About the Couple
Amit is a 2nd year internal medicine resident in New Brunswick, NJ, and Deepika is an IT Consultant working in Fairfax, VA. They met through mutual friends first in 1999 and again in fall 2002. Deepika is originally from Springfield, Va and Amit is from Kingsville, MD.

The Wedding Ceremony
“We were married on a beautiful fall day Saturday, November 27, 2004 at the Westfields Marriott in Chantilly, Virginia. Amit rode on a traditional decorated white horse. He was wearing a traditional cream sherwani with a red stole (from Study by Janak in New Delhi) and a red pagdi.” Excitement filled the air as the barat danced their way to the entrance of the hotel. The Mittal family greeted the groom and the barat, Amit’s aarti was done by Deepika’s bhabhiji, after which the bride’s father Surinder Mittal and the groom’s father Ashok Narula exchanged garlands. The guests then moved upstairs to the Grand Dominion Ballroom on the second floor of the hotel where the ceremony was held as per the customs and traditions of a North Indian Hindu wedding.

The wedding ceremony mandap and other decorations were grandiose and stunning. The mandap was oval shaped, with white ceiling swags creating a canopy effect. There were lights, candles and fresh flowers everywhere and the aisle leading to the mandap was littered with rose petals. Prior to the commencement of the ceremony the bridesmaids handed out wedding programs that matched Deepika’s wedding cards.

Deepika wore a traditional cherry red colored lengha (from Pooja Sari in Ambala) with antique work. She had mendhi on her hands and was dolled up in ornate Indian jewelry and bangles. There were smiles everywhere as the couple exchanged jaimalas in the beautiful mandap. As the bride and groom exited the mandap, the guests showered them with rose petals placed on rose cones on the seats.

The Groom Arrives

The Wedding Decor
Wedding Outfits
Deepika and Amit with Deepika's parents

The Evening Reception
The evening began with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres in the Upper Rotunda of the hotel. “We relied on Bombay Tandoor in Vienna, Virginia for all our wedding catering needs. The hor d’oeuvres consisted of Chicken Tikka, Vegetable Wrappers, Vegetable Platter, Aloo Tikki and Channa. There was an ice sculpture with two interlocking hearts engraved with our names decorating the area.”

The Reception Decor
Cake cuttung	Deepika

For the reception, Deepika wore an orange and fuschia fish-cut lengha, also purchased from Ambala. Amit wore a tuxedo with a fuschia tie matching Deepika’s lengha. The groomsmen wore dark suits and orange ties that matched Deepika’s lengha.

“We personalized many aspects of the function. Each table was named after an Indian or Amercian quality or sentiment. We had sweetheart tables for the head table, where the bride and groom and their parents sat. They were named Pyar, Ishq and Mohabbat. Orange and fuschia lighting on the walls complimented the Bride’s lengha. Each guest table was decorated with light orange and fuschia toned table overlays, with floral arrangement centerpieces at each table. We also had wedding favors and the dinner menu cards on each table.”

The reception began with a speech from the father of the bride, Surinder Mittal, followed by toasts by the bride’s sister, Sonia Mittal and the groom’s brother, Rahul Narula. The bride and grooms cousins Nitika Mittal, Nupur Gupta and Priyanka Khosla then made dance performances. After cutting a beautiful raspberry fondant cake adorned with flowers matching the decor, the couple headed to the dance floor to fox trot to “It Had to You” by Harry Connick Jr. and Frank Sinatra. The night ended with a midnight birthday greeting to Deepika’s sister, Sonia (her birthday is on November 28th). Vidaii tikkas were then put on Amit and Deepika as they departed the hotel.