Wedding Date September 7, 2024
Technically, the first time Summer Akhtar and Dylan Elliott met was when she sat next to him in class on her first day at UMBC. But by the next class, Dylan had moved across the room to sit with a friend. (Dylan swears he does not remember this happening.) Later, they officially met when they were both on the school’s mock trial team.
(It must’ve been a heck of a team, as they are both lawyers now—Summer is a federal public defender and Dylan is a plaintiff’s trial attorney.)
Besides the law, they also love books. “Long before our engagement we were talking about the Peabody as a bibliophile’s dream venue and a place that is quintessentially Baltimore,” says Dylan. Ultimately, they fell in love with Syrian restaurant Ammoora (and the food) as their wedding venue, but Dylan decided to propose to Summer at the library so that it was still part of their story. He popped the question by giving Summer a hollowed-out copy of One Thousand and One Arabian Nights—one of her favorite books—which he had been hiding inside his peacoat. Within the book was a paper ring (a Swiftie nod) on which Dylan had written, “Will you marry me?”
Their wedding was a further celebration of all the things they loved, including highlighting their different familial and cultural backgrounds.
Dylan wore a white dinner jacket like what his father and grandfather wore at their own weddings. Summer wore a bespoke lehenga from India that was intricately and traditionally decorated with lace and beads, but opted for a white dress with green and pink accents rather than a traditional South Asian red. The wedding playlist featured pop punk classics and Bollywood hits. The ceremony was also hybrid, with Summer’s brother conducting the Islamic Nikah and two of the judges that Summer and Dylan clerked for performing the legal component.
“It was also very important to us to have excellent food at our wedding because of how important food is in Pakistani culture,” says Summer. Ammoora, which sits on the Inner Harbor in Federal Hill, served Levantine cuisine family-style to all 160 guests so everyone could have a little of everything. “To this day, we still get compliments about the cauliflower at our wedding,” laughs Summer. “The cauliflower!”
BEAUTY Beauty by Nida BRIDESMAIDS Lashkaraa CAKE Dulceology Bakery CATERER Ammoora FLOWERS Bulk flowers from Hillen Homestead, arranged by Summer’s sisters and childhood friend GELATO Pitango Gelato & Bakery GROOM AND ATTENDANTS Brooks Brothers, Generation Tux, and Lulus HONEYMOON Andalusia, Spain, and Newcastle, UK INVITATIONS Zola LOCATION Ammoora MEHNDI Cardamom & Clove Henna MUSIC Mix Masters Entertainment Photographer Anugraha Iyer Photography VIDEOGRAPHER Cookie Jar Productions WEDDING LEHENGA Kynah and Seema Gujral Design