Ever since Ami Patel was a little girl, she dreamed of having a big, colorful, Indian wedding. “I remember the first wedding I attended,” Ami says. “It was for the son of a family friend, and everything was so much fun. There was so much good food, everyone was laughing and having a good time, it just felt so full of love. On the ride home, I asked my parents when his sister was getting married, because I wanted to do it all again.”
This spring, on May 20, 2022, Ami did get a chance to do it all again, but this time she was the bride, marrying her best friend of more than 12 years.
Ami and Aakash met when they were in school at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. Walking across campus, Ami saw a guy sitting on the granite steps that she recognized from a party. “I thought to myself, he looks a little upset, so I went over to say hi and see how he was doing,” Ami says. It turned out he had gotten a ticket for running a stop sign, and it was his birthday. “We just sat there talking, and I swear, the thought crossed my mind that he was going to be in my life forever.”
While it might sound like love at first sight, Ami dated Aakash’s friend for four years. But all the while, their friendship grew. With the other guy out of the picture, Aakash asked Ami out on the day she graduated from Carolina, and their story began a new path that included travel and adventure. Aakash took a job in Chicago, Ami completed a pharmacy rotation in Africa, and then on a trip together in Spain, Aakash proposed.
The Perfect Setting
Aakash and Ami have made their home in Jersey City, but there was no question that they’d have their wedding in North Carolina. “We both grew up in North Carolina and so many of our friends and family are there,” Ami says. “Even if our friends from college have moved away, their parents are in the area which made it easier to travel.”
In addition to a central North Carolina location, Ami had two other considerations that were non-negotiable in a wedding venue:
- It had to be big enough to accommodate a large Indian wedding
- It had to allow dogs.
“There was no way we were going to celebrate one of the most important days of our lives without Taco,” Ami says. “He’s part of the family too.
Legacy Stables and Events checked both those boxes and more. The beautiful green landscape of the historic horse farm provided the perfect backdrop for the traditional groom’s processional. The music, drums and crowds of happy people made their way to the Forsyth Barn for a beautiful, traditional Indian ceremony, followed by a reception with tables filled with food and an atmosphere full of music and laughing.
“I knew when I visited Legacy Stables it was going to be perfect for our wedding,” Ami says. “It had the exact feel and energy we wanted for our wedding. The place is just beautiful as it is, with a rustic yet elegant look. We didn’t have to worry about bringing in lots of decorations or anything, because it was just naturally the look and feel I wanted for my wedding.”
Ami had a lot of help in planning her wedding. Her father-in-law, a foodie like Ami, took care of coordinating the catering. “We knew we would need a venue that allowed us to bring in our own caterers, and Legacy Stables was very accommodating in that regard,” Ami says.
Her mother was also nearby in Cary to take care of things as they came up. But most importantly, the staff at Legacy Stables and Events was helpful and always there to help out or answer Ami’s questions every step of the way. “I just loved working with Caitlynn, the director of weddings and social events at Legacy Stables,” Ami says. “Any time I had a question she would respond immediately. Her ability to keep me in the loop was great, and made planning our wedding really easy.”
Legacy Stables and Events was the perfect place for Ami and Aakash to celebrate the beginning of a new chapter in their story with their family and friends and their Siberian Husky.
