{"id":2782,"date":"2015-10-21T19:14:37","date_gmt":"2015-10-22T02:14:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/?p=2782"},"modified":"2015-10-21T19:24:00","modified_gmt":"2015-10-22T02:24:00","slug":"traditional-hindu-wedding-photography-bellevue-wa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/?p=2782","title":{"rendered":"Traditional Hindu Wedding Photography | Bellevue, WA"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The traditions and rituals that take place during Hindu wedding always fascinate me. They are among the oldest wedding ceremonies we know of, deriving from sacred Holy texts known as the <em>Vedas<\/em>, which date to roughly 1700 \u2013 1100 BCE. Although today\u2019s Hindu weddings are significantly shortened, traditional ceremonies often lasted for days.<\/p>\n<p>One of my favorite elements of this wedding is that of the fire god, <em>Agni<\/em>, who acts as the primary witness during the ceremony. Krishnan lights the fire to mark the beginning of a new household for him and Shilpa, and also announces his acceptance of responsibilities to four deities. After the fire is lit, Shilpa and Krishnan ask Agni to be a messenger for their prayers. They proceed to take seven steps in front of the fire, with each step representing a vow made to each other.<\/p>\n<p><em>With the first step, we will provide for and support each other.<br \/>\nWith the second step, we will develop mental, physical &amp; spiritual strength.<br \/>\nWith the third step, we will share the worldly possessions.<br \/>\nWith the fourth step, we will acquire knowledge, happiness and peace.<br \/>\nWith the fifth step, we will raise strong and virtuous children.<br \/>\nWith the sixth step, we will enjoy the fruits of all seasons.<br \/>\nWith the seventh step, we will always remain friends and cherish each other.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>It was an honor to photograph Shilpa &amp; Krishnan\u2019s traditional Hindu wedding at the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.westinbellevuehotel.com\/\">Westin Hotel<\/a>, in Bellevue. Here are a few photos from the day:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Hindu-Indian-Wedding-Photography.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2789\" src=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Hindu-Indian-Wedding-Photography.jpg\" alt=\"Indian Hindu Bride getting ready before wedding ceremony\" width=\"1110\" height=\"730\" srcset=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Hindu-Indian-Wedding-Photography.jpg 1110w, http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Hindu-Indian-Wedding-Photography-300x197.jpg 300w, http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Hindu-Indian-Wedding-Photography-1024x673.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Indian-wedding-bellevue.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2795\" src=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Indian-wedding-bellevue.jpg\" alt=\"Bridesmaid putting on purple sari before wedding\" width=\"1110\" height=\"740\" srcset=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Indian-wedding-bellevue.jpg 1110w, http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Indian-wedding-bellevue-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Indian-wedding-bellevue-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/best-indian-wedding-photographer-bellevue.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2787\" src=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/best-indian-wedding-photographer-bellevue.jpg\" alt=\"Indian Bride getting ready before ceremony\" width=\"1110\" height=\"740\" srcset=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/best-indian-wedding-photographer-bellevue.jpg 1110w, http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/best-indian-wedding-photographer-bellevue-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/best-indian-wedding-photographer-bellevue-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Hindu-wedding-photographer-seattle.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2793\" src=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Hindu-wedding-photographer-seattle.jpg\" alt=\"Indian (Hindu) wedding photographer, Bellevue, WA\" width=\"1110\" height=\"740\" srcset=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Hindu-wedding-photographer-seattle.jpg 1110w, http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Hindu-wedding-photographer-seattle-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Hindu-wedding-photographer-seattle-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Hindu-Indian-bride-groom-photos-seattle-washington.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2788\" src=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Hindu-Indian-bride-groom-photos-seattle-washington.jpg\" alt=\"Indian wedding Photography at Westin Bellevue\" width=\"1110\" height=\"740\" srcset=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Hindu-Indian-bride-groom-photos-seattle-washington.jpg 1110w, http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Hindu-Indian-bride-groom-photos-seattle-washington-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Hindu-Indian-bride-groom-photos-seattle-washington-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Hindu-wedding-ceremonies-bellevue.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2790\" src=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Hindu-wedding-ceremonies-bellevue.jpg\" alt=\"Hindu Wedding rituals and traditions - Wedding at Westin Bellevue\" width=\"1110\" height=\"740\" srcset=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Hindu-wedding-ceremonies-bellevue.jpg 1110w, http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Hindu-wedding-ceremonies-bellevue-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Hindu-wedding-ceremonies-bellevue-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/mandev-sidhu-photography-seattle.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2797\" src=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/mandev-sidhu-photography-seattle.jpg\" alt=\"Indian Wedding Photography by Mandev Sidhu\" width=\"1110\" height=\"767\" srcset=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/mandev-sidhu-photography-seattle.jpg 1110w, http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/mandev-sidhu-photography-seattle-300x207.jpg 300w, http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/mandev-sidhu-photography-seattle-1024x708.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/hindu-wedding-fire-ceremony-westin-bellevue.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2792\" src=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/hindu-wedding-fire-ceremony-westin-bellevue.jpg\" alt=\"Sacred Fire, Agni, groom lighting the fire with ghee\" width=\"1110\" height=\"740\" srcset=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/hindu-wedding-fire-ceremony-westin-bellevue.jpg 1110w, http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/hindu-wedding-fire-ceremony-westin-bellevue-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/hindu-wedding-fire-ceremony-westin-bellevue-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Agni<\/b> (\u0905\u0917\u094d\u0928\u093f: Sanskrit, meaning &#8220;fire&#8221;) is one of the most ancient and important Gods in Vedic Hinduism that plays a central role in rituals. As the god of fire, Agni is the conduit and messenger between the human realm and the celestial realm.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/hindu-wedding-photography-seattle.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2794\" src=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/hindu-wedding-photography-seattle.jpg\" alt=\"Hindu Wedding Ceremony at Westin Bellevue - Agni Fire Ceremony\" width=\"1110\" height=\"761\" srcset=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/hindu-wedding-photography-seattle.jpg 1110w, http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/hindu-wedding-photography-seattle-300x206.jpg 300w, http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/hindu-wedding-photography-seattle-1024x702.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Seattle-Hindu-wedding-fire-ceremony.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2798\" src=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Seattle-Hindu-wedding-fire-ceremony.jpg\" alt=\"Best Hindu wedding photographer Seattle, Bellevue\" width=\"1110\" height=\"758\" srcset=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Seattle-Hindu-wedding-fire-ceremony.jpg 1110w, http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Seattle-Hindu-wedding-fire-ceremony-300x205.jpg 300w, http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Seattle-Hindu-wedding-fire-ceremony-1024x699.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/best-hindu-wedding-photographer-seattle-bellevue.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2786\" src=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/best-hindu-wedding-photographer-seattle-bellevue.jpg\" alt=\"Couple walking around Agni, the Sacred Fire during a Hindu Wedding Ceremony\" width=\"1110\" height=\"769\" srcset=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/best-hindu-wedding-photographer-seattle-bellevue.jpg 1110w, http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/best-hindu-wedding-photographer-seattle-bellevue-300x208.jpg 300w, http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/best-hindu-wedding-photographer-seattle-bellevue-1024x709.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Indian-wedding-photographer-eastside-issaquah.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2796\" src=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Indian-wedding-photographer-eastside-issaquah.jpg\" alt=\"Hindu Wedding Issaquah, Bellevue, Redmond\" width=\"1110\" height=\"740\" srcset=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Indian-wedding-photographer-eastside-issaquah.jpg 1110w, http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Indian-wedding-photographer-eastside-issaquah-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Indian-wedding-photographer-eastside-issaquah-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Hindu-wedding-ceremony-bellevue.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2791\" src=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Hindu-wedding-ceremony-bellevue.jpg\" alt=\"Hindu Bride and Groom are celebrating their marriage\" width=\"1110\" height=\"740\" srcset=\"http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Hindu-wedding-ceremony-bellevue.jpg 1110w, http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Hindu-wedding-ceremony-bellevue-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Hindu-wedding-ceremony-bellevue-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The traditions and rituals that take place during Hindu wedding always fascinate me&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2793,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[212,70,118,94,211],"class_list":["post-2782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wedding-photographer","tag-bellevue","tag-hindu-wedding","tag-hindu-wedding-photography","tag-seattle-wedding-photographer","tag-westin"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2782"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/www.mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2782\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2801,"href":"http:\/\/www.mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2782\/revisions\/2801"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mandevsidhu.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}