American-Indian Wedding in New York

A few months ago I had the pleasure of working with Sophie Kaye in New York at one of the most amazing weddings I have ever attended or photographed. It was a three day American-Indian wedding, and it was so incredible. I have previously journaled about the first day here, but I wanted to combine the last two days in one long, photo-rich entry.

The last two days showcased the beauty of an Indian wedding. Henna for the bridal party, three gorgeous custom made sarees for the bride, a traditional Indian ceremony, all the florals in the world, and dancing for days! I am in love with the rich colors and jewel tones that Indian weddings bring, and this one was no exception. Every family member and guest stood out and made the wedding palette a rainbow. Have a look below at some of the photos, and there is more information about how this Indian wedding happened and some of the traditions that I learned about.

 

The first photos (the bride in the orange/peach saree) shows the second day beginning with a mehndi ceremony. For this, the bride and her female friends and family members will have intricate henna patterns drawn on their hands and feet. That evening, the sangeet took place, and the bride wore a beautiful pastel green saree. We were all treated to some amazing traditional dance performances.

The third day, the bride wore a traditional red saree.

The baraat, or groom’s procession, had the groom arriving in a red Ferrari as guests dance around him to the beat of a dhol, an Indian drum. From here, the bride and her family greet the groom, and the couple exchanged gorgeous floral garlands to wear around their necks to symbolize their acceptance of each other. Afterwards, the wedding ceremony took place, complete with the “stealing of the grooms shoes” – which is a fun tradition where the unmarried women on the bride’s side of the family “steal” his shoes and hide them. The groom must leave with the same shoes that he arrived in, so there is a bargaining of sorts to get the shoes back. Usually monetary, this is a way for the groom to welcome the bride’s family into his.

After the exit and a quick breath of fresh air alone together, the newlyweds changed into their outfits from the first day and danced and toasted to their new lives together.