Avani & Alex | October 10, 2026

Avani and Alex by the fountain at the National Gallery of Art

Our Story

It started with an open door

Avani and Alex met at the University of Maryland on a snowy February morning in 2017, the kind of morning campus probably should have been closed, except they both had a 8 AM exam. Avani arrived at 5 AM to study and found herself locked out in the freezing cold, spending a full fifteen minutes trying to catch the attention of the one person inside. Alex finally looked up, and opened the door.

Walking past, she noticed he was studying from the very same book. Same class, same exam. She invited him to join her study group; he politely passed, and she told him the offer stood. Before long he made his way over, and the rest is history. Study sessions became workouts, friendship blossomed into love, and the answer was yes twice: first when Alex asked her out, and again when he proposed.

Since then, Alex earned his doctorate in physical therapy, Avani launched her professional mehndi career, and together they bought their first home in Maryland.

Moments

A few of our favorites

Walking hand in hand beneath a stone arch

On a bridge at night by the Kennedy Center

Family, meet family

And introducing… Chip

The newest, and furriest, member of the Patel–Neal household. Chip regrets that he cannot attend the festivities in person, but he has requested a full report, ideally with photos of the food.

Kindly reply

RSVP

Enter your first and last name as it appears on your invitation. We'll pull up everyone in your party and show you the full schedule, dates, times, and locations for each event you're invited to, so you can reply for your whole household at once.

Trouble finding your name? Text Avani at 301‑640‑8049 or email HellerAn@mac.com and we'll sort it out.

Getting Here

Travel & Stay

Stay with us

Omni Shoreham Hotel
2500 Calvert St NW, Washington, D.C. 20008

Guests interested in staying at the Omni Shoreham can book their rooms at a discounted rate through our room block below. Rooms are limited, so book early.

Book the room block

Flying in

Reagan National (DCA) — recommended. Closest and easiest: about 20–25 min by car, or ~35–40 min by Metro with one transfer.
Dulles (IAD) — roughly 40–55 min by car depending on traffic; Silver Line Metro takes over an hour.
Baltimore (BWI) — roughly 55–75 min by car; MARC train + Metro is possible but slower.

Plan buffer time — D.C. traffic is real, especially on Friday afternoons.

Metro & parking

The hotel is a ~5 minute walk from the Woodley Park–Zoo / Adams Morgan station on the Red Line — an easy ride from Union Station and downtown.

Paid parking is available at the hotel, with street parking across from the hotel depending on availability. Rideshares drop right at the main entrance.