My Indian Wedding Adventure
Namaste! That is how everyone greets you in India, it means I bow to the divine in you, said whilst placing your hand on your heart. Not your typical ‘Hiya’ over here, in India they really mean it. I can honestly say I fell in love with India very quickly! It was the 27th of December 2022 and I was flying to Hyderabad in India to capture the lovely Cat & Kirans Indian wedding. I’d barely digested xmas dinner when we landed as we headed straight out to get our Wedding Saris and Mendi party outfits in 30c heat bliss!
My plan was to capture all the events in a very informal manor like a travel documentary just dipping in and out of my camera bag when the scenes arose. There were so many! Like when I’d just got in the rickshaw and past a buffalo on the high street, wasn’t quick enough for that moment lol.
India is amazing! so colourful so lush and the food oh boy I was in heaven! Dosa for breakfast curry for lunch and dinner. Never got bored of the food!
Indian Wedding Ceremony
After the sari fitting I captured the Indian Wedding Mehndi party where I enjoyed more curry and some authentic henna tattooing. Cat & Kiran got covered in Turmeric for most of the morning and the traditional Mehndi ceremony was carried out by family members. The next day was the Indian Wedding, now I’ve seen hundreds of Brides putting wedding dresses on but never 20 women all trying to navigate putting a sari on in one tiny room. Luckily for us we had some help from the local women who soon had us all quickly bundled up and looking like Queens! Not sure I will ever be able to replicate what they did but hey I live in jeans.
Capturing an Indian Wedding video
One of the most beautiful things about Indian weddings and Indian culture is that the wedding rituals and practices have been passed down for generations. The ceremony is steeped in ancient tradition and story, incredibly colourful and a spectacle to film! Hinduism is the most-practiced religion in India and the one most commonly observed at Indian weddings.
After a near 4 hour ceremony and capturing Cat & Kiran getting covered in flowers, rice and beads the ceremony came to a close. The music from the local band vibrated through the venue and really enveloped you in the Indian culture. Some of Kiran cousins put on a traditional dance performance which was beautiful and like nothing I’d ever seen at a wedding.
India is just Beautiful
New Years eve arrived and it was time for a chilled day, so we did a bit of market shopping and a dip in the pool. After seeing the new year in we headed to Kerala in the South and had some relax time by the coast and tropical back waters. Watching elephants bathe in the waters was an incredible sight and one I feel so privileged to have witnessed. I could tell you more about my experience in India but I’d need to write a book for that.
One piece of advice if you haven’t been to India then go!!!! It has the warmest people, the kindest hearts and the most beautiful sunsets and of course the food is just amazing!!! I genuinely feel like I have fallen in love again! This is one Indian wedding experience I won’t forget I am definitely going back!
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If you’d like to find out more about Indian Wedding culture this is a really useful article Indian weddings
A great insight into your experience Jo. It has certainly inspired me and I very much want to visit India now!