Weddings Offer Ultimate Photographic Moments for Photography Lovers

Recently, I attended wedding celebrations of one of my friends. It was a traditional Sikh matrimony, which lasted for one night and two days. All the relatives and family friends were present at the wedding. It was a lavish wedding and included more than 700 guests. Since it was the wedding in Punjabi community, there were lots and lots of sumptuous food available for the invitees. By the time the bridegroom arrived, we enjoyed clicking photographs and enjoying the tasty food, which was waiting for us to gorge upon.

I am quite fond of photography, and as soon as I came to know that the wedding is theme based, I was thrilled with the feeling that I will get a lovely chance to click my beautiful friends and the decorations of the Sikh Matrimony. And as I had expected, I got so many beautiful moments that were impossible for me to miss. The theme of the decor was yellow and golden, while the bride wore fiery red lehenga. The overall combination was awesome and the golden hues give a look of fire flames. Yellow and golden are the best colours for photography as they impart a very dramatic and beautiful effect.

Apart from the decor, I also captured the shots of the bride’s beautiful mehendi, the Kaliras, her eyes, and her dress.

The welcome gate was looking amazing and I found different angles to shoot. There were awesome decorative plants and light effects which provided me lovely scenic stills. The rituals of Sikh matrimony after arrival of the groom were so fun and I got so many unforgettable moments to capture.  Some of the shots are my favourite, and I am planning to gift them to my friend after she is back from her honeymoon.

Author: Rashmi Karan

The Baraat of a Sikh Matrimonials

The happy and cheerful sardars and sardarnis dancing to the beats of dholak, a huge procession of musicians, and in the procession is a man riding the horse- Yes guys, I am talking about the ‘baraat’ of a Sikh wedding. The ‘baraat’ or the groom’s procession to the wedding venue is important ritual of Sikh Matrimonials. And, the man riding the horse is the groom himself. Unlike other community weddings where the groom’s procession to the wedding venue happens in the night, the Sikh community baraat happens during the daytime. The groom decked in wedding fineries like sherwani and jeweled turban heads to the gurudwara with his family members and friends. Traditionally, the groom is supposed to ride a horse to venue of wedding. With the changing times, some groom prefers to come by car, decorated with flowers and ribbons.

The groom’s friends and family members dances and sings to traditional Punjabi songs. Women members of the groom’s family equally participate in the dance. Apart from traditional Punjabi songs, the band of musicians also plays latest Punjabi chart busters and pop songs. Everyone present soaks in the dancing spirit. Whether you are a dancer or not the beats of the drum makes you shake a leg. On arrival of the ‘baraat’ in the wedding venue, the bride’s mother welcomes the groom with a tikka and sweets. Traditional Punjabi songs are sung to welcome the groom.

The Sikh matrimonial function is usually held in a gurudwara. According to the custom, a sikh wedding is solemnized in front of the holy book, Guru Granth Sahib. Whether the wedding venue is a gurudwara or any other place, the holy book should be kept before the wedding rituals take place. The granthi is the man who conducts the Sikh wedding, sings hymns from the Granth Sahib. The bride and the groom then encircle the holy book four times. This ritual solemnizes a Sikh wedding.

Author: Shipra Sinha