It’s always fun to photograph a wedding for a day, but as a photographer specializing in Indian weddings, the ceremonies and celebrations often span multiple days. I love it! After a weekend together, it always feels like I get to know the family and friends on such a different level, and that means a lot to me.

Jessie & Kelly had their Indian wedding ceremony (Anand Karaj) on Friday, followed by a civil ceremony at Sodo Park on Saturday. Both ceremonies were beautiful and unique, each with its own feeling. The Indian ceremony took place at a Sikh Temple in Bothell, followed by traditional events at Jessie’s house. The civil ceremony took place at Sodo Park – a building built in 1907 with a rustic feel. (It was once a factory to create woodworking tools for ships, and now hosts weddings and other events)

Surrounded by friends and family from around the world, they celebrated each other with laughter, tears, and so much love. These are just a few photos from Saturday, and I want to thank Jessie & Kelly, their friends, and families, for being so kind and wonderful.

Congratulations to you both!

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A few (many) years ago, I sat in Red Square at WWU, observing my fellow students scurry past one another and file into brick buildings. They rushed to secure a seat in perfectly arranged wooden desks. So many different people from around the country, and world, gathered in a small town for four five years to secure a better future for themselves. I played this little game in my mind where I’d envision each student with an imaginary arrow projecting in front of them designating the direction of their travel. These arrows were always crossing each other, but not necessarily connecting. We’re always crossing paths with others, but how often do we actually connect with them? But then, you’d see people who did connect, in fact it happened all the time; perhaps in a classroom, maybe through an introduction by a mutual friend, at a party, in line to get a slice of pizza, or even because a brave person had the courage to say ‘hi’ to a stranger. All around me, there were so many connections happening, and it was fun to see.

I’ve photographed quite a few multicultural Indian weddings and it’s not everyday that an Irish-Japanese/Chinese bride marries an Indian Sikh groom. But then again, it’s not everyday that you connect with two people who become more than a couple you’ve photographed – but instead your friends. It’s these connections with people that give me so much energy – people like Kelly and Jessie, and their families. And it’s an even greater honor to photograph two people who have connected with each other, just like these two.

I met Jessie and Kelly during the Fall, in Ballard, for an engagement session and I immediately loved them both because they have this calm, cool, kindness and a down-to earth vibe that makes you want to keep hanging out. You know when you meet someone and you think they’re so damn cool, and then later you meet their friends & family and it all makes sense? That’s how it was for them. Their families were so much fun, and they welcomed my brother and I like family, and it really made our experience incredible.

Like many Indian weddings, the festivities spanned three days – the first day was the ladies Sangeet (the bride applies mehndi to her hands), followed by a traditional Sikh ceremony at the Bothell Gurdwara, and then a civil ceremony/reception at Sodo Park on the third day.

Here is blog post 1 of 2.

The Sikh Wedding Ceremony

Sikh groom rides a white horse during his Baraat in Mukilteo, WA

A Sikh groom may wear a headdress, called a Sehra, which is made from flower garlands or white beads. Before the ceremony, the Sehra is removed.

The bride enters the Gurdwara’s darbar and sits next to the groom, in front of, and facing, the Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh holy book)

To start the Sikh wedding ceremony (Anand Karaj) the bride and groom stand, along with their parents, while the priest bestows a prayer and blessing called Ardaas

The bride’s father places one end of the scarf worn by the groom into his daughters hand signifying that she is now leaving his care to join her husband

The priest will recite a stanza from the Granth Sahib, followed by Kirtan (music & singing). During the music, the bride and groom will walk around the Guru Granth Sahib – this is called the Laavan, and is repeated four times. The four stanza hymn describes the progression of love between husband & wife, which is a representation of the progression of love between the soul (bride) and God (groom). During the walk around the Granth Sahib, the bride will be helped by her family members or friends to signify their support.

Bride and Groom stand for one final prayer / blessing, called Ardaas, which concludes the Anand Karaj Sikh wedding ceremony

Stay tuned for part two of this wedding – the civil ceremony at Sodo Park.

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Indian Wedding Photography in Seattle

While growing up, I always noticed the same style of Indian weddings photos, and I felt like they never fully captured the cultural essence or traditions the way I saw and experienced them. While they may have done a great job of making the couple look like Bollywood stars, everything felt too ‘posed’ for me.  One of the greatest joys during  my photography experience has been the chance to develop relationships with my couples, and to photograph them in a unique way that brings out and captures real emotion. Real emotion has power. It makes you feel.

I love the emotion and feelings at multicultural weddings. (It’s truly an honor to photograph them) These are opportunities to share Indian culture, and at the same time, welcome new traditions into our lives. After all, we learn and grow through open hearts.

Preetma & Brian (two incredible friends) celebrated their modern Indian wedding at the Renton Gurdwara. After the ceremony, we drove into the majestic Cascade Mountains to create some beautiful photos where Preetma wore her red lehenga, and Brian wore a groom’s achkan sherwani with a red turban. Their traditional Indian outfits gave these photos a special (magical) feeling, especially when the fog and misty rain rolled in…

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A huge thanks to Brian and Preetma for the opportunity to photograph their beautiful Indian wedding!

Over the past few years, it’s been an honor to photograph Indian weddings in the Seattle area. I’ve met some incredible people who have opened their arms to me, and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to share what I love – photography.  Indian weddings are always full of bright colors, beautiful clothing, delicious food, and so many meaningful traditions. It’s been a humbling experience to have met so many awesome couples, and their families, and I’m excited to continue creating photos to share these beautiful moments.

I’d love to connect with you on Google+ and Instagram (@MandevSidhu)
You can also find me on Facebook here.

A huge thanks for all the support! 🙂