As a Florida wedding photographer, I must admit that Florida Indian weddings are some of the most interesting and unique
In my many years working as a Florida wedding photographer, I have photographed a wide range of unique weddings. Many of the weddings I have photographed have been traditional American weddings which have taken place in a church or at a hotel, of country club. I have also photographed many unique weddings, with different traditional aspects that are unique and exciting to photograph. For example, in the area of Jewish weddings, there are traditions such as the Ketubah signing, the Badeken, and so on. In a Greek wedding ceremony, the bride and groom wear special crowns tied together with ribbon to symbolize the couples union. During a Greek wedding ceremony there are lot’s of other traditional acts that take place. As a wedding photographer I find each unique traditional act, another photographic opportunity. In this article, I’m featuring an Indian wedding. Indian weddings are definitely one of my favorite to photograph. When talking about Indian weddings there are an almost endless amount of unique and interesting traditional acts that take place. Some of these are the Mehndi party which usually takes place the night before the ceremony. During the Mehndi party a special Henna artist paints hands and arms with beautiful Henna. In addition to the traditional aspects of South Florida Indian weddings, there is the visual aspect. I can’t think of too many other weddings that incorporate such vibrant and colorful outfits in their functions. For a photographer Indian wedding photography is an exercise in color theory. This wedding started months before with the couples engagement photo session. Here in South Florida there are many choices when it comes to engagement photo locations. We decided to do the engagement session at South Beach Park in Boca Raton. This location is great for engagement photo sessions because it offers several different types of backgrounds ranging fro the sandy Bech, to trees, and walking paths.
BELOW: The picture below is a split tone sepia picture. In most of my wedding and portrait packages I include mostly color images, however, I also include some black and white and sepia images. Working as a photographer in South Florida, I am always looking for ways to produce work that is unique, and beautiful. Some of my couples just LOVE my sepia pictures so I alway deliver a mix. If you look closely at the picture below, you may notice that the shadow area’s have a slight blue cast. This makes to image more impactful and artsy. A split tone image is actually a mix of two different colors, in this case, brown and blue.
When an engaged couple experiences a photo session, they can learn much more about their photographer. Generally the act of hiring a wedding photographer involves reviewing websites, reading reviews, and having conversations with various photographers. However, until the couple is in-front of the camera, and experiences the photographer’s posing and directing skills, it’s impossible to determine wether they have hired the right photographer. From experience, I have found that after I start shooting, posing and directing, it becomes apparent that I know how to make my subject look great.
The wedding day started with the bride getting ready in the hotel suite at The Breakers, in Palm Beach, Florida. Indian weddings are so festive and the getting ready pictures always result in beautiful pictures. Since Florida Indian weddings include vibrant colors, the tendency is for the photographer to deliver color images. However, sepia tones images from Indian weddings in Florida also look great. Check out the sepia picture of the bride showing off her henna covered hands. As a wedding photographer in Florida, I must admit I love photographing Indian weddings. The fact that there is so much to cover and some many cultural details means that I can have a blast covering all the details.
For now I want to talk about the bride and her unbelievable wedding outfits. She wore two magnificently adorned lenghas, one for the ceremony and another for the reception. She sparkled, shined and even jingled all evening. Everywhere she went people stopped to admire her beaded and bangled elegance. She was truly a sight to behold! In addition, her hands and feet were artistically covered with henna designs, another stylish tradition.
BELOW: The night before the wedding ceremony a special event takes place. This event is known as a Sangeet. During the Sangeet the bride and other woman are decorated with henna paint on their arms, and legs. There is music, and it’s another opportunity the to couples parents and families to bond. This Florida Indian wedding took place inside the Breakers Circle room. As a South Florida wedding photographer, I have photographed many weddings at the Breakers. Here are some links to a few of my favorite Breakers wedding pictures: Bride and Groom at the Breakers Ocean Terrace. Bride posing with her gown in the Breakers Mediterranean Ballroom Awesome infrared Breakers wedding ceremony picture. Here is a link to an article I wrote on Breakers weddings.
The groom, wore traditional Indian attire until the ceremony was over and then changed into a more traditional American tuxedo. He was beaming in both outfits!
I had many inspiring ideas throughout this entire event – working with the magnificent colors reminiscent of an Indian wedding was fun and made photographing the wedding all the more exciting. As a South Florida wedding photographer, all weddings present unique shooting opportunities, so I thoroughly enjoyed each and every chance I had to capture the full essence of this wedding in all its glory
Hiring a South Florida wedding photographer who is experienced in photographing the particular art of the Indian wedding is so important. As you look through these photos, keep in mind the skill and eye that are involved in capturing such images.
The ceremony colors were gold and red, with rose petals sprinkling the aisle. Behind the ceremony altar, the mandap, were drapes with little white lights showing through – just beautiful. The set-up really captured the colorful essence of a traditional Indian wedding ceremony. The ceremony itself was dramatic, with the bride arriving on a doli carried by a group of men. She ascended gracefully and made her way slowly to the mandap. The ceremony itself was wonderfully conducted by a Pundit who not only injected his sense of humor into the ceremony, but also took the time to explain each ritual to guests who might not have known its meaning.
Once the ceremony concluded, the bride stole away to change into her next outfit while the cocktail hour was happening. We took the opportunity to photograph both the main ballroom at this time as well as guests and food at the cocktail hour. For this South Florida Indian wedding, a cuisine was served that included both Indian and American for guests to enjoy. During the cocktail hours many Indian hors d’oeuvres were served alongside such American favorites as spinach artichoke dip. It was a fabulous and tasty combination of food – meticulously presented.
There were very elegant centerpieces set up for the reception – all with white flowers, candles hanging from the ceiling and once again that gorgeous draping with white lights behind it. Simply stunning! The floral arrangements were flawless, well put together and well suited to the room they are in. This occasion was no different. The space was at once transformed into a magical, glowing place for the bride and groom and their guests to dance the night away!
As the evening progressed, we took more family photos and even a large group shot of the entire wedding – we thought that would be fun for the bride and groom to have. When it was nearly midnight, we approached the bride and groom and asked them if they’d like to do any more photos. Although they were clearly tired, they agreed heartily! We went outside and captured some romantic shots with the Breakers in the background, and a few shots in front of the fountain as well. We were creative with the lighting, since it was really dark outside – but we got some great ones! We then decided to go inside and get a few final photos in the bridal suite. After that it was a wrap! It was an end to a truly memorable and momentous Palm Beach wedding.
As a South Florida wedding photographer, I truly enjoy photographing weddings of different cultures. It always presents new and exciting challenges for me.
WOW – what an incredible event! This South Florida wedding photographer was thrilled to photograph all of the festivities on Friday and Saturday for this most spectacular South Florida Indian wedding.
If you are planning your Indian wedding call Jeff and ask about our pricing options. I would love to be your professional photographer. Call (561) 737-5561
