Backyard Wedding
A backyard wedding is perfect for couples who love to be outdoors and want a uniquely sentimental feel for their big day. South Asian Weddings are often multi-day events. So in a case like this, the couple’s parents can play a significant role by hosting one of the key events. There are so many benefits to a backyard wedding, including cost and convenience. But with those benefits come a few extra details you need to keep in mind. For a Hindu ceremony, how you build a mandap is a big one. And with the wedding ceremony being so long, providing enough seats for all your guests can be challenging.
Whether your backyard is small or sprawling, you’ll want to pay particular attention to where you set up your ceremony. Large trees make for the perfect backdrop and provide shade from harsh sunlight. It also reduces any reflective color transfer from the mandap drapery you choose to use. If you want to make the house a focal point, you could set up your lawn ceremony on the back porch with all your guests on the lawn. Keep in mind that, if you’re getting married in warm months, you’ll want to keep your guests’ chairs out of direct sunlight before the ceremony. Or at least choose a shaded spot to set up chairs.
This May wedding did have a very sunny day. The bride’s family was able to arrange the ceremony mandap under their patio’s natural canopy. The shade worked beautifully for the sun yet made the ceremony itself relatively dark for an outdoor event. Luckily all the colors of the bride and groom’s attire brightened up the setup which led to some very culturally festive photos.
Last Minute Change
I had been looking forward to photographing this wedding for months. When I ended up being unavailable for one of the days, I was so glad the couple was ok with a substitute. Michelle Paquot has been working with me as a second shooter for a few years now. She has quickly become my go-to for second shooting and taking the lead when I’m experimenting with something new. This may have been her first Indian wedding, but you would have never guessed it. And if she’s so good now, I can’t wait until next year when she captures my wedding.
This couple’s wedding reception happened the following week. And their engagement shoot was on the coldest day of the year.
