Traditional Hindu Wedding Ceremony
This wedding video was of an intimate ceremony at the Hindu Cultural Centre in London, Ontario. Normally I don’t travel so far for a mini-event. But, a photographer I work with, Raspal Singh, needed a video counterpart for this event. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, this event was pretty small. Only 30 close family members were able to attend. However, I did also provide the Livestream service for this event that allowed an additional 50-60 households to witness the event remotely.
Morning Prep
The day started off at a nearby hotel where Pragya got ready with some loved ones. This was a super early morning. I started at 7:30am however the bride’s hair/makeup began much earlier than that. Her parents were still in India but streaming in as everyone was bustling around to get ready. In fact, her mom was able to provide plenty of advice and words of wisdom over video chat. The bride’s uncle did arrive for the traditional churda ceremony. But for the most part, she got ready with her maid of honor.
Ceremony at Hindu Cultural Centre
Hindu ceremonies can often be very large grand events. This one, however, was one of the simplest ones I’ve done in years. And quite honestly, I loved it. The Hindu Cultural Centre was pretty yet modest. The mandap was simple with some chairs scattered around for family. Highlights from this ceremony included a chair lift during the jaimala exchange. It definitely added a challenge to an otherwise simple tradition. Tapsvi’s groomsmen also added their own personal touch throughout the ceremony that kept everyone laughing.
Once the ceremony was over, the couple retreated to their home for more family traditions. The family portraits were done indoors as it was quite cold that day. We were however able to convice the couple to do their session outdoors, if only for a short time.
So yes, this was a very short and simple wedding day. If it weren’t for Covid, I could very well imagine this day going very different. But maybe when things get back to normal, these two can have the grand Indian wedding they were hoping for.