Christian Wedding Mumbai: The Monirun-way

February started with a bang with one of the most fun-filled weddings of the season so far. Love was in the air as Monisha Rao – a cabin crew at Etihad Airlines fell in love with a Varun Shetty from Fly Dubai over drinks. The two decided to get married and got in touch with us to document their special day – KnotsbyAMP style. Monisha & Varun wanted the best wedding photographers in India to capture their special day and they went ahead with booking us 11 months in advance. 

We, as wedding photographers, always look forward to white weddings for their no-nonsense, merry and jovial vibes – Monisha & Varun’s wedding was not an exception.  After two gruesome months of back-to-back shoots, hectic schedules with little to no sleep, this wedding – with more than its fair share of dance, drama, music, games.. and some more dance – was just what the doctor prescribed.

Monisha & Varun celebrated their nuptials at The St. Blaise Church, Amboli followed by a night of ‘Drinks, Dinner, and Dance’ at The Peninsula Grand Hotel.  Before their wedding ceremony, Monisha and Varun got ready at their respective residences in Andheri.  Monisha’s quaint little house served as the perfect backdrop for the honest and quirky storytelling pictures that followed. Her house was a hub of activities as the bridal entourage helped each other with their wedding attire. The buzz and chaos is palpable from the pictures and so is the excitement as the bridesmaids help the bride with her final look. The highlight being the cute little messages the two had written to one another on the sole of their shoes – Solemates indeed!!
Varun got ready with the help of his groomsmen and boy did he look dapper in his white tuxedo, complete with his uber cool wayfarers and those superman cufflinks. This was followed by a short blessing ceremony before the bride and groom’s entourage left for the church.

Monisha was escorted down the aisle by her parents as everyone in attendance including Varun looked at her in awe. Soon after there was a short mass and the ring exchange ceremony thereafter.
Churches present a unique challenge for us as photographers in the form of restricted movement during the mass. It was important that we placed ourselves such that we wouldn’t have to move much and set our lights in such a way that it didn’t restrict anyone’s view. Our tele lenses came in handy here.  We decided to get hold of the couple and their close family members soon after the nuptials for a family photograph. Couple portraits and the photos of the bride and groom entourage followed thereafter. The sheer number of pictures we have of the couple kissing each other is a testament to their chemistry.

“Alcohol – Because no great story started with someone eating a salad” – This is what we first read as soon as we entered the reception venue at The Peninsula Grand and we got a rough idea of what was in store for us. The venue had a central dance floor surrounded by a banquet style seating for the guests.  The bride and groom danced their way into the venue to the tune of their favourite song . They were showered with confetti as they danced around the dance floor for a bit before settling down for the cake cutting ceremony. The champagne was popped, the best man and the maid of honor raised a toast to the bride and the groom respectively. The father/daughter dance and the first dance followed thereafter and the two were seen exchanging glances and making faces to each other throughout. This was followed by some fun games before everyone dispersed for dinner and drinks. Meanwhile, the couple decided to meet and greet their guests and we snuck in some couple portraits soon after. After everything was done and dusted, it was time to unwind as the close family and guests gathered for an after-party in the banquet hall. The party continued till late in the night and we stuck around clicking pictures until everyone decided to call it a day.

This is how the wedding was planned and executed the MONIRUN-way. Now take a moment, hold your breath to witness this beautiful wedding in KnotsbyAMP style.