Our Wedding is on July 12, 2008 at Nashoba Valley Winery in Bolton, Mass and on July 24, 2008 at the Taj Connemara in Chennai, India.

The Story of Us
There are many out there who now have a Save the Date card for our wedding, but don’t know much about how we got there. I’ll start with a little about each of us.

Shukie grew up in Chennai, India which is on the southeast coast; it is one of the largest cities in India. Shukie is one of five kids and was brought up by his mother and older sisters. He went to school at the India Institute of Technology for his masters degree…well, the first masters degree - he is pursuing his MBA now at Babson College. Shukie came to Boston in 2000 and has worked in software development and in mergers/acquisitions.

Amy grew up in Connecticut, the youngest of three kids. After going to school in Delaware, she spent a few years in Atlanta. She is finding it very strange to write about herself in the third person. She is going to stop doing it now. I moved to the Boston area in 2000 for a job at a pharmaceutical company. I bought a house in the western suburbs and settled in with my dogs.

There are a couple of stories about how we met, only one is true.

We bumped into each other waiting in-line at Starbucks.

I know - not as exciting as some stories, but that’s just how it is. Shukie says I picked him up; I say he hit on me. In either case, we went on our first date in on the coldest night of the year in February of 2007. After a couple of dates where we both made some mistakes (trying to steal a restaurant pager; leaving someone to walk a mile or two home on the 2nd coldest night of the year), we made it to date numbers 3, 4, 5 and so on…

We spent the summer doing lots of fun things: climbing mountains, Shukie met my family at my cousin’s wedding, a weekend trip to Maine, and lots of falling in love. On my birthday, Shukie took me out to our restaurant, a tiny place in the North End. He threw me off the scent by saying during dinner “I don’t know why anyone would want to ever get married anyway.” I was shocked and appalled, but, he knew that about an hour later he’d be proposing. He did it on the waterfront, and gave me a ring with my birthstone in it. We later took my mother’s engagement ring and had the stone re-set into a beautiful and simple ring. The rest is still unwritten….

July 12 Wedding in Bolton:

General Information:
Nashoba Valley Winery is a fruit orchard and winery. The wedding ceremony will take place on a hill overlooking the orchards and the town of Bolton. We are having a reception immediately after the ceremony at Nashoba’s Pavilion. I’ve visited Nashoba Winery many time over the years, for meals, to take pictures, and to pick apples in the fall. I’ve loved it there for years, so during our quest to find an interesting and beautiful place to hold our wedding, Shukie and I visited Nashoba for a brunch, and he loved it as much as I do. We like it because it is simple and lovely. Our guests can wander the orchards (unfortunately it won’t be picking season!) and enjoy the New England charm.

Please note, since this is first and foremost an orchard, the roads and parking lot are not paved. The ceremony takes place on a hillside and the pavilion is outside. Temps in July around here are typically about 80°, and it should be 5 - 10° cooler in the Pavilion. The events are semi-formal, but please dress comfortably for the weather and environment.

Click here for a link to a map of the Bolton area.

Registry:
Shukie and I have opted to not register for gifts.

Area Hotels:
We have reserved a block of rooms at a special rate of 99/night, available for reservation until June 30th. Please call the Holiday Inn, Boxborough (978-263-8701) for reservations. This hotel is very close to Nashoba Valley Winery and was recently renovated.

Some other options near Bolton:
Courtyard by Marriott in Marlborough
Embassy Suites in Marlborough
Holiday Inn in Hudson

Hotels closer to Boston, about 20 minutes away from Boston and from Bolton
Marriott in Waltham MA
Hyatt in Burlington MA

For information on local Bed and Breakfasts, a New England tradition, please visit www.nashobawinery.com/lodging or www.bbonline.com.

Family Week Schedule of Events:
The week leading up to the wedding, we are having the immediate family in for some fun activities. Here is the schedule of events:

Tuesday: Arrival of some Bitterman’s and many Gaidjunas’

Wednesday: An afternoon at Fenway. 1:05 game. Meet up at Gray Street and head to the ballpark. Pa arrives.

Thursday: Duck tour followed by North End lunch. We’ll either meet at Gray Street or at the Duck for a 11-12-ish ride. After the Duck, we’ll take a cab and have an amazing Italian meal in the North End. Ma arrives and remaining Bittermans pull in.

Friday: Ladies lunch - meet at Gray Street early morning (around 10) and head out to get our nails done before hitting the city for a fun luncheon. The guys can chill, Shukie and Pa are charged with readying Gray Street for the Rehearsal Dinner without the Rehearsal to begin around 4.

Rehearsal Dinner: At our home, 169 Gray Street. This is a very casual BBQ with food supplied by Blue Ribbon BBQ - the best southern food north of the Chattahoochee! Please come in flip-flops and be ready to get rib stains on your t-shirt. We will also review any duties for Saturday’s events. If you are in town and can make, pop us a line.

Saturday: Whoo-hoo! Shukie and Amy get married!!

Sunday: You are on your own — Shukie and I have to start packing for India before we take off on Tuesday!

July 24 Wedding in Chennai
After we get married here in the states, we are taking off for Shukie’s hometown of Chennai, which is on the southeast coast of India. Shukie’s Ma and Sisters are planning the big event. I am expecting to just show up and get decorated in beautiful clothes and adornments and who knows what else. We are not having what most people think of as a traditional Indian wedding, which can last up to a week. We will have a reception and a ceremony in the Bengali tradition. Shukie will not be riding an elephant into the event, but sometime during our 2 1/2 weeks in India, I will ride an elephant! This will be my first trip to India, and my first time meeting Shukie’s family face-to-face. They are so wonderful and welcoming even from so many miles away; I can’t wait to get to know them in person.

Neela, Shukie’s youngest sister, has a daughter, Nisha, who excels at traditional dance called Bharata Natyam and she will hopefully dance at our reception (and I’m hoping for private lessons at home, though I don’t think I’ll be ready for public performance yet!). We hear that there are something like 350 people on the invite list - can it grow bigger? We hope not. We are so grateful to Shukie’s family for doing all the work to plan and organize this event.

And I just learned today that there is some chance that I will go on an elephant safari while in India!  How cool is that!  Thanks Murali and Anand!