Here’s part two of Nancy and Chirag’s multi-day wedding shot by White Rabbit Studios.
I ended part 1 by mentioning Haldi, a Tumeric powder mixed with rosewater and sandalwood. The Haldi ceremony which signifies cleanliness and purification, typically happens the day before or the morning of the final wedding day, during which the couple is separated until they finally meet. If you’re interested in learning more, I found an amazing blog that offers much more insight on Haldi customs called Wedding Mantras.
The procession in which the groom arrives the wedding sight is nothing short of festive. My favorite shot has to be the one of Chirag flashing an adorable “I’m about to get hitched” grin to the horse trainer/ rancher.
Many traditional weddings have a specific name for the ceremonial centerpiece or canopy. In Jewish tradition, it’s a Chuppah, in Christian tradition it’s typically an altar, or in Hindu tradition – the Mandap. There are tons of companies out there that cater specifically to designing your ideal mandap. In Nancy and Chirag’s case, they entrusted the entire design and planning of their event to Chirag’s sister and Atlanta-based event planner – Sushil Patel of Utopian Events.
Fusion Idea: Some of the many customs incorporated were Jaimala (the exchanging of garlands as a gesture of acceptance & respect) and Saptapardi, in which the couple takes seven steps together to signify the beginning of their journey through life together. Each step represents a marital vow: First Step: To respect and honor each other; Second step: To share each other’s joy and sorrow; Third step: To trust and be loyal to each other; Fourth step: To cultivate appreciation for knowledge, values, sacrifice and service; Fifth step: To reconfirm their vow of purity, love family duties and spiritual growth; Sixth step: To follow principles of Dharma (righteousness); Seventh step: To nurture an eternal bond of friendship and love. The beauty of fusion is that Saptapardi could easily be incorpoated into other ceremonies, such as Jewish traditions which involve a similar seven step principle, or Christianity, in which the number seven is very symbolic in the genesis of life.
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{CREDITS: Bridal attire from Roopkala; Ceremony at Von Braun Civic Center; Event Design by Utopian Events); All images by White Rabbit Studios}
“The greatest challenge was the size of the second one and that there were two. But having two also made it possible to do what we wanted and honor our family’s traditions. We owe sooo much to my sister-in-law for bearing the brunt of the logistics, planning and helping the parents decide. She was a gem and avoided me dealing with most of that for a 750 person event!”
-Nancy, the Bride-
Congrats to N & C on your inspirational, wedding marathon. Thank you so much to Stephanie from White Rabbit Studios for sending over these lovely photos. I hope you have a great Monday.
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