This Couple Arranged an Intimate Wedding Ceremony Right at Home

Photo by Flavio D Photography

Shortly after they met in 2018, Neil Ahluwalia and Priscilla Brandao knew they were meant to be together. Both already had children, and when the pandemic hit, they decided to combine households. In September 2020, Neil proposed at their home in Worcester, with Priscilla’s family watching on a video call. But as they began planning a wedding, the pandemic raged on, and “we didn’t know what to do,” Neil says. That’s when they looked around their own spacious house and decided, “Let’s just do it right here,” he says. The couple arranged an intimate ceremony with help from Endless Flair Events, incorporating details from Neil’s Indian heritage with more westernized traditions, and invited their very closest friends, family, and their three sons. Although the pandemic forced them to get creative, Priscilla says their wedding day was transportive: “We felt like we [were] somewhere else.”

Photo by Flavio D Photography

DRESS

Created by designer Ridhi Mehra and shipped from Delhi, Priscilla’s dress combined traditional Indian style, Western aesthetics, and comfort into one. “I was already expecting,” says Priscilla, who was four months pregnant on her wedding day. “So we shopped for something that was cut high [and] flowed, but still an Indian dress.”

Photo by Flavio D Photography

HENNA

Shrewsbury-based artist Meghna Ajmera decorated Priscilla’s hands and feet with intricate henna designs as part of an Indian tradition historically performed the night before the wedding.

Photo by Flavio D Photography

Photo by Flavio D Photography

FLOWERS

Due to Neil’s flower allergy, the floral arrangements, bouquet, and boutonniere from Sydney Smith Design were made of dried flowers.

Photo by Flavio D Photography

CEREMONY

Neil’s best friend officiated the ceremony and talked the couple through an Indian tradition called the “seven steps” in front of their guests.

Photo by Flavio D Photography

CAKE

While guests were finishing dinner, the couple stepped aside to cut the multi-layered yellow cake made by Queen Cupcake Creations. One tier contained gluten-free ingredients specifically for Priscilla to enjoy.

Photo by Flavio D Photography

Photo by Flavio D Photography

FOOD

Moroccan chicken skewers, kale-almond salad with warm cranberry vinaigrette, and seared garlic-herbed salmon were among the offerings at the reception.

Photo by Flavio D Photography

FIRST DANCE

DJ Backspin played Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey’s version of “Endless Love” for Neil and Priscilla’s first dance. The couple’s children also joined the dance party.

Photo by Flavio D Photography

THE FILE

Bride’s Dress Ridhi Mehra
Bride’s Henna Meghna Ajmera
Cake Queen Cupcake Creations
Caterer Endless Flair In-Home Dining
DJ DJ Backspin Entertainment
Event Coordinator/Designer Endless Flair Events
Flowers Sydney Smith Design
Groom’s Suit Tom James Company
Hair Ana DoSouto, Salon 23 (bride); Ryan Seger, Santana Company Barbershop (groom)
Makeup Gabriel Maldonado
Rentals Dez Collective; Refined Rentals

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