My last full-blown Indian Hindu wedding photography was one of my first back in 2006. So, I’d been looking forward to Priya and Jiten’s wedding ever since they booked me. Indian weddings have a reputation for large numbers of people and the associated chaos, and this day didn’t disappoint. It also had the great outfits, food and atmosphere that I remember from previous Indian weddings that I have photographed.
Everything happened at Devonshire Place in Leicester, starting with the bride’s elaborate preparations. Next was the ceremony that greets the groom’s arrival and then the 90 minute wedding ceremony itself. A Hindu ceremony involves a lot of fire, a lot of throwing of rice and petals, and lots of standing on things. A real spectacle. What follows isn’t so much a drinks reception, more a food reception. The guests queue to receive a tray of tasty grub and spend a couple of hours chatting and scoffing. Towards the end of the reception the wedding party took themselves away for an emotional ceremony. This represents the tradition of the bride leaving her parents to go and live with the grooms family.
As the reception came to a close and the number of guests reduced, a more familiar reception began. The new congregation took their seats for a meal, followed by the couple cutting their cake, complete with confetti cannons! Then we had a first dance by the newlyweds and the guests took to the floor. There aren’t many weddings where the DJ triggers the sound limiter within the first song. But what are you to do when the crowd is going wild and wants more? Crank it up!
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