Russian bride's sister's shoe-stealing ceremony video: Brother-in-law promises 3 elephants for stealing her shoe

A video of the wedding of an Indian groom and a Russian bride is going viral on social media. During the shoe-stealing ceremony, the sister-in-law is seen making a bizarre demand. She demanded three elephants from her brother-in-law, which the groom promised to give her.

Cross Cultural Wedding Moments: Love neither sees religion nor wealth..sometimes it even falls in love across borders. Videos of cross cultural wedding moments go viral on social media every day. Recently, a video of an Indian groom and his Russian bride is going viral on social media. In this video, after the shoe stealing ritual, the bride's sister is seen making a demand from her brother-in-law. She asked for 3 elephants in exchange for the shoe. This light-hearted moment won the hearts of people on the internet.

Funny Demand for Three Elephants

In the viral video, the bride and groom are seen sitting together after the wedding rituals. The bride is wearing a traditional red wedding lehenga and jewellery, while the groom is seen in a cream sherwani and a turban. Both are wearing floral garlands. The bride's sister stands in front of them, holding the groom's shoes. She says something jokingly, which the bride explains to the groom in English. The text on the video appears - "POV: her sister wanted 3 elephants."

The demand for "three elephants" was made purely in jest, as is the custom in this ritual. It was essentially a playful way of asking the groom for gifts or money.

The groom smiled and promised to give an elephant.

The groom listens with a smile. There's some laughter and conversation for a while. Finally, the video shows him putting his shoes back on, clearly indicating he's accepted his sister's condition. The video's caption read, "I married a Russian woman... and now her sister is hiding my shoes like it's an Olympic sport. Cross-cultural weddings are full of surprises."

This video, shared on February 8th, has received over 100,000 views. Many people left amusing comments. One user wrote, "Give me four elephants instead of three, brother." Others also shared heart and congratulatory emojis.

What is the shoe hiding ritual?

The Joota Chupai ceremony is performed at Hindu weddings. It's a fun ritual. When the groom takes off his shoes before entering the mandap, the bride's sisters, cousins, and friends hide them. To get them back, the groom has to give them money or gifts. This ritual is meant to foster fun and bonding.

Live auction of shoe hideaway

Another similar video went viral in November 2025. At a wedding in Chicago, an Italian guest turned the "juta chupai" ritual into a live auction. Guest Richie began bidding for the groom's shoes. What started as a joke quickly turned into a hilarious bidding war. The moment went viral on social media amid applause and excitement from the guests.

Image Credit: Instagram