to him (which is also why we probably didn’t leave until Lutze had to politely kick us out). Anshul says that the first time we met he knew I was the one.

HG: What are the qualities you love most about each other?

RJ: Anshul has got an extremely kind heart, and he’s so patient. If meditation had a human form, it would definitely be him!

AM: She’s kind-hearted and always giving to others.

risha engagement

(Photo credit: @klavallee.photography)

HG: When was the moment you knew you were meant to marry each other?

RJ: For Anshul, it was our first date at Lutze. For me, I knew it much before but didn’t want to accept it until my family said yes!

HG: Tell us about your proposal.

RJ: The proposal was a scene out of a movie! There was a pre-proposal and an actual proposal. I always joked that my nails are never done and my wardrobe is very simple so I’d [be bummed] if I didn’t have a heads up before a proposal. So a week before the actual event, Anshul shows up at my doorstep with flowers and gets down on one knee. For those microseconds in my head, I was like, “Wait, he’s proposing here? With the trash bins behind me in every pic?” — but phew, he was just fooling around and took out a card that had a sweet message along with a $300 gift card to let me know it was time to buy a dress and book an appointment at the nail salon and clues would follow along.

risha engagement

(Photo credit: @klavallee.photography)

A week later on Friday night, I got my final clue that Saturday was the day. My sisters flew in so it was amazing to get dressed, and I was blindfolded and had AirPods plugged in with loud music so I couldn’t see or hear where we were headed!

The proposal was at Rooftop at Exchange Place in Jersey City. He had booked the entire space and there was a photographer along with a live musician playing the violin as I walked in along with our closest family and friends.

risha engagement

(Photo credit: @klavallee.photography)

We’re both originally from India so our families are back home. He also had an Instagram live setup for all of them to view the event in real-time.

HG: How surprised were you? Were you expecting it?

RJ: I knew there was a proposal coming up (thank God for the heads up) but I hadn’t imagined it to be the way it was. I’m originally from India and have been there for 21 years of my life and was always fascinated with New York, so to have this kind of a proposal with the NYC skyline as a backdrop was right out of a movie scene. It was just such an emotional moment I can’t quite put into words.

HG: How long have you been engaged + what has been the best part about it?

RJ: It’s been about a month since the proposal. The best part is just knowing that what is for you will never pass you, and things eventually work out always.

risha engagement

(Photo credit: @klavallee.photography)

HG: Where are you planning to get married?

RJ: We plan to have the wedding in India later in the year, and maybe a mini celebration here before that!

HG: What part of the wedding planning process are you most excited about + not looking forward to?

RJ: I’m excited about spending quality time with friends and family in the planning process. While this isn’t exactly wedding related — I’m not looking forward to apartment hunting for us in Hoboken/JC.

risha engagement

(Photo credit: @klavallee.photography)

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HG: How many people do you plan to have at your wedding?

RJ: I’d say with Indian weddings in general it’s a bit hard to limit the crowd with all the families, relatives, and celebrations — it’s definitely a “the more the merrier vibe” and we’re all for it!

HG: Do you plan to use any local vendors?

RJ: We haven’t quite decided on it yet but we did have locals for the proposal — @laluxepicnics for the decor and @klavallee.photography for pictures.

risha engagement

(Photo credit: @klavallee.photography)

HG: What are you looking forward to most as a married couple?

RJ: Setting up our house, having our families visit from India, hopefully getting a dog soon, and helping each other grow every day.

Favorite casual date spot: We actually love the Napoli’s on Washington Street. Great food, BYOB, and the staff is so friendly!
Favorite formal date spot: Lokal Jersey City

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