This Couple’s Four-Day Wedding Weekend Culminated in Fairy Tale-Inspired Reception at a New York Castle

Meredith Levy and Nisheel Amin met through mutual friends during their freshman year of college at Cornell University, but it took a few months for the pair to realize their feelings were more romantic than platonic. By the start of the second semester, they were a couple, but when COVID-19 eventually closed their school, they were apart for 106. “I kept a calendar for the first time and marked down each day we couldn’t see each other,” Meredith laughs. When classes reopened, the two made sure to make the most of the time they could be together. “We were like an old married couple already—cooking breakfasts and dinners together, visiting the COVID clinics, and going on long walks,” Meredith remembers.

In August of 2022, Nisheel proposed while sailing on the Hudson River in New York City. “The day before the engagement we had Raksha Bandhan, an important Hindu festival, and all these uncles came up to me and congratulated me on my ‘big day tomorrow.’ That definitely gave me a hint,” Meredith says. “When the day came though, I still thought we were taking a sailboat to a restaurant, and I was completely caught off guard when I turned around and he was proposing to me.” 

Two years later, in August of 2024, the couple hosted four wedding events in different parts of New Jersey and New York, all planned by the team at BBA Luxury Weddings. The festivities began with a nature-inspired Grah Shanti ceremony and Haldi, followed by a Sangeet with a New York City gala theme, and a backyard Mehndi celebration. Finally, on August 10, 2024, 300 guests gathered for Meredith and Nisheel’s culminating event: A wedding ceremony and reception at Oheka Castle, where the couple exchanged vows during a traditional Hindu ceremony in the venue’s stunning European-inspired garden. Here, see each of their unique, meaningful celebrations, as photographed by Amrit Photography.

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Eager to work on some of the more creative elements of their wedding, Meredith and Nisheel decided they’d create their own invitation suite one of a few DIY projects they took on ahead of their nuptials. “The invitations were such a fun way to collaborate and create something unique together,” the bride remembers. And they really were created together: Nisheel tackled the overall design, creating various floral borders for each insert card; Meredith painted small pomegranates on the back of the cards, symbolizing love and fertility.

Each invitation suite was tucked inside a bird-themed box, a nod to ceramic birds that would be used as a unifying theme throughout the couple’s wedding events. “Growing up, my parents’ nickname for me was always bird, and when my in-laws met me, they began to call me ‘chakli’ or bird as well—completely independently!” Meredith says. “There were little birds throughout all the events.”

“Our overall vision for this event was simple, intimate and traditional,” Meredith says of the the jointHaldi and Grah Shanti ceremonies. “This was a home event, with only our closest family and friends. The home where we held this event is built in a mid-century modern style with an Indian twist. We wanted our décor to reflect this, with only a few simple decor items pulling together the event.” The celebration was originally set to take place outside, but inclement weather meant the planning team needed to bring in a canopy at the last minute. “The main decoration of note was our toran, which was hand designed and hand stitched for our family by Monica from Jade by Monica and Karishma,” Meredith notes. “This was a unique heritage item Nisheel’s mother worked hard to have created for the home.”

Minimal flowers were brought in for this celebration, opting to keep the focus on the beautiful natural surroundings. “We used minimal florals for this event, but favored marigolds, banana leaves, and coconuts,” Meredith adds. Her own hair was studded with petite white blooms for the occasion.

The bride wore a Prisho lehenga with beaded earrings and a matching beaded headband. The groom wore an all-white kurta by Jade by Monica and Karishma.

“The wooden stage, surrounded by tropical foliage and colorful floral arrangements, became the focal point, complete with traditional seating featuring bright orange cushions to honor cultural heritage,” the planning team explains. “Brass vessels and woven baskets filled with vibrant rose and marigold petals brought an authentic and ceremonial charm to the event. The natural grass flooring and open-air structure emphasized a connection to the outdoors, while soft lighting added a warm and intimate glow.”

During the Haldi ceremony, the couple’s close family members applied turmeric paste to their faces. “This was a sweet moment for sure,” Meredith says.

Guests were seated in an open-air tent for the Grah Shanti, where long tables were styled with white linens, vibrant table runners, and garden-inspired floral centerpieces in shades of orange and yellow. Lush greenery was draped around the tent to help bring the outdoors in, ensuring guests were still able to enjoy the beauty of the property despite the shift in weather. “Thoughtfully designed, this setting beautifully blended tradition, spirituality, and understated luxury, creating a meaningful and inviting space for the Grah Shanti ceremony, shared with close family and friends,” the planning team notes.

The couple served traditional Gujarati food and observed important traditions with their closest loved ones.

Meredith wore a Raw Mango saree with gold jewelry while Nisheel wore another kurta by Jade by Monica and Karishma.

The couple hosted their sangeet, which took place on August 8, 2024, at Hudson House in Jersey City, New Jersey. The theme of this event? A New York City-inspired gala. “The event featured breathtaking water views and a glamorous skyline backdrop,” the planning team notes. “The décor radiated modern luxury and sophistication, with cascading white floral installations and lush greenery creating an ethereal ambiance.”

In keeping with the glamorous theme of the event, the bride wore a sparkling Seema Gujral lehenga with sequin, crystal, and glass bead embroidery. The groom wore a chocolate brown sherwani from Raghavendra Rathore.

In keeping with their theme, the couple and the planning team chose dramatic yet neutral florals to decorate the space. “We kept the florals very neutral and simple, with a focus on texture. We wanted the florals to compliment, rather than distract from the night view,” the bride says. Modern white lounge furniture with gold accents filled the space, as guests were encouraged to move about and enjoy the space rather than remain seated for a full dinner.

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The couple served craft cocktails and a variety of different global cuisines via food stations at the sangeet. “New York City is a very multicultural location and we wanted to reflect both our multicultural background and our New York roots in the food!” Meredith says. “Some of the stations included Chinese, Mexican, Mediterranean and of course Indian.”

Meredith and Nisheel performed a choreographed dance underneath glowing chandeliers before their friends and family joined them for an additional dance set. “For me dancing is always one of the highlights and every last group just knocked it out of the park,” the bride says. “I was so proud of my family for learning their dances so well.”

The couple’s Mehndi, they say, was the most traditional Indian celebration of the weekend, and it was held at the bride’s grandparents’ home in Bernardsville, New Jersey. “For many of my relatives, it was their first time attending a mehndi, and this was an absolute highlight for them!” Meredith says. The couple set an all-green dress code for the event, asking their 260 loved ones in attendance to wear their favorite verdant shade to mirror the event’s color palette. The couple followed suit, too. The bride wore an emerald green and gold Shyamal & Bhumika lehenga with floral designs on the sleeves and skirt. The groom wore Jade by Monica and Karishma attire, including a gold beaded sherwani. 

Meredith was able to showcase her beautiful engagement ring and tell family members and friends that Nisheel designed it. “He wanted it to be clean, simple and timeless,” she explains.

The event was meant to immerse guests in a cultural celebration of dancing and personalized experiences.Lounge areas and dining tables were set up beneath a sailcloth tent illuminated with string lights. In traditional Pichwai cloth paintings, cows are a symbol representing fertility and prosperity, and they were seen in subtle ways throughout the celebration. “We included beautiful Pichwai cow patterns everywhere, including on swags above the tables, on all the stationery, and as large carvings,” the bride says. The swags were adorned with floral installations of greenery and white florals, while the tables were decorated with gold candle holders, organic white floral arrangements, and lots of fruits and vegetables including mangos, bananas, and cabbages. The dance floor itself featured an image of a peacock, carrying the bird theme through this celebration.

“The event theme centered around creating engaging moments for guests, featuring live food cart stations serving freshly prepared Indian street food delicacies, an exciting flare-tender show for a dynamic cocktail experience, and a curated Indian drink menu that reflected the cultural richness of the occasion,” the planning team says.

The Mehndi celebration gave guests an opportunity to enjoy a variety of different cultural experiences, including henna designs from Mehndi artists. “My father plays the French horn, and he got a beautiful French horn painted on his hand,” Meredith says.

The couple’s design team also set up an area of the home centering around an image of Shrinathji. 

The highlight of the Mehndi celebration for Meredith was her solo dance performance to Chaap Tilak and Piya Ghar Aavenge. “I had to learn large parts of the dance the day before so I was really nervous, but it all came together,” the bride says. “Of course, since I’m Western I don’t have a background in classical Indian dance, but I do love to dance. It was a really wonderful way for me to express my excitement and love joining a new culture and family.”

The next day, the celebration moved to Oheka Castle, in Huntington, New York. “We love Oheka Castle because it has all the grandeur necessary for a big Indian wedding, while also reflecting a quintessentially European architectural style,” Meredith says. 

The bride wanted her ceremony lehenga to be bridal white, which isn’t traditional, so it was difficult to source, even after two trips to India. After returning home empty handed a second time, she took matters into her own hands: In the end, Meredith worked with designer Eeksha to customize an all-white pearl and beaded lehenga and a matching veil. “I wanted a beautiful western veil in addition to a dupatta,” she explains. “The designers worked really hard with us to modify the lehenga to meet my dream, and they nailed it!”

Nisheel wore a white sherwani designed by Eeksha. He also wore a Toledo steel sword that has been in Meredith’s family for generations. “This is another cute example of cultural mixing,” Meredith explains. “Indian grooms often wear swords or daggers while western grooms do not, but the sword we chose was a historic European sword.”

The couple decided to share a first look ahead of their ceremony, and Nisheel’s mother had a custom antarpat designed by Jade by Monica and Karishma for the occasion. The cloth, meant to separate the bride and groom before the first see each other, incorporated the seven steps written in Sanskrit for a unique touch. “I think the most magical moment was the moment I walked up to the antarpat, and Nisheel and I could see each other through the cloth,” Meredith says. “This was the most emotional moment for both of us.”

The inclement weather the couple had experienced for their pre-nuptial events finally cleared up, with the sun coming out just in time for Nisheel’s Baraat. He arrived in style in a white convertible before joining his family and friends to dance their way to the ceremony.

Meredith and Nisheel wanted their wedding ceremony to look as if it was lifted out of the pages of a fairy tale. With that vision in mind, the planning team designed an ultra-romantic ceremony that highlighted the grandeur of the castle’s gardens. The focal point was a custom mandap designed and built by Nisheel’s father and uncle. “The whole mandap was covered in traditional Gujarati designs and each square represented a different region or tradition in Gujarat,” the bride says. “We wanted to build and design as many elements as we could as a family, to incorporate our own creativity and family-oriented values into the wedding process.” The mandap was constructed in India, shipped in pieces, then put together on site ahead of the wedding.

Bronze bells were also used throughout the space, and they were intentionally positioned to frame the garden’s fountains. “For us, the inclusion of the bells reflected the home we currently share, and the home we will build over time,” the bride says. Ceramic birds were hung from the trees around the ceremony. 

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The couple had live music during the ceremony. Meredith walked down the flower-lined aisle by herself, and although she practiced her walk ahead of time, the sun was streaming in through her veil and the wind was nearly tipping her over. “The video effect of my veil blowing looks cool but inside I was really struggling to stay upright,” she says. “It was the longest walk of my life, and I felt so much joy when I reached the mandap and my family helped me ascend.”

The couple tied the knot in a traditional Hindu Gujarathi ceremony. The priest explained each of the ceremony steps in English in between the Sanskrit prayers, and Nisheel’s aunt sat to the side of the mandap to offer explanations and guidance throughout. The couple exchanged garlands as a symbol of their mutual commitment, which ended up being one of their favorite moments of the entire week. “After the ceremony my dad recited the seven blessings (Sheva Brachot) which are at the heart of a Jewish wedding ceremony,” Meredith says. 

For the reception, Meredith changed into a red Mishru gown with floral appliqué detailing. “I wanted to wear a white lehenga, and then a red western dress to the reception, since many Indian brides wear a red lehenga traditionally, and western brides will wear a white dress!” she says. Nisheel wore a black tuxedo with subtle art deco inspired designs from Raghavendra Rathore. He accessorized with a beaded toucan brooch as a fun nod to the bird motif seen throughout their wedding events.

Guests gathered on the castle’s lawn for cocktail hour, where they enjoyed signature drinks and light bites. The reception menu featured “His,” “Hers,” and “Ours” cocktails, including a Grand Mezcalita with Grand Marnier and pineapple juice, a spicy Tequila cocktail with raspberry purée and vanilla reduction, and a bourbon drink with honey syrup, lemon juice, and rosemary cocktail foam. “We had signature cocktails at every evening event,” Meredith says. “The mixologists were definitely one of the main highlights of our events!”

The couple’s wedding reception was meant to merge baroque influences with modern touches. “We wanted our reception to have a very old-school royal look, with lots of reds and small accents of blues,” the bride says. The design team worked in a bold, statement-making color palette of deep red, black, and gold, with touches of blue.

The tables incorporated sleek black linens, red and pink floral centerpieces, gold chargers, crystal glassware, and red napkins.The design team incorporated gold mirrors, candelabras, and gold platters of fruits like pomegranates, watermelons, and grapes to mimic a royal banquet. They added an LED wall wrapped around the ballroom’s panels to transform throughout the night with dynamic designs.

Meredith and Nisheel shared their first dance as a married couple to “Soulmate” by Arijit Singh and Badshah. The bride shared a father-daughter dance to “The Blue Danube” by Johann Strauss II and the groom danced with his mother to “Simple Man” by Shinedown.

Meredith surprised her new husband with a performance during the reception, singing “When I Have Sung My Songs” by Ernest Charles. “I learned this song as a child, but it didn’t have true meaning for me until I got married,” she says, “The message—singing only for one person your whole life—is so beautiful, and it felt so true.”

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