In case you missed it, part 1 is here.
I think it’s only fitting that the biggest wedding I’ve ever done deserves the largest preview post I’ve ever assembled! There are a ton of images in this post, and you want to see them more than you want to read my ramblings, but let me stall you just enough to allow the pictures to load!
Let’s start at the beginning and get the only negative from the day out of the way. It rained. A lot. The ceremony was supposed to be outside along with some other aspects of the day, but when mother nature dumps almost 2 inches of rain on you in half a day, you move inside. We were fortunate enough for the rain to move through towards the end of the day so we got some pictures outside, but for most of the day everyone stayed inside. This was really the only thing that went wrong with this wedding, and from the faces of the people in the pictures below you wouldn’t even know that anything went wrong in the first place!
There’s never a shortage of things to take pictures of at a wedding. The number of details and objects that you can capture are endless. This day, however, took things to a new level. I honestly feel like I could of taken a thousands pictures of just Maitreyi and her bridesmaids getting ready. Between the jewelry and sari’s and henna tattoos, the beauty of the details was stunning! Oh and all the color too! Red was definitely the defining color of the day, but there was color everywhere! Not to be outdone, the guys had some pretty awesome (and comfortable looking) outfits as well!
Maitreyi and Will opted for a first look, and we managed to find a covered spot outside. I always love first looks, and their’s is no exception! Those facial expressions!
After some family portraits, it was time for everyone to get ready for the ceremony. A big part of the ceremony is the grooms entrance. He arrives in style, to song and dance, and processes to an area to be greeted by the brides parents. Yes, that is Will our groom arriving in a Ferrari. Yes, I have a picture of myself in said Ferrari (it’s one of the perks of the job). During all of this, Maitreyi was elsewhere being prayed over. Once this was wrapped up, everyone took their places for the ceremony.
Where this wedding differed from other, more traditional, Indian weddings was within the ceremony. This was an Indian Fusion wedding because Maitreyi and Will combined Hindu and Christian customs into one ceremony. Along with all the Hindu ceremonies and prayers (which I’m afraid I can’t accurately explain to you), there were also a few bible readings and an exchanging of vows and rings. The whole thing was quite beautiful and extremely fascinating. As with many aspects of this wedding, there was plenty of detail and color in the ceremony as you’ll notice when you see the stage from which everything took place.
This was a long day, but Maitreyi and Will were on top of that as well! After the ceremony, Maitreyi and Will (along with the groomsman) changed, and there was some downtime to grab some food (and a drink or two…) before moving on to take some portraits. By this point the rain had finally moved out so we did some stuff with the bridal party and our now newly wed couple! Then it was on to the reception!
The reception, like the Sangeet the day before, was a party! The dancing, music, lights, and even the entrances by the family and bridal party, was all high energy and so much fun! The best I can say is that I once again wanted to put all my equipment down and just join in. I don’t think anyone came away from this day disappointed (and I’m sure everyone was fully exhausted by the time they left).
This whole day really was an incredible experience for me, and I hope my pictures give you at least a glimpse of what this great day was like. Ok, I’ve (hopefully) stalled enough, on to the pictures!
Maitreyi and Will, thank you for welcoming me into your lives and allowing me to take part in this big, elaborate, and extremely fun start to your married life! I wish you the very best wherever you are! Here’s to many happy years!
