Anita & Ankit’s Wedding
Friday, September 10th, 2010One of the best parts of being a wedding photographer is the opportunity to learn about different cultures and to experience different traditions. I was so thrilled and honored when Anita & Ankit contacted me after being referred by my friend: Desi Wedding Photographer Saad Syed. Anita and Ankit were married at the Westfields Marriott in Chantilly VA in a Hindu wedding ceremony as prescribed in Vedic scripture. I provided coverage for the Sangeet at the amazing Washington DC Cosmos Club on Saturday, and then the incomparable Chuck Anerino helped me to document the wedding day ceremonies in Chantilly on Sunday. The celebration was planned and coordinated by Courtney from A Sweet Soiree, and it was a pleasure to work with her.
For those of my blog readers who are not as familiar with Hindu tradition, I am going to caption and explain this set a little more than I usually do. As is typical for my site, more than 80% of these images are un-posed and un-manipulated documentary.
Sangeet can be literally translated into English as “sung together.” It is a celebration that brings together the families of the bride and groom, and features much singing, dancing, and food. Anita and Ankit’s Sangeet featured a number of ceremonial dances and traditional Indian songs, as well as toasts from some of the couple’s relations.
The Sangeet began with the Garba, a circular Indian folk dance.
The Garba was followed by the Dandiya Raas, which is a traditional dance in which the sticks represent the sword of Durga in her battle with the demon lord Mahishasura.
A Radha dance performance with Anita, Ankit, and their family looking on. Radha is the supreme beloved of Krishna, and theirs is the great love story of the Hindu faith.
Anita’s brother Navin on the dance floor
Navin giving his heartfelt toast.
One of the key parts of the Sangeet is the Dholki singing. The Dholki is a two sided drum, seen here in the foreground. Traditional songs and dances are performed, which are light-hearted and even humorous. You can see Anita and Ankit in the background laughing in this photo.
The Wedding Day
The wedding day began for me at the home of Anita’s parents, for the Puja ceremony. The Puja involved a series of offerings, and preparation of the bride for the day with some of her ceremonial ornamentation.
In this image, auspicious saffron powder is marked on Anita’s forehead as a sign of devotion
Anita’s grandmother ties on the Kaleerey.
Grandmother traveled all the way from India to be here for this wedding.
Here you can see the Mehndi (henna art), the Chura (bracelets), and the Kaleerey (bells)
image by Chuck Anerino
The necklace in this image belonged to Anita’s great grandmother.
image by Chuck Anerino
image by Chuck Anerino
image by Chuck Anerino
The Baraat Swagat is the procession of the grooms family to the venue, and receiving of the groom’s party by the bride’s family.
image by Chuck Anerino
Ankit riding a decorated horse as part of the Baraat ceremony.
Anita’s mother greets Ankit and applies the Tilak, a red mark on the forehead signifying welcome and luck
The Milni is a special greeting between pairs of the family members from each side.
Anita enters the wedding and processes toward the Mandup (altar) with her father
The Varmala is the greeting between the bride and groom. Var means to accept as your own.
The couple make one of seven circles around the sacred fire. This is the most important part of the ceremony, symbolizing the beginning of their journey through life together. Notice that their scarves are tied together: this is the origin of the expression “tying the knot,” and part of the ceremony.
With each circle, the couple seek the blessing of God to enable them to fulfill their seven vows. Image by Chuck Anerino
Circling the sacred fire
The exchange of rings
Aashirvaad: after having received the blessings of their parents and relatives, the couple walks from the Mandap together and are showered with flower petals to symbolize blessings from the guests.
image by Chuck Anerino
Detail of the Mehndi (henna) on Anita’s hand. One tradition is that Ankit needs to find his name in the Mehndi during the course of the day. You can see it here, appropriately located right under Anita’s thumb.
image by Chuck Anerino
image by Chuck Anerino
After Ankit’s toast, he is embraced by his father
image by Chuck Anerino
The Vidai is considered to be the most emotional ritual, when the bride leaves her parents’ home and makes her way to her husband’s.
As part of the Vidai, Anita throws rice behind her to symbolize repaying her family for all that they have done for her as she leaves to start a new life with her husband.
Vanessa & Tim’s Wedding
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010Vanessa & Tim were married in Pigeon Forge, TN this past weekend at a cabin overlooking the Smokey Mountains. It was an intimate family affair with a lovely relaxed vibe. Sonya Scott handled the planning for Vanessa & Tim, who flew in from California to get married in our great state. Vanessa had her hair and makeup done at the Colour Bar & Spa in Pigeon Forge.
Some of the highlights from the day for me included:
-Tim’s reaction in the first look. I just love it when a groom is so excited about how awesome his bride looks.
-I was happy to be able to find that higher angle for the ceremony shot. Its always fun to find an unusual perspective.
-Vanessa & Tim did a choreographed first dance, and Daniel had just the perfect angle and timing for one of the big moves.
-Grandma was awesome. I could make a blog post just of pictures of her.
You can register to see all of these images and order prints once I have the entire set edited at this link:
Vanessa & Tim’s Pictage Gallery
image by Daniel Shaw
image by Daniel Shaw
image by Daniel Shaw
image by Daniel Shaw
image by Daniel Shaw
image by Daniel Shaw
Push up contest. Vanessa won.
Vanessa’s Dad
Kimmia & Brent’s Wedding
Monday, August 16th, 2010Kimmia and Brent were married this past Saturday in a Persian ceremony at the Hutton Hotel, followed by a traditional Western ceremony at Scarritt Bennett Center’s Wrightman Chapel. Kimmia purchased her amazing dress at The Bride Room, and Stephanie Russell of Hair Mafia styled Kimmia’s hair. Kimmia and Brent had both an outstanding band: Band 24/7, and a solid DJ to keep the party rolling when the band wasn’t playing. Special thanks to the wonderful Gipsy Williams from Enchanted Brides for her help with the portraits!
After working with Kimmia three times now: her engagement session, bridal portraits, and now her wedding, I have to say that my favorite part of photographing her is that she’s not only beautiful but expressive. Kimmia’s happiness is infectious, and it translates marvelously well into documentary photography. But not only is Kimmia photogenic: her entire family are wonderful subjects: witness Daniel’s brilliant portrait of her father, Kimmia’s gorgeous mother and her two lovely gowns, or the numerous instances where her outgoing brother Nima appears in this series.
Obviously, this is a large set of photos… due in part to the extended nature of the coverage. Note that as usual, about 80% of these images are completely un-posed and documentary in nature.
You can register to see the entire wedding once I have it edited by registering at the link HERE.
Kimmia’s mother modeling the first of her gowns
yep, those are some granny panties
Kimmia’s Dad, image by Daniel Shaw
image by Daniel Shaw
Opening the gift from Brent, with bridesmaid looking on
The girls practicing their hip-hop/Persian entry dance for the reception
first look
image by Daniel Shaw
Yes, that’s Kimmia’s brother Nima in the middle rocking his Jason Alexander pose.
image by Daniel Shaw
image by Daniel Shaw
image by Evan Baines & Daniel Shaw
image by Daniel Shaw
As they cut the cake, the piece started to fall over, prompting Kimmia to lunge and catch it
Kimmia’s Bridal Portraits
Saturday, August 14th, 2010Kimmia wanted a more contemporary and stylized look for her bridal portraits, which we did in the studio a few weeks ago. Kimmia is beautiful and easy to work with, which always makes my job more fun.
Congratulations on your wedding Kimmia and Brent! Check out the blog soon for wedding photos!
Gesica & Dan’s Engagement Session
Tuesday, August 10th, 2010Amanda and I traveled to Chicago this past weekend to photograph an engagement session for Gesica & Dan. We’re always up for a visit to Chicago, as its a chance to visit my brother and eat his ridiculously good food.
I think my favorite shots from the set are the ice cream photos, in that I think there is a level of relaxation and personality in those shots that really says something about Gesica and Dan’s personalities. I love his expression in the third shot of that series, for instance, because you get a sense of Dan’s sense of humor.
Thanks for a great session, and for enduring the mosquitoes. Cheers guys!
