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Every Indian wedding is filled with a number of rituals that are ,in most cases, very specific to the community that the bride & the groom belong to. The fact that some of these rituals have been followed for thousands of years makes them all the more captivating. And as a wedding photographer, I consider myself tremendously fortunate in that I get to experience these age-old rituals from the best available vantage point.

Since both the families consider these rituals sacred, I go to great lengths in making sure that I don’t miss out on capturing them. (As a result, the priest who conducts the wedding becomes my best friend during the wedding)

Most wedding celebrations start a few days prior with this ritual where

respective sides prepare the bride and the groom with beautification rituals.

Haldi or turmeric is widely used all over India as an all-in-one skin treatment.

Making Of Bride & Groom It cleanses and brightens the skin and is generously applied to all parts of the body. In addition some customs involve milk, flour, oil, curd and such other traditional skincare solutions. Parents, aunts & uncles gather around and take turns to apply this on the bride and groom.

Sangeet Traditionally a punjabi custom, the sangeet has become a mainstay after the bollywoodization of Indian weddings. In the old days, women of the house would get together and sing wedding-themed songs, a few days prior to the wedding.

These days, sangeets have become bigger and grander. Friends and cousins of the bride and groom usually will perform to popular movie songs. Some folks even hire choreographers for this event. It is an evening filled with music, dance and good food!

Mehendi & Sangeet

Mehendi One of the most obvious markings of an Indian bride is mehendi on her hands and feet. The mehendi function is held for close friends and family to get mehendi applied by mehendi artists. Sometimes a basket containing bindis and bangles is handed around so girls can choose those that match the outfit they plan to wear to the wedding. This is a really relaxed event in comparison to the hustle bustle of the wedding. In the mehendi design of the bride, the alphabets of the groom’s name are randomly placed and he is supposed to find his name on her hands on their first night. They also say, the darker the mehandi, the greater the love of the husband.

So many wonderful moments are shared with family and close friends as the bride’s hair, makeup, jewelry and clothes are put on. As the importance of the day slowly sinks in, the brides display a mixture of emotions – some are nervous, some happy, some know exactly what they want and some other happy to follow instructions. The getting ready session is a great opportunity for a photographer to get some amazing shots of the bride and their closest family and friends. Shots taken during the makeup session helps complete the story of the day and the wedding and provides pictures of the intimate moments you never want to forget as you begin this important day. Grooms, on the other hand, usually don’t

Getting Ready

need too much and are happy to follow someone else’s lead.

As a wedding photographer, I come across different genres of these

Bridal Portraits

beautiful brides. To capture each one of them, for me is a great experience.

On the big day of their life I hold the responsibility to capture each moment that they would cherish for their lifetime. The bride I personally like capturing is the one that takes in the moment, enjoys the ecstasy of being the pampered bride and finds herself special among the chaotic chores and frenzy around her, the one that enjoys each single second of it and let goes what makes her nervous and has her share of fun making it easy for everyone around her.

I love the outdoor shoot. These photos make a wonderful addition to

Groom Portraits

the wedding photo collection as they are different from the traditional set-up. Without the hustle & bustle of hundreds of family members and friends, the couple is a lot more relaxed and this also shows in the photos.

In old times, the groom and his family would travel to the bride’s village for the wedding. The entire village would play host and welcome their arrival with pomp and pageantry. This is called Jaana Vasam or Maaplai Azhaippu

Baraat

in the south and the Baraat in the north. The groom often enters, astride a horse, carriage or open roof car, after a procession through the roads with his entourage and finally arrives at the wedding venue to a music and dance filled welcome by the bride’s family.

Indian weddings are becoming more extravagant than ever! Apart form

Bridal Entry

the traditions that have been followed for years, lot of new events are added to make it more fun and interesting. One such event is the bridal entry and it is one of the most awaited moments in a wedding. The groom, the families, friends and other guests wait to catch a glimpse of the bride for the first time as she enters the venue decked up with stunning clothes, jewels and makeup!

Baraat

Kasi Yatra

Performed mainly by Brahmins, the Kasi yatra is an age-old tradition where the groom decides to take up sanyasam(asceticism). The groom pretends to make his way to the holy city of Kasi or Varanasi with slippers, umbrella, fan etc as his possessions. The bride’s fathers intervenes and advises him of the superiority of married life over ascetic life, promising to give him his daughter as a companion to face the challenges. Then the groom returns to take up grahastham (family life) with the bride so that she could accompany him in his spiritual pusuit.

Exchange of garlands is the first few customs in an Indian wedding.

Exchange of Garlands

The couple exchange fresh garlands thus welcoming each other into their families. In the Hindu mythology, there is a widely held belief that a garland worn by someone should not be used on another but it is allowed as part of this wedding ritual as it signifies their togetherness as one soul in two bodies. It symbolises the acceptance of one another. It is even more fun and interesting in a Tamil Brahmin wedding, where the maternal uncles of the bride and groom hold them up on their shoulders and have their own share of fun, making it hard for each other to put the garland. This ritual does its job of bringing smiles and laughs to not only the couple but everyone watching. As a photographer, I get some of my most happy candid shots during this.

In a Brahmin wedding, soon after the Kasi Yaatra and the exchange of garlands, the to-be wed couple is seated on a swing (Oonjal in Tamil). It is believed that the chain in the swing represents the karmic link of humankind with god. The swing that is decorated with flowers and ornaments is made to rock back and forth. It is said that the to and fro motion represents the ups and downs of life that a married couple must go through while staying

Oonjal

stable like a swing. Married women stand around the oonjal and sing songs, clean the couple’s feet with milk and then throw coloured rice balls to cast off the evil eyes.

Kanyaadhanam is a commonly witnessed ritual in a South Indian wedding which means, “Giving away the bride”. Kanyaadhanam is generally performed

Kanyadhanam

by the father of the bride in the presence of a large gathering that is invited to witness the wedding. The bride is gifted a new saree to change, before this ritual begins. The bride holds a coconut on which the bride’s parents pour water. After this coconut is given to the groom, the bride accepts her change of status from an unmarried woman to a wife.

Jeelakara bellam is a ground paste made of cumins and jaggery. Cumin

jelakara Bellam

seeds have a slightly bitter taste and jaggery has a sweet taste.

Both of these are ground together as a paste and they become inseparable. When “Sumuhurtham” arrives, the priests chants vedic hymns, makes the couple sit opposite to each other and asks them to apply jeelakara bellam on each other’s head. This signifies that the bride and the groom should be together and inseparable through life’s sweet and bitter times.

Thaali is the traditional yellow thread that either contains the images or shiva

Thaali

lingam or namam or a round chakra. It is taken around the mandap to get the blessings of elders. The tying of the manual sutra or thaali takes place during the pre-determined auspicious hour. As soon as the bride comes with the new saree the groom performs some religious rites and then he ties the “mangalyam’ or manual sutra around the neck of the bride. He ties one knot and the sister standing behind the bride completes the other two.Â

During the wedding ceremony, Sindoor is applied for the first time to a Hindu woman by her bridegroom and is called the “Sindoor Dana” ceremony.

Sindoor

Even in the ancient Aryan society, a bridegroom made a ‘tilak’ mark on the bride’s forehead as a sign of wedlock. The present practice could be an extension of that tradition. In traditional Hindu society, wearing sindoor is considered must for married Hindu women. It is a visible expression of their desire for their husbands’ long life.

As part of the south indian wedding rituals, the bride is taken to the

Ammi (Metti)

north side of the sacred fire. Holding on to the bride’s right toe, the bridegroom helps her tread on the ammi (grindstone, in tamil). The hymns for this section state: “Mount up this stone. Let your mind be rock firm, unperturbed by the trails and tribulations of life.” At this point, the groom slips a toe-ring (metti in tamil) on both her feet. This ritual is said to have multiple significances. One being that touching the bride’s feet, brings humility to the groom. The traditional significance of the metti is also that it was the only visible jewelry indicating her marital

After Saptapathi, the groom shows the bride the Arundhati star (one of the stars of the constellation Ursa Major a.k.a Saptarishi). Arundhati, the wife of Vashishta (one of the Saptarishis or Seven Sages), was said to be the embodiment of wifely devotion, chastity and conjugal bliss. The groom points to Vashishta and Arundhati , the double stars as the ideal couple symbolizing marital happiness

ARUNDATHI

and devotion.

After tying the knot, the bride and groom shower each other with pearls

Talambralu

and rice mixed with saffron & turmeric and also pearls. This is called Talambralu! It denotes the couple’s desire for happiness, enjoyment and contentment. Initially they take turns to shower, as it progresses it gets more entertaining as they start competing with each other.

After the morning’s hustle & bustle of the wedding & several rituals, it is time for the couple & family to relax and bond well. It is time for Nalangu, a custom common in most south indian weddings. This includes a whole variety of games like – the bride applying a coloured paste on groom’s feet, fanning him, showing him a mirror, breaking papads over each other’s head, rolling a coconut from one to another and so on. During these games, the families sing

Nalangu

songs poking fun at the couple. This is definitely one of the lighter moments of the wedding and as a photographer; I get to capture some playfulness and laughter of not only the bride and groom but also their families.

Couple Portrait is all about capturing the connection, interaction and

Couple Portraits

the emotion of the two people in love. Great wedding portraits don’t happen by chance. Especially when you consider a traditional Indian wedding, where the only time a photographer gets to shoot portraits of the couple individually or together is after the event is over. It is up to the photographer to catch this chemistry in camera thus preserving it for a lifetime!

I love capturing tender moments I see at weddings especially between the

vidai

bride and her parents as the realization that their daughter will be moving out is dawning on both of them. The family also becomes emotional during the Vidai which marks the departure of the bride from her parental house.

Indian weddings are replete with fun and frolic and emotions run high.

Fun & Emotions

Tears of joy rolling down the cheeks of parents as they see their son/ daughter getting married, the sentimental look of the bride as the groom ties the knot, the couple’s joyful times with their friends and family and the tearful farewell as the bride leaves for her husbands home etc are all captured beautifully and are stored for posterity.

I love the engagement shoot or outdoor shoots. These photos make

Outdoor Portraits

a wonderful addition to the wedding photo collection as they are different from the traditional set-up. Usually the couple is a lot more relaxed during this shoot and this also shows in the photos.

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