Destination Wedding at Southern Palms in Kenya

Destination Wedding at Southern Palms in Kenya

Destination Wedding at Southern Palms in Kenya

Mona and Imran’s dreamy destination wedding still gives us all the feels! They got married in Southern Palms, Kenya which sits at the edge of the Indian Ocean on the gorgeous, renowned Diani Beach where the white sand and blue skies played a huge role in these swoon-worthy photos! We were so happy to be a part of their stunning, crazy, three-day-long party with close family and friends coming from afar to celebrate this special occasion. 

Have a look at this amazing film before you read on –

Check out Naiya & Darshan’s wedding we covered in Kenya as well! 

Day 1

Their Pre Wedding was just as beautiful as the country and the couple we were shooting. We got a couple of dreamy shots of them walking along the shores of Diani Beach and course a couple of fun playful shots! 

 

 

Mehendi Ceremony was a chill event with Mona getting her hands designed and people gathering around for dinner. 

 

 

 

Day 2

Imran’s Dirty Pithi Ceremony was an affair that we couldn’t have even imagined. His friends and family threw water at him, emptied bottles of ketchup and mustard, and broke eggs on his head! Then he went for a dip in the water to get rid of the pantry items on his body!

 

 

Mandvo & Pithi was a more formal ceremony where their close ones congratulated them and gave their blessings.

 

 

Sangeet was a memorable affair with incredible performances by the family followed by more dancing throughout the night. For Imran’s performance he came sporting a colourful vest flaunting his 6 pack abs and dazzled everyone with his moves. The rest of the night was so much fun that we found ourselves grooving to the beat and tapping our feet while shooting!

 

 

Day 3

Mona’s bridesmaid’s were the cutest! After helping her get ready, we got beautiful portraits of Mona and her nice moment of Imran and his father getting ready for the big day ahead. Their wedding venue set against the backdrop of the ocean with white roses was truly beautiful. After their Nikkah got over, the smiles on their faces were ever so bright. The joy radiating off both their faces was apparent as you can see!

 

 

Later that day in the evening, the couple made their entry with a bang towards the Reception where the celebrations continued with a cake cutting, the first dance by the couple, speeches from the family and a father-daughter dance. The party went on till dawn with people drinking and dancing the night away.

 

 

Grand Muslim Wedding in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Grand Muslim Wedding in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Grand Muslim Wedding in Dhaka, Bangladesh

At the outset of this beautiful year 2019, we covered one of the most grand muslim wedding in Dhaka, Bangladesh. And there is a bit of a small back story we would like to share here.

Anupam says – “When I first got a call about a wedding in Dhaka, I hardly believed the person on the other side. A wedding planner in Kolkata approached for the so called wedding. He was infact speaking on behalf of Bangladesh’s biggest wedding planner and decorator Sygmaz. By the time the event got confirmed it was only 11 days left to complete all the visa formalities and travel arrangments. This would have otherwise been impossible considering it takes 10 days to just complete visa formalities and that too it had to be done from Kolkata. Being in Mumbai didn’t help at all. But all that was made possible by the event planners flying us business class and getting a stamped visa signed by High Commissioner in Bangladesh. This is hands down one of the most lavish wedding we have covered till date and to be frank it was a humbling experience. Especially when the bride’s father Mr Abdul Wahed, owner of DBL group is the textile king of Bangladesh. Striking thing is despite his wealth & the fame, he was very kind and humble. One thing we learnt is the people in Bangladesh have very similar values to ours and whether it is the language or traditions there was hardly any difference. The only gripe we had was that there were multiple teams almost 4 other teams which really made it a mess to cover the event. Nevertheless very proud of what we were able to manage and have only very fond memories and hope to go back to Dhaka soon.”

What started with an arranged marriage match for Sadia & Abraar, led to multiple meetings, and eventually they fell in love. And it’s such a beautiful match, Sadia says he treats her like a crown on his head, while he says she has changed his life in all beautiful ways. We have covered several international destination weddings (Kenya & Thailand), and this one remains our favorite

The wedding festivities spanned for four days, the events were – Holud (Haldi), Sangeet, Wedding & Reception. Sadia & Abraar already had their Nikaah earlier. Since there were not much rituals involved, we had a lot of time for the portraits & couple shoot. The first day was Holud, and it was lavish and joyous affair, and when Mika Singh was also in the house, one can only see the energy and spirit at sky-high. The next was sangeet at Abraar’s house, and it was yet another fun event. It was followed by the wedding which happened at Radisson Blue, Dhaka. Sadia & Abraar entered hand-in-hand and she left everyone in tears as she headed for her new journey. It was one of the those difficult moments that we photographers have to witness time and again. And the last and finale day was the reception. All the other functions were in Pan Pacific, Sonargaon, Dhaka. Striking decor was the major highlight in this wedding. Some of the important wedding makers : 

Thanks to Sadia & Abraar and their families who gave us so many fond memories and loads of stories. Lets take you through their wedding film, and then the photo-stories. Our work in this wedding got us the Great Indian Wedding Award 2019 by ICWF in Photo-Stills category. 

 

Gujrati Wedding in Mombasa, Kenya

Gujrati Wedding in Mombasa, Kenya

Gujrati Wedding in Mombasa, Kenya

 

From Friendzone to the Endzone: Naiya and Darshan’s Desi Beach Wedding in Kenya

What would you say if your brother prophesizes your wedding with the girl you had just met? This is the magical story of the lovely couple Darshan and Naiya, both NRIs residing in Uganda & Kenya respectively, who met at their friend’s wedding in 2014 and parted ways. A chance meeting brought them together again, where they became friends and stayed friends for a long time (much to Darshan’s dismay), before finally transforming into a couple (much to Darshan & Naiya’s joy), who decided to spend eternity together. We were so happy to be a part of their beautiful beach wedding when called by the duo, who wanted the Best Wedding photographers in India to capture their wedding held at  Nyali Resorts, Mombasa, Kenya.

Naiya, a hotelier from Nairobi and Darshan, an industrialist from Uganda, are both Gujratis settled in the Pardes, with shudh desi hearts, something that shone through all the ceremonies they held, be it the Sangeet, the Mehendi, or the Holi Pool Party – which made for great fun and some amazing photos!

The wedding festivities kicked off with an African themed-party. Balancing their African roots with their Indian heritage, the event had enthralling performances showcased by the African dancers. It was a true delight to capture the two love birds, who were decked up in traditional jazzy African attires, having an absolute blast with friends and family, as they shimmied the night away.

If Day One was a rocker, Day Two was nothing less of Rockfest! What started as a Haldi-applying ceremony, soon saw many more colors thrown in. We reached the pool to find the air lit up with an array of colors, as people drenched each other in water and played Holi to their heart’s content. True to their party animal spirits, the merriment continued throughout the day, into the evening, with the Sangeet ceremony, followed by yet another round of, you guessed it, a DJ party!

D-day arrived and saw the handsome couple turn up in color coordinating outfits as they walked down the wedding Mandap. The Palatial look of the Venue, with the attires worn by the guests, gave us major #Royaltyfeels. With the Var Malas exchanged and Vows said, Naiya officially became Darshan’s wife! The Vidai, as she rightly puts it, should be seen as an happy affair, for although you are moving away from your family, you are also moving towards the life of your dreams, with the person you love. The photos we captured are the testimony of that love. Naiya was extremely overjoyed when she saw these photos & the film and stated “KnotsbyAMP – Best Choice Ever”. We wish you two nothing but a lifetime of happiness and abundance. Look on! 

Before you  head down to see the photos, have a look at the short film we made.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Destination Wedding in Hua Hin, Thailand

Destination Wedding in Hua Hin, Thailand

Destination Wedding in Hua Hin, Thailand

It is not everyday that you cover an Olympian’s wedding. We had the good fortune of covering Neha Aggarwal’s wedding, an Olympian who represented India in Table Tennis in Beijing Olympics at the age of 18 in 2008. The ace player got hitched to a businessman and erstwhile TT player Shubham Sharma from Hyderabad. Their wedding was a beautiful destination wedding at Sheraton Hua Hin, Thailand.  So let’s begin with a small teaser of their wedding. 

The wedding festivities were spread over 3 days with people attending the wedding from all over the world. The Sharma and Aggarwal family wanted to throw a grand wedding where everyone can have non-stop fun and the obvious choice was the popular destination of Thailand, a country which has become a favourite with Indians for its spectacular natural beauty, hospitality and easy accessibility from all major cities of India. Hua Hin a popular coastal city, 3 hours away from Bangkok has some beautiful 5 star hotel and resorts and Sheraton Hua Hin has the distinction of hosting most number of Indian weddings than any other property in Thailand. 

As soon as the guests landed at the gates of the hotel, they were greeted by the traditional Thai dancers with Sharma and Aggarwal family ready to welcome them. For us the real thing started with the bride’s Mehendi in her suite. As soon as we entered her room an excited Neha greeted us with a wide grin and at that moment we knew we are going to have a great time covering this wedding. 

Following the Mehendi we took some fun photographs outside where she jumped, she smiled and even posed with a TT racket for us! Soon the evening arrived and the sea facing lawns overlooking the pool were decorated for the Mehendi function where cocktails flowed and the bride and groom made an entry on a ATV vehicle. The DJ and the music kept rolling and people danced throughout the night. Now normally the day would end there, but it was followed with a black after party in the Resort’s club. As soon as the door the club opened a dancer welcomed people with her seductive moves. It was a sight to behold where one dancer was swaying on a swing and another was dancing in a big metal cage.  While we could go on and on about the after party we feel its best left for the photos to do the talking as they say a good photograph is worth more than a thousand words. 

The second day started with Haldi ceremony of the bride and the groom which was followed quickly by a bohemian themed pool party. A carnival set up offered people chilled coconut water in the scorching heat. But the highlight remained the Table Tennis game between the bride and the groom! Any guesses who won? 

Then came the evening and the grand ballroom was lit with lights and a grand stage was set for the Sangeet night. The groom arrived and soon was surrounded by pretty ladies all over. He made his way to the stage and while he  performed the ceremonies he waited for his bride anxiously. As soon as the bride arrived, all eyes were set on her. Both the families took the stage by storm and it was a beautiful spectacle with some great light work by the lights team. Pink Palki, the event organisers did a brilliant job with the decoration and setup. Once the performances ended, the DJ took over and people danced till late in the morning. 

The third day started with Gaur Pooja  and post lunch the bride and groom went for a relaxing spa. After all a trip to Thailand is incomplete without experiencing the Thai spa. Immediately after the bride and the groom left to get ready for their big day and their excitement was palpable that it spread to us. The bride made her entry with her brothers and father. It was an emotional moment when her father held her hand and walked her to the mandap. Sparkles lined up their entry and a cute little girl held the sign board – Here comes the bride. The bride and grooms eye met during as she climbed the staircase for the JaiMaal. The groom popped a bottle of champagne post the Jaimaal. Finally they took the pheras in a beautiful Hindu ceremony and when it finally came to Neha’s bidai it was yet another emotional moment. She got ferried in a Thai style Palanquin and she also danced her way through the journey and thus this beautiful wedding marked a new beginning in Neha and Shubham’s new #MixedDoublesForever journey!