Posts Tagged ‘Indian Wedding’

Ekta & Nirav SDE // Philadelphia, PA

Today marks the end of an epic 5-day wedding celebration in Philadelphia, PA. We’re actually at the airport right now getting ready to make our way back to San Diego. Since we have a bit of a layover, we thought we’d go ahead and post the same-day edit (SDE) that we premiered last night at the reception. It covers 4 of the 5 days of events, including the bride and groom’s vidhi, garba/rass, ceremony and reception. We hope you enjoy!

Congratulations Ekta & Nirav!

NOTE: The Philadelphia Inquirer featured this wedding on the front page of their newspaper. It was fun to wake up in the morning, step outside our hotel room door and see the wedding we’re in the middle of filming on our doorstep. You can see their article here.

Featured On: MaharaniWeddings.com

Vendors:

Cinematographer: FortyOneTwenty
Photographer:
Srinu & Amy (Regetis Photography)
Caterer:
Nick Manicksaw (Palace at the Ben)
Lighting & Audio: Rob Tobiass (Tour Master Productions)
Make-Up: Sam Smith (Mac)
Coordinator (Ceremony): Jeff Litman (Select Party Rental)
Decorator (Ceremony): Hitan Patel (Kalash Decorator)
Decorator (Ceremony – Dinner): Nisha Shah (LAX)
DJ (Ceremony): Kalvin Johal (DJ Kalvin)
Pundit (Ceremony): Harenbhai
Fireworks (Ceremony): Dennis O’Regan (Fireworks Concepts)
Venue (Reception): Kelley Maddox & Bill Cook (Please Touch Museum)
Decorator (Reception): Shobha Rao (Elegant Affairs)
DJ (Reception): Jay Dabhi (DJU South Asia)

Pooja & Chirag // Galveston Island, TX

This was a wedding of many firsts for FortyOneTwenty! I’m sure there were more but these were the ones that stood out (in my mind, at least):

First time shooting in Texas.
First time shooting an island-themed Sangeet.
First time running through pyro-technics at a reception.

We flew into Houston late on a Thursday night, hopped in a rental car and drove down to the Texas coast…just in time to grab dinner before the last restaurant closed on Galveston Island. The next day we had a little time to kill before the Sangeet in the evening so we decided to explore the island a bit. It wasn’t long before we found ourselves watching Battle LA in a small, local theater….no surprise there if you know us well :)

Fast forward to the Sangeet that evening. As mentioned above, this was our first island-themed Sangeet. In fact, I think it was our first themed-Sangeet in general. Guests were welcomed in the entry way by giant Tiki-head statues and greeters with lays for everyone. The island decor continued throughout the ballroom courtesy of Decor One.

The next morning we arrived at Pooja’s hotel room bright and early to begin hair and makeup. As you can see in the trailer, the details on her outfit and jewelry were absolutely beautiful. Before we knew it, we were running downstairs to meet Chirag and getting setup for the barat. The DJs leading the barat (Desi Junction) were particularly awesome and we’d definitely recommend them to anybody. After the barat, we all headed up to the Promenade Lawn which featured a beautifully decorated mandat set against a scenic ocean backdrop. Once the ceremony concluded, we took advantage of the afternoon break to head back to the hotel room and recharge a bit before the reception.

At this point, we might as well cut straight to the grand-entrance because it was ridiculously awesome. With the help of Texas Lite & Pyro, Chirag and Pooja entered the grand ballroom onto a dance floor secretly ringed with huge spark fountains. As soon as they stepped on the dance floor, the whole thing exploded with 10-15 foot fountains of sparks on every side. Needless to say, it was spectacular. Even though I knew it was coming, it still freaked me out since I was so focused on following them with the Steadicam. One minute I’m focused on the bride and groom, the next I’m dodging towering infernos of sparks! After the fountains died down, they began their first dance. Then, just when you thought there were no surprises left, Chirag dips Pooja and showers of confetti explode overhead. Yeah, it was a reception to remember!

Chirag & Pooja – Congratulation and thanks so much for inviting us out to Texas to be a part of your wedding!


Vendor:

Cinematography: Weddings by FortyOneTwenty
Photography: Montage Photographers
Coordinator: Rathi Menon (Rathi Menon Events)
DJ: Desi Junction DJs
Band: Divisi Strings
Dancers: Rhythm India

Venue/Caterer: San Luis Resort, Galveston Island, TX
Special Effects: Texas Lite & Pyro
Cake: Who Made The Cake
Groom Cake: Cake Balls
Ceremony Decor: Decor One
Sangeet & Reception Decor: Darryl & Co.
Hair/Make-Up: Your Beautiful Face

Tulsi & Mihir // San Jose, CA

We recently had the great pleasure of shooting Tulsi & Mihir’s beautiful Indian wedding. The whole event took place at the Fairmont Hotel in downtown San Jose. The part that really stood out to us was the Baraat. With a horse drawn carriage, crowd of dancing people and all the onlookers taking pictures…it was a sight to see! Following that was a gorgeous ceremony and fantastic reception. All in all, we really had a great time and came away capturing some amazing moments.

Thank you Tulsi & Mihir! Congratulations!

Vendors:

Cinematographers: Weddings by FortyOneTwenty
Photographer: Doug (Furious Photographers)
Designer: Satvir Bhogal (SB Arts)
DJ & Lighting: Amit Kotecha (3D Sounds)

Priya & Harsha // San Diego, CA

The day started on the 39th floor on the Manchester Grand Hyatt overlooking the bay, Seaport Village, and downtown San Diego. There’s definitely something to be said for having a spacious bridal suite when you need to squeeze in family, bridesmaids, photographers, cinematographers, make-up artists, hair artists, and of course, the bride herself. Thankfully, there was room to spare!

When Priya and Harsha where finally ready to see each other for the first time in full regalia, we all headed out to the grassy peninsula behind Seaport Village. The smiles on their faces at that first glance were priceless. After that they went off with the photographers for pics with family and friends. Shortly after, it was time for the barat. Now, I’m no equestrian…but the horse that Harsha rode in on was enormous! Very impressive.  Once the parade reached the bride’s family, the whole party proceeded up to the 3rd floor pool deck for the ceremony. Being that this was late September and San Diego, it was of course ridiculously hot outside but that didn’t seem to deter anyone from enjoying this beautiful ceremony.

The reception was no less spectacular. Taking place in one of the Hyatt’s huge ballrooms, the night was packed with great food, a live band, and even a special choreographed performance from a group of guests. Overall, it was an amazing day and we felt blessed to be a part of it. Congratulations, Priya & Harsha! We wish you both the very best!

Featured On: MaharaniWeddings.com

Vendors:

Coordinator: Sonal Kapadia (Sonal Kapadia Events)
Venue: Reshma Singh (Manchester Grand Hyatt, Downtown San Diego)
Photographer: Tony Florez (Tony Florez Photography)
Band: Donice Watkins (Go Big Daddy Band)
DJ: Nishant Kotecha (3D Sounds)
Lighting: Jack Hou (TMM Pro)
Officiant: Dilip Bhatt

Aunish & Mona // Dana Point, CA (SDE)

This was another 3 day extravaganza and what a cool wedding it was!  We headed up to L.A. on Thursday for the the Mendhi/Sangeet at the Elevate Lounge, a sweet, modern night club.  From the heena artist to a little game show put on by the guests, there was never a shortage of fun visuals to shoot.  On Friday, we headed over to a community center in Mission Viejo for the traditional Garba and Raas dances…so much fun to shoot!  Finally, on Saturday morning we woke up early and headed over to the St. Regis Monarch Beach (in Dana Point) for the actual wedding day.  This gorgeous location made for an incredible wedding!  The day went quick for us…a little too quick.  We had to have their same day edit (which included all 3 days) done by 8:00 that night in time for their grand entrance. Needless to say, we had to hustle to make it happen. It was all worth it in the end though!

Congratulations Aunish and Mona!

Featured On: MaharaniWeddings.com

Vendors:

Coordination: Shelly Wakefield (Details Details)
Photographer: Victor Sizemore
DJ: Ajay Manaktala (Special Occasions DJ & Lighting)
Makeup & Hair: Couture Beauty Team
Decor: Shawn Yamamoto Event Design
Desserts: Pastries by Edie
Lighting & AV: Amber Events Production
Heena: Amita (sweetgirlamita@gmail.com)
Day 1 Venue: Elevate Lounge
Day 2 Venue: Norman P. Murray Center, Mission Viejo
Day 3 Venue: St. Regis Monarch Beach

Amit & Harini // Aliso Viejo, CA

We’ve finally shot our first Indian wedding…and we absolutely loved it! We can’t begin to thank Amit & Harini enough for allowing us to participate in such a beautiful tradition. Congratulations to both of you!!

The whole experience was split into 3 separate events over 3 days. The first night was the Gaana which was more an informal event where their close friend’s and family  gathered to kick off the wedding celebrations together (and sing some karaoke).

The following evening was the “bridemaking” event where the elders, especially the women, blessed Harini to become a bride. This is also where most the guests received henna artwork on the hands, arms, and feet. In fact, the henna artist actually convinced Matt and I to get some artwork on the backs of our hands. We were skeptical at first given the long line of all women and no guys getting henna done. In the end though, we caved because the henna was just too awesome to pass up. We never did get a straight answer though whether guys are supposed to get henna or not….

On the third day, we started bright and early (4:30am) filming Harini, her sister, and her mom getting ready for the main ceremony later that morning. The whole wedding, ceremony and reception, took place at Soka University in Aliso Veijo which turned out to be an amazing location. Credit must be given to Sheryal Rozelle of Unique Elegance for orchestrating such a gorgeous event! The ceremony was situated on the far side of a large pond (or small lake) with two long pathways acting as bridges through the water. It was in the middle of one of these bridges that we shot the first look. We definitely could not have asked for a more cinematic moment.

I could go on forever about the colors, decor, food, and the ocean of other details that kept us riveted behind our cameras…but it’s probably best just to show you! So, if you haven’t already, go watch the wedding film above and let us know what you think by leaving a comment below. Enjoy :)

Featured On: MaharaniWeddings.com

Vendors:

Photographer: Israel Anderson (Anderson Photograpy)
Wedding Consultant: Sheryal Rozzelle  (Unique Elegance)
Florist: Alex Amedi (Square Root)
Hair & Makeup: Couture Beauty
DJ: Infamous L.A. Dee Jay
Catering: Manohar’s Delhi Palace
Mehndi (Henna): Lishma (Beauty by Lishma)