09.02.2007 - A very, very HOT wedding and uncomfortable at times due to the heat.. It was my first Hindu wedding, and I really didn't know what to expect. I've shot lead for over 20 weddings for Harvard Photography and this one was a little different. Aside from the ridiculously hot day, the wedding ceremony itself ran a total of 1 1/2 hours. The language barrier also made the shoot slightly difficult since i really didn't know what moments were important to capture. Luckily, the videographer was Indian and was very helpful. Every time something important was about to happen, he would whisper the meaning of the event.

The wedding ceremony and reception took place at the Anaheim Hills Golf Course and Country Club.


This was a pretty big wedding party with eight bridesmaids and ten groomsmen.





Here's the adorable couple, Seema and Dustin.


Here's Seema's henna tattoos.


The thing I love most about Indian weddings (aside from the food) are the colorful clothing and the intricate jewelry that is placed upon the bride. Here's Seema's head jewelry.



This was the start of the wedding ceremony, (which I will need to get some clarification from someone who is familiar with Hindu ceremonies). Anyway, i think this is a part of the ceremony where the women of the bride's family would line up in front of the groom and each one would walk up to the bride, place some money into a napkin that the groom is holding and wave (in a circular motion) a lit candle and a small jug of water to cleanse the groom (I think).









Again, the ceremony lasted 1 1/2 hours and was my longest ceremony to date.





The best man was responsible for wiping the sweat off of groom's forehead (yup, it was that hot!)

















The cake table and cake were beautifully decorated.






Here is Shaniya (Seema's cousin), a very beautiful young lady. Unfortunately I missed her singing from the ceremony the night before, but I hear she did a great job signing for Seema and Dustin.






The cake cutting was cute. One one hand, Dustin takes his time and care to slowly feed Seema her piece of cake. On the other hand, Seema takes her fork and almost impales Dustin's nose.



Here's the toast of the bride and groom.



One thing i did notice, was Dustin and Seema never kissed each other on the lips. Now, im not sure if it was due to tradition, but the couple never kissed on the lips, but rather Dustin would only kiss Seema on the forehead. Even at the end of the ceremony, Dustin only kissed her forehead. Im curious to hear the reasoning behind this.

Here's my ring shot.



One unusual event occurs at the end of the reception. At one point everybody is happy, dancing and enjoying the music. An announcement is made and all of a sudden then the mood changes as the final blessing is given by the parents to the new bride and groom. The music stops, a sorrowful mood fills the room. The bride's family (parents, siblings, close relatives and friends) start to cry as they say goodbye to the bride. Seema, then continues to hug and cry with everyone (her friends and family) in the room.




I was astounded by the sudden change in mood from very happy, to all of a sudden very sad. I definately need to find out more about Hindu ceremonies.

Again, it was a VERY hot day, and shooting for 10 hours straight doesn't really make things any easier. On the good side, the ceremony and reception were all held at a beautiful location.

I am glad to meet Seema and Dustin and wish them the very best.

Thank you for viewing!

Visual Exposure