Dating Stories: Bollywed reality stars share the secrets to their relationship

Married couple Savroop Mann and Chandan Singh co star on CBC’s hit reality show The show follows the adventures of the owners and clients of the famed, family owned Little India bridal shop Chandan Fashion and their newly opened store, Chandan Heritage in Brampton. The new season of premieres Jan.

14 on CBC and CBC Gem. “Chandan was my first date, ever. I was hesitant to date someone I couldn't see a long term future with.” “Though my dating experience before Roop was limited, it did highlight certain qualities and personality traits that were non negotiable for me in my partner. Roop and I first met each other through her cousins I went to university with.

What I realized when we met was that her beauty ran much deeper than her appearance. I was taken aback by how down to earth, sensitive, family oriented and — my personal favourite — silly she was.” Chandan and I were both invited to Lucky Strike Lanes, a bowling alley in Vaughan, for my cousins' birthday party.

His charisma and kindness made an instant impression on me; he was a gentleman through and through. There was an instant connection and curiosity to better know the man sitting across from me, and I'm confident he felt the same way because he proceeded to ask me 101 questions! It was extremely refreshing to meet someone who was not at all shy about making his interest fully apparent.” Our first date was at The Old Spaghetti Factory in downtown Toronto.

I thought it was a fun and casual place to get to know one another better. Roop made me feel relaxed and comfortable; we were cracking jokes as though it was our 10th date. It wasn't intense at all ... until the topic of dating came up. I discovered on that date that this was her first date ever! I went into panic mode: so many thoughts ran through my mind.

Was the place fancy enough, should I have picked her up in a limo with flowers, was my outfit okay? Seeing the sheer panic set in on my face made the whole ordeal extremely funny to her. After that I switched gears and took her to a fancy dessert place in Yorkville, where more than the food or experience, what stood out is how much we were laughing and connecting.

It was really special to be with someone that didn't care about how fancy the food or experience was, but just appreciated my company and the quality of the conversation.” “Early on, I was always trying new things, and proposing interesting places to go on a date so I could really get to know the type of person Roop was.

So I mixed it up, from Honest Ed’s, Christmas lights at Niagara Falls and thrifting in Kensington Market to attending hockey games, taking a food tour in Little Italy, visiting penguins at the Toronto Zoo and watching the likes of John Legend and Drake live in concert. I love being outdoors, so it was very important she could be out in nature with me.

On our first hike, it turned out I was the one that struggled to keep up with her! “What stands out to me the most from our early dating days is the spontaneity. We took turns proposing activities, which was a great window into one another's interests, and thankfully they quite often aligned.

Even when they didn't, we were open to trying new things to understand why the other loved it so much.” “One of our favourite things to do year after year is attend the Christmas Market at the Historic Distillery District. Little did we know this cute date night of ours would go on to heavily shape our future.

As we would move from one festive stall to the next, pause to take photos by the decorated Christmas tree, or stop to listen to the carolers, we would inevitably start to shiver uncontrollably and lose feeling in our limbs due to the Toronto winters! We would then sneak into nearby condo lobbies to warm up, only to be swiftly kicked out by security.

As we exited, we would say laughingly to one another, ‘Imagine living here: we could just hop upstairs to warm up and come back down for hot chocolate and caroling.’ Fast forward a couple of years: we got married and bought our first ever home in the Distillery District! Manifestation works! This little Toronto gem will always hold a very dear place in our hearts.” “Now, running two businesses full time while also filming a reality TV show the burnout is far too real.

We have daily coffee sessions we like to call ‘pockets of peace,’ and weekly date nights, like eating at a new restaurant or checking out a local farmer's market.” “We get through rough patches by adhering to the 24 hour rule. We implemented it very early on in the relationship, and it's going strong today! You have exactly 24 hours to pout, frown, implement the silent treatment, whatever tickles your fancy, but once the 24 hours run out, it's time to sit down, communicate effectively and make a game plan for moving forward.

Our relationship is extremely sacred to us, we consistently put in the work, and 12 years later we are still side by side no matter what life throws at us.” “The most apparent con of working with your partner — especially someone as driven and passionate as you — is that if you're not careful you'll often lose track of hours, if not days, and forget to unplug from work.

The pro? Your biggest motivation is working side by side: the combined potential is limitless! The mutual understanding and compassion of what's on each other's plates is a huge blessing. As we continue to work together, we do our best to ensure that Chandan and Roop, the best friends, are meeting up just as often as Chandan and Roop, the business partners.” “Though it is nearly impossible to capture the true essence of our relationship with a camera crew of 10 members around us, we hope viewers are able to see the respect and support we have for one another.

Even when there are differences of opinions, it stems from a mutual desire for the best possible outcome. At the end of the day, it is a partnership on so many levels. If one of us wins, we both win.”.