We Ignore Comments Like ‘Don't Mix Race’, And Thrive On Love: Megan And Savio

Megan and Savio often come across racial comments on social media pointing towards their relationship and Savio's ethnicity but that does not keep them from sharing all their beautiful memories together. Like Megan says, "It's all just noise."

This United States-based couple is inspirational in more ways than one, and seeing their beautiful vows go viral on social media, we decided to talk to them about their love story. In this conversation, Megan Payyappilly gets candid with SheThePeople and shares more about her relationship with Savio, their exuberant wedding ceremonies, how their different cultural background binds them together, and why love trumps negativity.

Megan Savio Payyappilly Interview

Tell us about your love story. How did you two meet?

Savio Payyappilly and I, Megan Payyappilly, met online on a dating app. I was living in North San Diego (California) and Savio was living farther south in San Diego. We began communication on a dating app and chatted for a few weeks before deciding to meet in person for our first date at a restaurant called BJ’s Brewhouse. Our relationship grew and grew and within about a year, we both knew we wanted to spend our lifetime together. After dating for over a year, we started talking about starting a future together and moving in. Finally, Savio proposed to me in May of 2021 with a Bollywood flash mob-style dance in the famous Balboa Park in San Diego and I said yes.

Different Cultures coming together is very empowering in more ways than one. How did the families come around to the idea?

Our families have been very supportive throughout our whole journey together. My parents met Savio pretty quickly while we were still only dating. In the US, it is normal for children to introduce their partners to their parents right away. Some people choose to wait to tell their parents, but my family is very close, so I decided to tell them in the beginning. They accepted Savio right away and wanted to learn about his culture. Savio, being from India, has his family living there. His father was more on the conservative side, so he waited to tell his father until after we were sure of our commitment to each other and that we knew we wanted to marry. Once Savio told his father, his father was happy for us and accepted me into his family. We were so happy and relieved to hear that because we were worried his father wouldn’t accept me and that he would have had to choose between his family and me.

If any, what were the challenges initially?

The initial challenges were first telling Savio’s dad about me and our relationship. We also faced some criticism from people on social media commenting about our relationship. People say stuff like "Don't race mix", "But he smells...", and "He's marrying you to get citizenship" etc. We continue to face those comments and criticisms today, but ignore them all.

What would you say has had the biggest impact on your relationship from when you started dating to now that you’re married?

Learning about each other’s cultures and about how we were both raised has had the biggest impact on our relationship. I feel so much more connected to Savio when we can do something that celebrates his culture together.

I love trying new Indian dishes and going to various cultural festivals in town. He also loves trying foods that I grew up eating and celebrating our US holidays.

How was the wedding experience for both?

The wedding experience for me was amazing. We had three wedding ceremonies in two different countries and they were all so different and so fun. I got to fully plan our US wedding and have it be the fairytale I always dreamed of. He planned our weddings in India; it was my first time travelling there. My parents travelled with me too and it was an amazing experience for all of us.

You chose to say your vows in Malayalam.  How was that feeling for you and the family?

I knew I wanted to do something special for Savio for our wedding in the US. I was very nervous because I didn’t know how well I would be able to speak Malayalam, but I had one of Savio’s closest friends help me with the words and the pronunciation, so I think I did a decent job. Seeing Savio’s reaction at our wedding is something I will never ever forget and showed me how much it truly meant to him. His family found it very special as well.

What makes you two sail through the hardships?

We always know that we have each other’s backs and we both know how much we love each other. We know that our love can withstand any of the hardships that we face. Savio was prepared for his father rejecting me and that he would still stick by my side no matter what. We are very good communicators and we work together to fix any issues that come up.

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