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These photos were taken at the Hilton San Diego Bay Front last summer, with beautiful flowers by Classic Creations.

I would have to say that Indian weddings are by far my favorite to photograph as they are filled with beautiful, bright colors and overflowing with rituals. Indian weddings are double the fun. Not only does the bride get to have the day she’s always dreamed about, but there are many events leading up to the big day that are just as fun. The engagement ceremony is one of the first to take place. Here they exchange rings to symbolize the man and woman are now linked together. Gifts are exchanged at the engagement ceremony between families. However, these are not the same gifts one would give during an American wedding engagement. Could you imagine what a bride or her mother would say or the face she would make if she opened up a big cantaloupe? Traditionally families that are part of the Indian weddings exchange sweets, and dry fruits. I wonder if there is a special registry! The bachelorette party would be compared to the sangeet ceremony. This is a party strictly for women to dance to music and let loose! Haven’t you ever wondered why you don’t see many people with Mehndi when they now do it in your local mall? Well this is an application that is done for Indian women called the Mehndi Ceremony. Mehndi is applied to a bride’s hands, arms, feet, and legs. The ceremony is an important time for the family.

With this ring I thee wed… The day of the wedding ceremony garlands, not rings, are exchanged between the bride and groom. This is called the var mala ceremony or is also known as Jaimala. The bride attempts to put her garland around the groom’s neck but is prevented by the groom’s friends, her friends then help her and the exchange takes place. It would be pretty interesting if the groom’s men actually tried doing that with wedding ceremony rings. Different cultures have such intriguing rituals that are fun and add some playful spice to the same old traditions. It is such an honor to be apart of such a unique and special time!