You know it’s a good wedding if it gets two posts from me!
Maitreyi and Will approached me about photographing their “Indian Fusion” wedding at Lansdowne Resort back in March. While I had photographed an Indian wedding ceremony before, I had never photographed a full-fledged Indian wedding. Based on the stories I’d heard from other people about Indian weddings, I thought I had an idea about what I was getting into.
I really didn’t…
Let’s me back up though. Maitreyi and Will, along with their families, are awesome people! It’s really that simple. Maitreyi and her family are from India, and Will and his family are from down south in Georgia. This wedding really was a fascinating and beautiful fusion of cultures! Both of them were organized, relaxed, and not overwhelmed by the event at hand, which I quickly learned was a remarkable feat. When I sat down to talk logistics with them, I learned that this wedding would be spanning 2 days and that they would need me for about 13 hours (which didn’t even cover the entirety of the events)! Saturday was the ceremony and reception, but Friday was an event called the Sangeet, and that’s what this post is about!
The Sangeet, as summed up from my experience that night, is basically a very elaborate rehearsal dinner. When I say elaborate, I mean elaborate. Two members from Maitreyi’s side of the family acted as the MC’s for the evening, there were multiple song and dance numbers (including a performance from the couple), and members from the bridal party and immediate families were brought up throughout the night to answer questions and share stories about our soon to be married couple. Oh there were also chefs cooking food right there in the reception hall along with drink service!
Through all the dances and questions and games though, the defining characteristic of this night was one of fun! Being a photographer at a wedding or event necessitates that I listen to what’s going on so I can pick up on cues and have an idea of what’s coming next, but I’m only half listening to what’s being said. I have to be thinking about my camera and settings so I can actually capture the moments, therefore I’m rarely fully engaged in what’s being said or what’s going on. As the evening went along, part of me wished I could have put down my camera and just been there for the festivities so I could of really taken in everything. The laughter and stories shared brought so much character and definition not only to Maitreyi and Will, but these two different (but really not so different) families!
After all the questions and songs and choreographed dances were done, the dance floor opened up and the party started! With that, why don’t we get to some images!
You can check out Part 2 here!
