On a gorgeous day in August, Neha and Satish wed. They welcomed their friends and family to the culmination of what was a week long celebration filled with laughter, dancing, music and food. If you haven’t seen it already, check out Part 1 and Part 2.
The morning began early, and preparation for the day’s activities were calm and methodical.
Around 9am the Baraat procession began. And thus began the merging of the two families. Satish was on horseback being lead by his “brothers” and the beat of the dhol drum guiding the way. Neha’s family were eagerly waiting for him inside Le Chateau Royal in Laval with arms ready and open to welcoming Satish into their family.
As the Mandap ceremony began the priest for the event began explaining the different parts of the service. The Mandap is a structure located at the front of the room under which the bride and groom sit. It has four pillars, to represent the four parents who have raised the new couple. A sacred fire is lit, songs are sung and different rituals performed that are meant to shower the couple with blessings of family, prosperity and happiness.
After the ceremony and a quick lunch, we took Neha and Satish to the Centre de la Nature in Laval for portraits under the hot August sun. Their faces beaming with joy, we couldn’t help but be infected by the amount of happy reflecting off of them.
We returned back to the Chateau Royal for the evening reception. It was a night full of dramas, song and dance depicting how the relationship between these two was actually a relationship between three. Satish’s first love: The Montreal Canadiens. And if Neha was to love him, she’d either have to defeat the Habs, or simply accept them as part of the family. She choose the latter.
The whole day was impeccably coordinated by Girish Bansal (ShaadiMC). He took care of every need from the beginning to the end of the day, not just for the bride and groom but for all us vendors as well. I can’t say enough how much this means for us who are in the industry.
I feel honoured to spend a day with my clients, I respect the trust they put in me when I’m with them on these most momentous of days. But as with Neha and Satish and all South Asian weddings, I get to spend the week with them and the families. Somehow that significance is never lost. This particular day was indeed long, but the fun was relentless and a complete joy to photograph. A big big thank you to my buddy Chris, and my intern Key for helping shoot this one. The day is always passes quicker when besides friends.
Here are some of my favourite images:
