Our engagement photography session began in Capitol Hill and took us all the way to the Cascade Mountains.  I wanted these photos to capture and reflect the spirit of Kruti and Pritesh’s strong relationship.

A few (of the many) things Kruti and Pritesh have taught me over the years:

• Always push yourself to become a better person.
• Take time to reflect on who you are, who you were, and where you want to be in life. Act on it.
• If you’re out of your comfort zone, you’re doing something right.
• When life gives you a challenge, first turn to your family for guidance and advice. Trust in their support. Then kick the challenge in the butt!
• Be kind to everyone around you. Always.
• Work hard.
• Let ambition be your guide.
• A good education is always an asset.
• Relationships are like a stew. They take time and patience, and the final result will only be as good as the ingredients you put into it.
• Love and respect your family, for they are the support system for your life now, and in the future.
• Emotions are transitory and are not a good way to make decisions.
• Look inside yourself. Often.
• Have faith. Trust in faith.

I hope these photos provide a small glimpse into love of these two cool people.  I’m so excited to photograph their wedding, and wish them the very best!  Thanks to everything you guys have taught me.

Okay, so I know there are a TON of pictures for this blog post, but I couldn’t help it!! I had to post them all! It was so tough to narrow it down to just these….. hope you guys enjoy!

Kruti and Pritesh really got to know each other through hiking and nature. They share a passion for the outdoors and early in their relationship, many of their deep talks happened while hiking together. Kruti trained for 1 year to climb Mount Rainier, and Pritesh did much of that with her.  It was so meaningful for them to go through that experience together.  To push themselves, to grow, to overcome challenges together, and to share that sense of achievement.

We wanted to incorporate this very important element into their engagement photos.

During our session, when we were standing by the lake, there was a moment when they were embracing each other, holding each other in complete silence. It seemed like all the sounds around us disappeared and it was just the two of them. Lost in each others arms. You could feel love in the air. You could feel that connection they have with each other.  Such a memorable moment.

Thanks Kruti and Pritesh!

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Mick and Karen’s traditional Sikh wedding in Fresno, CA, was absolutely beautiful! Surrounded by acres of almond fields, fruit trees, and rolling hills, the area provided the perfect backdrop for a wedding. Palm trees lined the road as we drove through fields and fields of fruits and vegetables. I love photographing Indian weddings because of all the celebrations, traditions, and the excitement from both families.

We spent 3 days in Fresno, capturing the memories and traditional festivities of the Sikh wedding. As we photographed the many cultural traditions and events, it felt as though we were part of the family. Everybody opened themselves up to us, showing love, and that truly made our job memorable.

Over the past 8 months, I’ve witnessed the kindness and friendliness of Mick and Karen. Throughout the entire wedding, they placed a lot of trust in us, opened themselves up to creativity, and were just so cooperative. From the day we took engagement photos in downtown Seattle, I knew Mick and Karen were going to be awesome! They make such a perfect couple – Karen has a funny personality and a warm heart, and Mick is hilarious and always so understanding. There’s a sense of calm and peace in their relationship that I can only imagine developed through their years of long-distance. They’ve really established a deep level of trust and understanding with each other, and it stems from their communication and openness. After spending time with their families, I can see where they got these wonderful qualities!

Mehndi (Henna)

Mick and Karen’s Indian wedding was comprised of several Sikh traditions, each of which were performed with happiness, huge smiles, and love. Sikh weddings often occur over the span of several days, traditionally beginning with the application of Mehndi (henna). The photos below show the mehndi being applied to the hands.  Usually, only women will have mehndi applied.

For both sides of the family, the mehndi is carefully and artistically applied onto the women’s hands. The bride’s mehndi is applied delicately and intricately to both hands and feet. Mehndi serves a decorative purpose, as well as the traditional signification of an upcoming wedding. In India, the mehndi was prepared by the groom’s mother, and sent to the bride a month before the wedding. The preparation is a long and tedious process where leaves of the Mehndi tree are hand-ground into a paste. The more thoroughly the leaves are ground, the darker the resulting henna will appear. The resulting paste is then left to sit allowing it to become usable.

Sikh bride having her henna applied before the wedding ceremony. Mehndi is applied to the hand very carefully and can take many hours. Once done, the bride is left with a beautiful, artistic, design on her hands, arms, legs, and feet. This is an Indian tradition that is still practiced today, all over the world.

For Sikh weddings, women on the groom’s side also apply mehndi to their hands. I love how happy everyone was at this wedding!

The groom’s mom and sister show their beautiful mendhi design

Another tradition is for the grooms family to visit the bride’s family with gifts. During this ceremony, the groom’s mother (bride’s mother-in-law) places a chunni (scarf) over the brides head. This is a sign of respect from the mother-in-law and signifies a lifelong of protection and care from their family. Mick’s family brought gifts and sweets to the Karen’s home. These following are just a couple (of many) pictures we captured for them during this ceremony.

The happy, cheery, smiling Sikh bride and groom!! They look so good!

The Gurdwara (temple) where Mick and Karen got married is located among acres of almond orchards. Despite the 100+degree temperature, we took advantage of these beautiful trees. I absolutely love these pictures of Mick and Karen walking through the orchard.

Mick and Karen make such a beautiful couple. These pictures in the orchard are some of my favorite. Even in the 100 degree weather, these two were troopers. Here are a few of the pictures…

Photo of a traditional Sikh bride and groom, walking through the temple (Gurdwara) after their ceremony.

I love this photo of Mick and Karen because it’s a great example of the traditional outfits worn by Sikh bride and grooms.

Thank you, Mick and Karen, for giving me the opportunity to photograph your beautiful, traditional Sikh wedding!

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Sometimes you never know who you’ll meet, or where you’ll meet them- but doesn’t life always find a way to make things happen? It’s easy to see how perfectly everything works out when you step back to trace the chain of events that led you to today.

I really enjoyed listening to Jasmine tell me the story about how she met Paul. Here’s the brief version describing how one event led to another… Jasmine had just returned to Seattle after finishing school in New York City. Paul met her one day and decided to give his phone number. Jasmine, not sure if she should call him, decided to wait. Why do girls always do that?! 🙂 Well, one day, when curiosity got the better of her, she called him, and they began talking on the phone…..for 8 hours! What?! In fact, every phone call during the first week lasted at least 6 hours until finally, they said it’s time to meet in person! Destiny was quickly revealing itself to them…..

….and now, here we are, at Alki Beach in Seattle taking engagement photos. Jasmine and Paul make such a wonderful couple together and I’m so happy for both of them. These engagement photos, taken at Alki Beach in West Seattle, are just a small glimpse of how happy they make each other.

Thank you, Jasmine and Paul, for giving me the opportunity to capture these engagement pictures for you!

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While Runeet was getting ready, Mayank and his family arrived at the Gurdwara and were greeted by the priest and Runeet’s family. A quick prayer was performed and then everybody was served chai and appetizers.

The music began in the prayer hall and the guests arrived, followed by Mayank, who sat in the front center. Runeet entered, followed by her closest relatives and sat next to Mayank. The beautiful ceremony began with prayers, followed by music and hymns.