Like all new brides, Belfast-based doctor Gowri Ramanathan’s face lights up when she talks about her recent wedding. But unlike most new brides, 25-year-old Gowri is just getting to know her husband.

As the Queen’s graduate and her husband Karthik Subramanian (27) reminisce about last month’s traditional Hindu ceremony, they look like typical newlyweds, laughing with each other and holding hands.

But the couple had only spent a few days with each other before their wedding in India on June 14.

Theirs is not what Gowri and Karthik call a ‘love marriage’ — but was arranged by their parents.

The couple were first introduced to each other in Malaysia, where they grew up, in February this year.

And after spending just ten days in each other’s company they decided to become husband and wife.

Gowri always knew she would one day follow her family’s tradition — both her grandparents and parents had arranged marriages — but Karthik said he never thought he would marry a woman chosen for him by his parents.

“We agreed to meet up but we weren’t planning on getting married. I thought I would go along with it because there was no harm in meeting,” he says.

“But after meeting Gowri everything changed.”

Karthik says he’s now glad he decided to follow tradition.

“You have the backing of the whole family,” he explains.

“If you go along with a love marriage or if you married out of your caste it would be a big problem. You would be more or less disowned.”

But he also admits that like every marriage, arranged marriages have their problems.

“It’s been great,” he begins.

“It also has its moments because you are not used to being with someone who is a stranger. But overall it’s been a very good experience.

“There haven’t been any surprises! If you are moving in with a stranger, you know nothing about them but you get to know one another and respect one another’s boundaries.

“We probably don’t differ from other newlyweds apart from the way we met. Everything else is the same.”

Gowri adds: “But after the first two weeks of meeting each other we were very comfortable. There is no tiptoeing around each other.”

The couple arrived in Northern Ireland two weeks ago and are living in staff accommodation in the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald, where Gowri is due to start work next month.

Karthik, a professional chef who has a degree in Culinary Arts from the Cordon Bleu school in San Francisco, is now looking for work in a local restaurant or hotel.

It’s a world away from the colour and spectacle of their Indian wedding that took place in the southern region of Chettinad — in front of 1,000 people.

Friends and family members had travelled from the UK, USA, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore and Dubai last month for the celebrations.

And some of Gowri’s friends from university also flew out to be there on her big day.

The wedding itself started before 7am as the couple’s horoscopes revealed that the best time for them to get married was between 7.30 and 8.45am.

That meant an early start — around 4am — to prepare.

Gowri says: “The priest said prayers to casting out evil and afterwards I had to discard those clothes and shower.

“I put on a pink sari, which was given at the engagement ceremony by Karthik’s family. Then my hair and make-up was done.”

It was an equally early start for Karthik, who followed tradition by travelling the last few hundred yards from the temple to the wedding hall on a white horse accompanied by musicians playing Indian instruments.

“They play the music really loudly to drown out voices of anyone who has anything bad to say about the wedding,” Karthik says.

And while Karthik wasn’t nervous about commiting to Gowri, making his entrance was a nerve-wracking experience.

“There were so many people around and so many photographers it was like an out-of-body experience. I was numb,” he recalls.

“Only when I saw the horse did I wake up! It was huge — it was a prancing horse so it was dancing around.”

Gowri’s family walked to the temple to greet her bridegroom, but she remained inside the wedding hall.

“I was hidden away but I did peek,” she admits.

Once Karthik entered the room the priest made a series of blessings and Gowri finally entered in a red wedding sari, which has been in Karthik’s family for generations.

Once they exchanged a necklace called a thali, they were officially husband and wife.

“That’s the equivalent of exchanging rings,” Gowri said.

“We also exchanged garlands and fed each other sweets.”

After the ceremony, the couple travelled to the village where Karthik’s grandparents are from and the celebrations continued until midnight.

Around 600 people travelled with the couple to Karthik’s family’s house.

“They are massive houses which are only used for family functions,” Gowri explained.

“They have about 20 rooms and the entire family stays there.”

Karthik adds: “It’s about 90 years old but no-one lives there now.”

A few days later, Gowri and Karthik flew to Malaysia for another temple ceremony in front of 600 guests who were unable to make it to India.

This was followed a few days later by a Western-style reception with dinner and dancing.

Finally, on June 29 they jetted off to Bali on their honeymoon — the first extended time without chaperones.

“It was just the two of us and there was no-one telling us what to do,” Karthik says.

“It was something we needed to unwind because we were so stressed out and exhausted.”

Finally they arrived in Belfast in time for Gowri’s graduation from Queen’s on July 9.

Karthik is now adjusting to life in a new country.

“I didn’t really have a choice about living here because Gowri is based here,” he says.

“I knew absolutely nothing about Northern Ireland, but so far it’s been great.”

Gowri adds: “We’re just enjoying being in each other’s company and doing our own thing.”