North Indian Wedding at Ritz-Carlton, Pune

North Indian Wedding at Ritz-Carlton, Pune

North Indian Wedding at Ritz-Carlton, Pune

Ankita and Varun’s love story started with a simple swipe right, and thereafter very soon, they decided to get hitched. They say, marriage wasn’t a conscious next step, but it happened quite naturally to them.

Ankita always dreamt of having a proper proposal, a dream that even Varun knew about. So, Varun planned an outing for them in Mahabaleshwar where they were keen on going and picking strawberries. However, Ankita’s suspicions arose when he asked her to wear ‘something nice’ the day before! On the drive over, She knew that he was planning to propose as she spotted a square-shaped box in his jeans pocket. After the strawberry picking, they went to Le Meridien and were taking a tour of the property when he led her outside to a foyer which was beautifully decorated with roses, candles, and a custom-made pillow read Ankita, will you marry me?’ Ankita recounted that nothing could take away the magic of that moment when it actually happened, and ofcourse she said ‘yes”.

We were Ankita & Varun’s core entourage throughout their journey of “starting a lifetime” – starting from the Roka, Pre Wedding and finally the Wedding. Before you proceed to see the photo-set, checkout their quirky pre wedding film, including the vibes and feels of Pune City!

 

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaAPOA5-598

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mehendi  

Ankita & Varun’s nuptials kickstarted with a mehndi ceremony for both of them. Ankita’s mehendi was hosted by the pool while Varun had his mehndi on the rooftop. Their mehndi also doubled up as a welcome party which let guests break the ice with plenty of dancing, all thanks to the dholwalas and boliyaan, who were present at the venue. This was definitely a fun-filled event where everyone mingled freely without formality. Dressed in a contemporary turquoise blue lehenga with floral embroidery, Ankita was all smiles as she posed with her girl squad. Varun, however, made a striking contrast while complimenting her in his white bandhgala.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Engagement, Cocktail and Sangeet
The same evening after the mehndi, they had their cocktail and engagement party that also doubled up as their sangeet, which surely was a grand event. Just before the performances began, they presented their Pre-wedding Film before everyone which we had shot for them. They also surprised their guests with a performance by Sophie Choudry, who packed an energy-fueled performance. Following which, all their family and friends joined in on the stage as they exchanged their rings. And the party went on till the wee hours of the night, one memorable night to remember surely. Keeping the decor in mind, Ankita wore a stunning mermaid purple gown as she made an entrance hand in hand with Varun, who donned a deep blue velvet bandhgala.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chooda & Haldi

The morning of the wedding saw an intimate and beautiful chooda and haldi ceremony of Ankita. True to tradition, Ankita donned a simple bright yellow salwar kameez for her chooda ceremony.

 

 

Wedding 

For her big day, Ankita chose an off white and gold embroidered lehenga, and she looked stunning in every way. Her room was filled with the banter of friends and family, who simply could not stop raving about how gorgeous she looked. Later, we made portraits with her bridesmaids and family, and as she headed for her new journey, she raised a toast with her girls.

 

 

Varun on the other hand looked dapper in a pastel hued sherwani. The baraat was a crazy affair, as the groom made an entry amidst a lot of dances, in a vintage car.

 

 

 

 

 

The couple wanted the phere outdoors and kept that in mind, as they scouted for wedding locations. Spurred on by the news that The Ritz-Carlton was about to open in Pune, they visited the property just as it was nearing its finishing stages. The victorian interiors and its overall grandeur truly impressed them, and that way the decision was made.

For the wedding, The Foyer at The Ritz-Carlton was magically transformed into a pastel-hued venue to accommodate their vision of a floral wedding mandap.

 

 

Thereafter, the dreamy wedding happened. Ankita and Varun made an entry together, hand-in-hand, a beautiful sight to behold forever!

 

 

Reception
The festivities concluded with a reception held at the same venue as the engagement and cocktail. Dressed in a silver lehenga paired with elegant diamond jewelry, Ankita looked radiant as she posed with Varun who donned a subtle polka dotted three-piece suit for the occasion.

After a heartwarming speech by Ankita’s dad, they met all their family members and exchanged greetings. The celebrations ended on a high note, as Ankita & Varun converted a part of the ballroom into a dance floor so that everyone could groove the night away. Thats how #varuntheankswerisyes happened in full glory. We are thankful to Ankita & Varun and the families, for making us a part of their beautiful celebrations!

 

North Indian Wedding at The Resort, Madh-Marve

North Indian Wedding at The Resort, Madh-Marve

North Indian Wedding at The Resort, Madh-Marve

Love happens when it’s meant to be, persevering through distance or time.

So was it for Saumya, a fiercely independent girl who’s lived life on her own terms and Anuranjan, fondly and lovingly called Anu, a kind-hearted doctor based in Manchester.

Their love story began in Glasgow where they met through mutual friends and slowly but steadily gathered pace online. After combating long distance, the duo finally decided to tie the knot on the shores of Mumbai. We first met them for their pre weddding shoot at Sets in the City 🙂

 

Haldi
The festivities kick-started with a playful Haldi function, where the couple made a dashing entry surrounded by colorful smoke bombs. Replete with dhols, boliyan, and an ornate swing, the decor stuck to true tradition with its yellow and orange color palette

Cocktail and Sangeet
The sangeet/cocktail night was a dazzling affair, which had everyone up on their feet dancing to their heart’s content on the floor. With drinks flowing freely, everyone was in high spirits as Saumya and Anu along with their friends displayed their story in the form of a unique musical skit which was then followed by several dance performances.

 

 

Pool Party
The pool party had everyone mingling freely as they danced to the peppy beats and splashed in the pool. A light & breezy chill party to wind down before the wedding festivities

With a distinctly Hawaiian feel, the party included pool and drinking games that kept everyone entertained

 

Wedding
Held under the beautiful sky by the Arabian Sea, their beachside wedding was a celebration dipped in culture and colors. Saumya made her way gracefully down the aisle towards Anu, under the phoolon ki chaddar supported by her brothers amongst whom was the famed Bollywood director Nitesh Tiwari. Accompanying him was his wife, Ashwini Iyer Tiwari who is also a director. It was a beautiful celebration which had our hearts.

 

 

 

 

Divya & Rohit: Punjabi Wedding in Nagpur

Divya & Rohit: Punjabi Wedding in Nagpur

Divya & Rohit: Punjabi Wedding in Nagpur

We are lucky to be in a profession that lets us meet new people, and be remembered as a small but very significant chapter in their lives. Thats because whenever they go back and relive their days through these pictures, they will remember the good work and a whole of heart and efforts put there!

Divya & Rohit’s wedding in Nagpur was one such beautiful affair. Their wedding was vibrant and colourful, just like their personalities. They planned their wedding in a matter of three weeks, and kudos to them for executing it so well! Lots of smiles, hugs, dance went on in this wedding, and we have such warm memories. Do watch their wedding film first, before heading on to the pictures!

Thank you guys, for having us for your special days!

 

 

Shreyas & Shruti : Wedding in Mangalore

Shreyas & Shruti : Wedding in Mangalore

Shreyas & Shruti : Wedding in Mangalore

Meet the ever-laughing groom, Shreyas & and his pretty bride Shruti. And it was a real joyride to shoot their wedding in Mangalore.

Shreyas is an avid photography enthusiast himself. Checkout his FB page – A Pensive Polaroid for some stunning street photographs across the world. Now, coming back to our story. He wanted an amazing, creative candid photographer for his wedding, and so we were booked for his big day in November last year. 

Shreyas & Shruti were batchmates in VIT, and that’s how their story started. Their relationship stood the test of time & survived the barrier of long distance relationship. And thereafter, the date was set. A true manglorean by heart, Shreyas always wanted his weddding to be in Mangalore. And after convincing his north indian fiance Shruti & the families – yes it did!  The wedding happened in south indian style in Mangalore. Here goes their wedding story.

Day 1 – Mangalore is blessed with green surroundings & we had some time off before the wedding shenanigans began. So we made some fun couple portraits

 

Day 2 – The wedding day started pretty early, with the bride getting ready. Her dressing room was filled with happiness and anticipation. The wedding rituals happened as per kannadiga rituals and you cannot miss the happy faces of the bride & groom

 

Happily married! But that newly-wedded moments needs to be documented right? So we did this post wedding shoot, stealing some time off, and the bride & groom thoroughly supported. Time & again, we say this, please keep some time separately for your couple portraits, they are absolutely PRECIOUS, and you would want to thank us later for that! 🙂

 We did a post wedding shoot at Shreyas’s farmhouse at Belthangady, and it was another beautiful experience from Mangalore. Thank you Shreyas & Shruti for trusting us, being so warm & giving us the opportunity to shoot your special days.

 

Kannadiga-Bangalore wedding

Kannadiga-Bangalore wedding

Kannadiga-Bangalore wedding

 

On 16th May, 2016 we covered Jyotika & Ravi’s wedding in Bangalore as a part of a promise which we made when Jyotika won in our Facebook contest for free wedding photography. She was super excited and could barely sleep the night she came to know of results.

She visited our boutique in Mumbai with lot of excitement which made us realize how our work can make someone so happy. This was a huge responsibility and it made us more determined to deliver her our best.

So it was decided that Anupam and Sunny would cover her wedding in Bangalore. On arrival at Bangalore airport, Anupam was gripped with Nostalgia where he had spent more than 2 years of his life fresh after graduation. When we arrived at the venue – Saraswati Convention Centre at Magadi Road, Jyotika had started to get ready. At the entrance we met her father who was visibly happy and told us that he loved photography himself. When we met Jyotika her fears were put to rest, whether we would really make it for her wedding. 
 The day was set for an early morning marriage with traditional Hindu customs and rites as prevalent in Karnataka. As a matter of fact the customs on groom’s side were a bit different compared to the bride as they belonged to different parts of the same state. India’s diversity in culture is clearly evident in its weddings. Every place has its own set of customs and traditions and it also depends on the community to which one belongs. This very diversity makes our job as documentary photography so interesting. For all its diversity the common threads of similar beliefs are also well reflected in many customs – for eg. Kashi Yatra, Kanyadan, the Pheras, the Promises, Mangalsutra, Antarpat etc. Our experience with the richness and diversity of Indian weddings can very well form a good subject for PhD research. 
Like all Indian weddings there are a number of functions that happen in a Kannadiga wedding. Jyotika chose to wear different Kanjeevaram and Silk sarees for her functions adorned with elegant and simple Gold jewellery . For the wedding she looked splendid in a cream white and orange Kanjeevaram while Ravi looked every bit the proverbial tall, dark and handsome in the traditional silk dhoti with zari border with white and gold pagdi. During the fun couple shoot the ladies quipped to see his abs which made him blush.
As it was a early morning wedding we were happy to start the day early with beautiful early morning hours perfect lighting for photographs. We had great fun shooting their wedding and photos came out just as kickass as we had hoped.

A week later while we were shooting Ameya and Anuradha’s wedding (next on the blog) in Mumbai we met Jyotika’s dad again and he couldn’t help but exclaim, “You guys are shooting everywhere!”

We tried to keep the photographs as documentary, candid and non intrusive in nature as we could and we hope you like them. If any of you is getting married in Bangalore and would like to hire us, give us a shout. We are in absolute love with Bangalore and its culture. In August we would be covering one more wedding in one of the most beautiful venues of Bangalore for weddigns — Ganjam Mantapa, near Bull Temple. 

But for now just experience the photographs from this elegant and simple South Indian Wedding and let us know in the comments how you find the photographs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bihari-UP wedding, Nagpur

Bihari-UP wedding, Nagpur

Bihari-UP wedding, Nagpur

Surabhi is Shwetabh’s sister who is my junior from Photography Club at BITS Pilani and having recently joined our team the responsibility of her wedding photography naturally came to us. As I was shooting a batch mate’s wedding from college in Puri along with Winston, Ajinkya and Omkar, Sunny and Prasad traveled to Nagpur to capture this simple and beautiful wedding. Having recently acquired entire set of new Nikon gear and Sigma Art series lenses, Prasad was particularly excited to rough them out. Surabhi is a chemical researcher in Nagpur while Prashant works in Germany as a software engineer. Their pre wedding celebrations viz. Haldi, Engagement  and Mehandi happened at their bunglow whereas the wedding took place at ‘Lamba Celebrations Banquet‘ in Nagpur.   

The wedding festivities lasted a full three day starting with Engagement and culminating with bride leaving her house to a new home. After exchanging rings Prasad and Sunny took the couple around the neighborhood for a photo-shoot though it was already dark and boy they managed some great photos despite it being dark. Surabhi’s hadi was more like Holi with turmeric which didn’t even spare Prasad and Sunny. They swore to not wear good clothes to a Haldi ever. I could understand the true extent of their temperament only when I saw the photographs, despite covering more than 30 weddings we still get surprised by the diversity of the customs and traditions in India and how all that plays at its best in any Indian wedding. Weddings are truly the highlight and summary of the rich variety of our traditions. 

On the day of the wedding Prashant made his entry in a car adorned with flowers and the whole baraat where people danced with rapture to their hearts content. The wedding went through the entire night after and by the time Prasad and Sunny came out shooting the Bidaai they realized it was already morning!

 We loved the images from this wedding, we could see the entire story of the unfolding through them and it looks so beautiful, that we feel is the true test of good photography, to be able to live a moment through photographs.