New York Indian Wedding Photographer | New York South Asian Wedding Photographer

New York, which is popularly referred to as the city that never sleeps, is one of the most cosmopolitan cities not only in the United States but also across the globe. In this city, you can expect to find peoples of different cultures. The idea of assimilation is, therefore, by far lacking in this city. As a matter of fact, people from different countries of origin and who speak different languages find this city to be such an accommodative home for them. As a result of this, it is not uncommon to witness different types of weddings in this city. Among the common types of weddings that are frequently witnessed in this city are Indian weddings. Indian couples, who value wedding conventions and core religious rites in Hindu culture, prefer to have this type of wedding. For such couples to capture all the memorable moments of the big day, they usually hire a New York Indian wedding photographer.

Indian Weddings in New York

If you are unfamiliar with Indian weddings, then this kind of weddings can seem to be quite bizarre, especially when they are held in a city such a New York. The beauty of it all is that an Indian wedding is not a mere celebration of love. On the contrary, such weddings are also some form of an appreciation of the culture as well as the religion of the couple. If you are therefore a westerner and you are invited to such a wedding, then things can seem to be a little bit strange for you. This is because the unique Hindu culture makes the whole wedding ceremony to be quite unique. This means that the attire, the décor food, entertainment as well as various rituals conducted during the wedding ceremony are influenced by the Indian culture. This implies that only a New York Indian wedding photographer is capable of satisfactorily taking photographs of this special day.

 The formal Attire of an Indian Wedding – the Bride

Similar to other types of weddings, there is a formal dress code that the Bride, Groom and their processions ought to wear during their wedding ceremony. The Indian attire that is worn by the Bride during the wedding celebration is known as a lehenga. Unlike in the west where the Bride wears a white gown, brides who ascribe to Indian culture avoid wearing white attire. This is because, in Indian culture, white is associated with mourning. Specifically, Indian couples opt for different shades of red. It is worth to note that according to the Indian culture, red is associated with not only happiness but also good luck. It is typical for the Bride to have two different lehengas. One is worn during the wedding ceremony while the other one is worn during the reception. Jewels and Henna also complement the attire that is worn by the Bride. It is essential to hire a New York Indian wedding photographer who is good at capturing the critical details of the Bride’s attire.

The Groom’s Attire

Unlike in western weddings, the groom does not wear a suit during the Indian wedding ceremony. On the contrary, he wears a sherwani, which is a long jacket which complements chiridas, which are the traditional Indian trousers. The color of choice for most grooms is gold. It is, however, worth to note that the color is generally matched with the Bride’s lehenga. The groom also wears a traditional turban known as surfa. On the feet, the groom wears leather loafers which are known as Mojari. This means that his outfit is not as elegant as that one which is adorned by the Bride. But make no mistake; the groom also gives a deep thought as to the outfit that he will wear during this important day in his life. This is because he needs to stand out during this special event. If you would like someone who really understands this type of wedding to cover your wedding, then you should feel free to order for a New York South Asian Wedding Photographer. 

The Indian Wedding Guests’ Attire

Generally, an Indian couple usually invites many guests to their wedding. If you are invited to such a wedding, then there is a dress code that you need to adhere to. A helpful rule of thumb is that you should avoid wearing white. As mentioned above, the color of white is associated with mourning. It then follows that it is considered offensive to wear this color in a wedding.

Moreover, you should avoid wearing the color red. This is because this is the color that the Bride wears during the wedding day. Furthermore, one should avoid wearing the revealing or very tight outfit as an Indian wedding is essentially a traditional one. Wearing such outfits can, therefore, be considered as being disrespectful. If you would like to store the memory of the guests attending your wedding, then you should be sure to hire the services of a New York Indian wedding photographer.

The Indian Wedding Ceremony

It is essential to begin by first noting that an Indian wedding ceremony typically lasts on an average of three days. The first day is the haldi or Pith ceremony. The second day is the Sangeet and finally, the actual wedding day is usually the third one. It is therefore important to hire a New York South Asian Wedding Photographer who is available to cover this important event during the three days in which it will take place. The purpose of the first day is to purify the couple that is about to get married. This is done using turmeric paste, which is known as haldi in Hindi. According to the Hindu culture, this paste has the power to cleanse, heal, and beautify. The application of this paste is usually done by family members. This is usually a jovial activity whereby joyful songs are sung. 

Once the process of applying haldi is done, the Bride and her maids begin the process of bonding. They do so by applying Henna on their arms as well as feet. It is believed that the darker the patterns made by the Henna are after drying, the stronger the marriage bond between the groom and the Bride shall be. This is, therefore, such an important part of a Hindu Wedding ceremony. Once you hire a New York Indian wedding photographer from our firm, we will be able to cover all the events, including the essential nitty-gritty details of the first day of your wedding ceremony.

The second day of Indian Wedding Ceremony/Sangeet

It is widely known that Indians love to sing, especially in big groups. During the second day of a Hindu wedding, this is actually what happens. The Bride and groom’s relatives come together to sing and make jokes during this day. It is a perfect opportunity for them to socialize and get to know each other better. It is, however, worth to note that traditionally singing was a reserve of women, but now men are allowed to take part in it. This is done in preparation for the official wedding day, which happens the following day. Again, if you would like to keep memories of this second day of your wedding ceremony, then you should be sure to order for the services of a professional New York South Asian Wedding Photographer.

The Third Day of an Indian Wedding Ceremony

This is normally the day in which the traditional wedding ceremony takes place. In New York, couples prefer to celebrate this day in an outdoor space or ballroom. If the couple chooses to hold their wedding in a ballroom, then it must be big enough as this kind of wedding usually attracts a large number of guests. Moreover, it should also be possible to light an open fire in the ballroom as the open flame is involved during this ceremony.

What is a Baraat?

The baraat is basically the groom’s procession. In an Indian wedding ceremony, the groom makes a grand entrance. You should not, therefore, be surprised to see the groom entering the venue on a horse or in a fancy car. Sometimes the groom might enter the venue on the back of an elephant. During this entrance ceremony, the guests’ dance to the beat of an Indian drum called dholaround the groom. There is usually a lot of fascinating details that a New York Indian wedding photographer can capture during this grand entrance of the groom to the wedding ceremony.

Kanya Aagaman

This is the entrance of the Bride to the venue of the wedding ceremony. The Bride is accompanied by the flower girls as well as her maids as she makes her grand entrance. Sometimes she might be carried by one of the male relatives. Once the grand reveal and entrance are over, the next process that follows is giving away of the Bride, which is known as kanya daan. 

What is Jai Mala

It is good to note that Bride and the groom are expected to exchange some flower garlands during this unforgettable day. Red roses are usually preferred during this ritual that is known as jai mala. Apart from this, the groom is supposed to gift the Bride with a necklace. To represent the bond of a lifetime, a female relative from the groom’s side ties a knot between the Bride’s lehenga (Sari) and groom’s scarf. A skilled New York South Asian Wedding Photographer knows how to capture the important details of this ritual.

The Seven Steps

It is not uncommon to see the couple go round the fire during their Indian wedding ceremony. The couple firsts take four steps as they clasp their hands. This symbolizes the key four stages of life. After this, the couple takes the seven famous steps. These symbolize their promises to live with each other as husband as a wife under the Hindu culture. There are specific verses that the pandit (a teacher of scriptures) reads out as the couple takes each of the seven steps. This is basically the first thing that the couple does together as man and wife, and this means that an experienced New York Indian wedding photographer must be sure to put more emphasis on it when covering this type of a wedding.

The Aashivard

Traditionally, the newly wedded couple expects the guests to bless their marriage. This is usually the last event before the reception. This can take a reasonable amount of time as the couple greets the guest each one at a time. They also touch the feet of the guests as a sign of respect. If the guests are too many, the couple can decide to take a bow and save everyone some time, especially the elderly, who might find it very challenging to stand in the queue waiting for their turn to greet the couple.

The Reception

During the reception, the guests, as well as the newly wedded couple, gets refreshment. There is also entertainment whereby every guest is at liberty to showcase his/her dance moves once the couple has officially opened the dance floor. Later on, toasts are made, and gifts are exchanged. Eventually, the married couple leaves the ceremony, and at around midnight, the reception is over. There is no way that a New York South Asian Wedding Photographer can ignore covering the aashivard and reception and still expect to impress the couple with his/her work.

How unique is an Indian Wedding?

To begin with, the attire adorned by both the groom and bride is very different from that is worn by couples who ascribe to the western culture. Secondly, there are elaborate rituals that take place during the wedding ceremony. Thirdly, there is no kissing for the newly married couple. Interestingly, an Indian couple does not show affection during the wedding ceremony. This is because doing so would be considered as being disrespectful by the elders. Moreover, the groom applies some red ash on the Bride’s forehead as a sign that he has married her. As a seasoned New York Indian wedding photographer, you should be able to capture such like unique details of an Indian wedding. We assure you that we are ready to offer you professional services in taking photographs and videos of your Indian wedding in New York today.