New Krishna, an Indian food restaurant in Sharonville, revived their popular all-you-can-eat buffet Aug. 1, after shuttering it for four years in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
People were elated at this news. So elated, in fact, that Jon Hill , an ordained minister with the Church of the Latter-Day Dude , offered free weddings at the restaurant to celebrate the buffet reopening.
One couple decided to take him up on the offer.
Yes, the buffet at this mom-and-pop Indian restaurant in an northern suburb served as the venue for Cheyenne and Rigaud Chostel's wedding ceremony.
Hill thinks New Krishna boasts the best Indian buffet in town. He used to dine at the restaurant with his friends on a weekly basis before the restaurant switched to a menu-only policy during the pandemic, and he's been mourning its absence the past few years.
He figured the buffet's reopening called for a dose of generosity and love, so he decided to advertise that he'd officiate free weddings at the restaurant the day of the buffet's reopening.
"Half joking, half serious, I was like, you know, 'I'll offer a free wedding to anyone who wants to get married to celebrate,'" Hill said. "I didn't think anyone would take me up on it, and somebody was like, 'yeah, absolutely.'"
Hill performed the wedding inside the restaurant, clad in his "Big Lebowski" costume – an orange robe, striped pajama pants and matching HEYDUDES loafers. He occasionally performs nontraditional weddings in costumes for the fun of it, he said.
He opened the ceremony with a monologue laced with Indian-food inspired puns.
"Now, before we begin, we need to make sure they have enough naan, right? Because we're going to need it to soak up all the tears of joy we shed," Hill said.
Then, the couple delivered their vows and sealed the marriage with a kiss.
Shortly after, the couple sat across from each other just feet away from where they stood when they got married. Their one-month-old daughter sat in Rigaud's lap as they ate from plates brimming with the North Indian specialties New Krishna is known for.
Their family sat nearby, chatting, eating and rejoicing.
The couple recently decided to get married when Rigaud devoted himself to his faith. He realized there is no better time than the present to marry his partner of two years, he said.
They were looking for cheap wedding options and stumbled upon Hill's services online. They reached out, and the timing was perfect. Hill offered to wed them for free if they agreed to a simple a caveat: Holding it at New Krishna. They had never eaten at the restaurant prior to their wedding day.
"Now it definitely has sentimental value. This is going to be our date night spot for a really long time," Rigaud said.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Couple agrees to get married at Indian restaurant to celebrate buffet reopening
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