When I decided to go to India and saw pictures of Indian weddings I knew I had to add one to my portfolio. The colors, the customs, the decorations, music, etc. is just so beautiful and different from American weddings. I think I emailed around 20 big name wedding planners in India offering free wedding photography and videography services for any traditional Indian wedding on the dates that we were going to be in India. I posted a link to our portfolio in the email so that they could look at our work. Within only a couple of days I received an email from a wedding planner who had a wedding for us on the 14th. She said it was a high profile wedding and that his Highness of Jaipur would likely be there.
I was relieved to see that they had a local videographer and photographer working for them when we arrived. Although their equipment was not all that impressive, it took the pressure off of us for group pictures and other things like that, which allowed us to concern ourselves with capturing whatever images we wanted.
It was an inter-religion wedding so the first wedding ceremony was at a Sikh Gurudwara(temple) followed by Lunch at Hotel Rajputana Sheraton Jaipur. Later in the evening there was a cocktail dinner plus Hindu marriage done in grand Royal Rajput Style at Hotel Raj Palace. The Groom belongs to a Sikh family and the bride belongs to a Rajput Family so there were two different styles of weddings in one day.
When we arrived at the first ceremony which started in a hotel room before a march to the temple, we were feeling really out of place...or at least I was. We were clearly the only non Indians, and I felt that we should have dressed in Indian attire, but we were in our western clothing. Everything happened so fast, and before I knew it they were marching out of the hotel and into the street where a decorated white horse was waiting to carry the groom to the temple to meet his bride. Musicians lined the street, the family danced and chanted, the poor people that live on the streets lined up to get a peek, and the whole thing just seemed unreal. I was overwhelmed with a feeling of "how in the world did I get to be here????"
The rich in India are very rich and the poor are very poor. The bride and groom's hotel room at the Hotel Raj Palace cost them $40,000 US for only one night! These families were both insanely rich and act the part. We road from the temple to the Raj Palace with the bride's brother, and he was going to run over any poor person, cow, dog, or car that got in his way. It was clear that he believed he owned the street, and I believe he could have gotten away with whatever he wanted. He even turned on his own car siren a couple of times. He seriously almost killed people!
However, everyone there treated Daniel and I wonderfully from the beginning. Towards the end of the night their curiosity came out after drinking alcohol and they really overwhelmed us with questions, kindness, and offers!
Okay back to the first ceremony. After the march to the temple music was still filling the air and everyone was slowly making their way into the temple. Then a man wearing an awesome orange turban and beard came up to me and told me I couldn't enter the temple without my head being covered. I thought he was scolding me, because he seemed like a really serious Hindu elder that might not like an American girl like me. That's just the thought I had. Instead this was the man who was the most kind to Daniel and me all day and night! After he told me not to enter he came back and handed me a scarf. I put it on top of my head and everyone laughed at me. He then smiled and took it for me and wrapped my head and tied it. That was sweet right? :) Then he did the same for Daniel. Pictures will tell the story of the ceremony, so I won't get into that. It was mainly prayer and offerings at this ceremony.
Next it was time to head the the Raj Palace! Everyone told us that the evening ceremony would be a grand event. I thought the morning ceremony was extremely grand so I couldn't imagine something bigger! This hotel used to be home of royalty, but when India became democratic and the royalty lost their titles they turned their homes into hotels. That's basically what I understood. http://www.rajpalace.com/
When it was time for the bride and groom to enter the palace they each came up the red carpet separately. The bride first and then the groom on his beautifully adorned white horse. Of course there were bands playing triumphant Indian music upon his red carpet arrival. It was so triumphant actually that tears actually came to my eyes! I felt like I was getting a glimpse at royalty from ages ago.
I will let the pictures tell the rest of the wedding story. Now I will talk about how we were treated and who we met! Everyone was kind to us. At the lunch reception the groom's uncle (orange turban) asked me to dance. I said no thank you. He asked again, I said no thank you again. He asked why. I said I'd be embarassed, and then he drug me out onto the floor to dance with all of the other guests. It was a really fast fun Indian song, and I had a blast! We just hopped around and spun in circles and did little waving things with our hands. They dance different over there, so I had to try to adapt. Daniel filmed us dancing and the other videographer filmed him filming me:) The groom was standing beside us off of the dance floor and I made brief eye contact with him while dancing. He had a huge grin on his face! I was glad to see that my dancing was entertaining and not offensive!!!
At the evening event a couple of young men in their twenties developed a fascination with Daniel and I that almost became difficult I guess. They were so sweet and had so many questions. They wanted to know what we thought of India, of the wedding, of them. They talked a lot, but it was hard to understand what they were saying. While almost everyone there could speak English, the accents made it very, very difficult to understand.
As it turned out, one of the young men is the great grandson of the only Sikh president of India. He was the first and the last. I believe he was president from 1982 to 1987. http://www.sikh-history.com/sikhhist/personalities/zail.html The great grandson never mentioned his grandfather, but later in the evening another man was talking to us and wanted to take a picture with us. Actually, several people wanted to have their pictures taken with us! Anyway, the man I'm speaking of talked to us for awhile and then mentioned that his grandfather was the only Sikh President ever elected in India. How cool right?!
I actually feel kind of bad, because I was so tired by the end of the night that we had to sort of sneak out. Everyone kept trying to get us to drink or to eat or to sit. A couple of people offered to take us for tours on future days in India. The uncle in the orange turban gave us his card and wants us to call him. He is a pilot and has some big position in the army I believe. He said he could take us places that no one else could take us. He reminded us several times to take him up on his offer. Another couple that lives in Delhi offered to pick us up at our hotel when we got to Delhi and take us all around town for the day. It was a great experience, and one that I am so grateful to have had!
I was relieved to see that they had a local videographer and photographer working for them when we arrived. Although their equipment was not all that impressive, it took the pressure off of us for group pictures and other things like that, which allowed us to concern ourselves with capturing whatever images we wanted.
It was an inter-religion wedding so the first wedding ceremony was at a Sikh Gurudwara(temple) followed by Lunch at Hotel Rajputana Sheraton Jaipur. Later in the evening there was a cocktail dinner plus Hindu marriage done in grand Royal Rajput Style at Hotel Raj Palace. The Groom belongs to a Sikh family and the bride belongs to a Rajput Family so there were two different styles of weddings in one day.
When we arrived at the first ceremony which started in a hotel room before a march to the temple, we were feeling really out of place...or at least I was. We were clearly the only non Indians, and I felt that we should have dressed in Indian attire, but we were in our western clothing. Everything happened so fast, and before I knew it they were marching out of the hotel and into the street where a decorated white horse was waiting to carry the groom to the temple to meet his bride. Musicians lined the street, the family danced and chanted, the poor people that live on the streets lined up to get a peek, and the whole thing just seemed unreal. I was overwhelmed with a feeling of "how in the world did I get to be here????"
The rich in India are very rich and the poor are very poor. The bride and groom's hotel room at the Hotel Raj Palace cost them $40,000 US for only one night! These families were both insanely rich and act the part. We road from the temple to the Raj Palace with the bride's brother, and he was going to run over any poor person, cow, dog, or car that got in his way. It was clear that he believed he owned the street, and I believe he could have gotten away with whatever he wanted. He even turned on his own car siren a couple of times. He seriously almost killed people!
However, everyone there treated Daniel and I wonderfully from the beginning. Towards the end of the night their curiosity came out after drinking alcohol and they really overwhelmed us with questions, kindness, and offers!
Okay back to the first ceremony. After the march to the temple music was still filling the air and everyone was slowly making their way into the temple. Then a man wearing an awesome orange turban and beard came up to me and told me I couldn't enter the temple without my head being covered. I thought he was scolding me, because he seemed like a really serious Hindu elder that might not like an American girl like me. That's just the thought I had. Instead this was the man who was the most kind to Daniel and me all day and night! After he told me not to enter he came back and handed me a scarf. I put it on top of my head and everyone laughed at me. He then smiled and took it for me and wrapped my head and tied it. That was sweet right? :) Then he did the same for Daniel. Pictures will tell the story of the ceremony, so I won't get into that. It was mainly prayer and offerings at this ceremony.
Next it was time to head the the Raj Palace! Everyone told us that the evening ceremony would be a grand event. I thought the morning ceremony was extremely grand so I couldn't imagine something bigger! This hotel used to be home of royalty, but when India became democratic and the royalty lost their titles they turned their homes into hotels. That's basically what I understood. http://www.rajpalace.com/
When it was time for the bride and groom to enter the palace they each came up the red carpet separately. The bride first and then the groom on his beautifully adorned white horse. Of course there were bands playing triumphant Indian music upon his red carpet arrival. It was so triumphant actually that tears actually came to my eyes! I felt like I was getting a glimpse at royalty from ages ago.
I will let the pictures tell the rest of the wedding story. Now I will talk about how we were treated and who we met! Everyone was kind to us. At the lunch reception the groom's uncle (orange turban) asked me to dance. I said no thank you. He asked again, I said no thank you again. He asked why. I said I'd be embarassed, and then he drug me out onto the floor to dance with all of the other guests. It was a really fast fun Indian song, and I had a blast! We just hopped around and spun in circles and did little waving things with our hands. They dance different over there, so I had to try to adapt. Daniel filmed us dancing and the other videographer filmed him filming me:) The groom was standing beside us off of the dance floor and I made brief eye contact with him while dancing. He had a huge grin on his face! I was glad to see that my dancing was entertaining and not offensive!!!
At the evening event a couple of young men in their twenties developed a fascination with Daniel and I that almost became difficult I guess. They were so sweet and had so many questions. They wanted to know what we thought of India, of the wedding, of them. They talked a lot, but it was hard to understand what they were saying. While almost everyone there could speak English, the accents made it very, very difficult to understand.
As it turned out, one of the young men is the great grandson of the only Sikh president of India. He was the first and the last. I believe he was president from 1982 to 1987. http://www.sikh-history.com/sikhhist/personalities/zail.html The great grandson never mentioned his grandfather, but later in the evening another man was talking to us and wanted to take a picture with us. Actually, several people wanted to have their pictures taken with us! Anyway, the man I'm speaking of talked to us for awhile and then mentioned that his grandfather was the only Sikh President ever elected in India. How cool right?!
I actually feel kind of bad, because I was so tired by the end of the night that we had to sort of sneak out. Everyone kept trying to get us to drink or to eat or to sit. A couple of people offered to take us for tours on future days in India. The uncle in the orange turban gave us his card and wants us to call him. He is a pilot and has some big position in the army I believe. He said he could take us places that no one else could take us. He reminded us several times to take him up on his offer. Another couple that lives in Delhi offered to pick us up at our hotel when we got to Delhi and take us all around town for the day. It was a great experience, and one that I am so grateful to have had!
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