Weddings 2017

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WEDDINGS 2017 l 13
NEELIMA + PRAVEEN
Y ou could say that
26-year-old Neelima
Piedy and 28-year-old
Praveen Yellela know
a thing or two about
wedding celebrations.
The two IT professionals from Ellicott
City marked their commitment
with ceremonies both in India
and here in Howard County,
accommodating more than 3,200
people between the two events.
“We both have a lot of family
in India, so we wanted to involve
them over there,” explains Neelima.
“At the same time, we have plenty
of friends and family here, too,
so we made sure we had a nice
reception to include them.”
The traditional Indian ceremony
lasted for five days. The guest
list over that time period
topped out at 3,000 people.
Back here in the States, Neelima
and Praveen opted for a small
courthouse wedding with only a few
family members in attendance.
The couple met in 2012, while
working together in Pennsylvania.
“Our families had been friends for
years but lost touch due to moves,”
Neelima explains. “When I first
started working in Pennsylvania,
Praveen sat in my work area.”
Though they were office mates,
the two never really communicated
until Neelima’s cousin showed her
some photos of an old school friend
and his brother, whom Neelima
recognized as her colleague from
work. Introductions were made,
and the two formed a friendship
that led into a romance.
Praveen, who had grown up in
Maryland, often served as a tour
guide for Neelima, who hailed from
Michigan. One of their favorite
places to go is the riverfront in
D.C. “We have so many great
memories of our visits to D.C., and
it is very special to us,” she says.
It was the natural setting,
therefore, for Praveen’s proposal
to Neelima. “He asked me a year
ago November on the river in front
of the FDR memorial,” she says.
Their wedding reception in
the States, Neelima says, “was
the perfect day because it was a
celebration of our love surrounded
by our families and friends. We spent
three years dating, almost an entire
year planning the wedding, and it all
came to an end with the reception.”
While the day went off without a
hitch, Neelima is happy to remind
brides-to-be that “the wedding day
is never about the dress, the venue,
the cake or the flowers. Everything
could go wrong and you’d still have
the most beautiful wedding ever
because you and your partner are
in blissful, cherished love.”*
Cake: SugarBakers Cakes.
Hair & Makeup: UpDos for IDos
Catering: Rangoli Restaurant
Dress: Custom-made in India
Music: Family friend (DJ)
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Living Radiant Photography