Years ago a delightful Indian couple, Raju and Hemal, took one of my cooking classes. We became friends, I visited them in Mumbai, and we stayed in touch. They contacted me last year because their son was getting married and the bride, who had studied at N.Y.U.

in Florence, wanted to have her wedding in my hometown. Raju arrived in Florence in January with an entourage—Indian wedding planner, Italian wedding planner, brother of the groom, sister of the bride, two chefs, and more. They were planning to have 700 guests, mostly coming from India. The bride's family was vegetarian. I helped choose the Italian caterer and was invited to the June wedding, an exciting prospect since I'd been to a wedding in India and it was an unbelievable experience.
The invitation was lavish: beautiful calligraphy on the envelope, red rose with gold leaves embossed on the cover, seven pages, in English, with titles in Italian, to explain events hosted by different family members over three days. They'd be set in some of the most beautiful locations in the city. Monsoon Wedding meets A Room with a View. Would my wardrobe be up to the occasions?
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