Pithi

Welcome back! We hope you enjoyed our earlier entry with some of our favorite photos from S&S’s pre-ceremony festivities. Thanks to these two, it was so incredibly hard to narrow them down, but certainly, that’s not a bad problem to have, is it? 😉 On to their wedding day!

Oh, and when you’re done you’re most certainly going to want to visit their complete gallery. The password is Shraddha’s maiden name and is case-sensitive.

The (very enduring) pro team:
Venue: Berkeley Plantation
Catering: Rajbhog
Cake baker: Cakes by Graham
Make-up and hair: Khalood Sultana
Gown designer: Sapana Amin
Videography: Upendra Patel
Event coordination: Le Reve Creations
DJ: Nashaa Productions

Bill’s faves of Anne’s:

This photo in particular Bill loves! It clearly shows how much Shraddha means to her friends.

This is the part of the wedding where the bride officially “leaves her home” to make a new life with her groom. As you can see, it’s an incredibly emotional time for everyone.

Early that evening, everyone returned to the plantation for dinner, and we started out with a few relaxed portraits with S&S.

Anne’s faves of Bill’s:

Shraddha’s brother Shreyas gave an incredibly touching and highly emotional toast. Sensing a trend here?

We could say Shreyas was drinking water here, but we’d be lying. Let’s just say it was a very “spirited” evening!

And of course some incredibly beautiful and intensely colorful wedding day details:

Dear s&s,

Tenderness. Joyousness. Family. That’s what we think of when we remember your wedding weekend. When we met your family Thursday afternoon to begin our weekend’s with you, Shraddha, it was clear from the very beginning how close you were to them, and how much they adored you. There was playfulness and seriousness within moments of one another during your mendhi and especially during the pithi the next day at your parents home. The way your families and seemingly entire community came together to support you and your marriage impressed upon us what an meaningful transition your wedding was, as it would any witness to the celebration.

Your weekend was full of so many purposeful traditions, but we especially loved the fun opening prior to the garba dance on Friday night, Samir, when Shraddha’s mom tried (eventually successfully) to “feed” you while your cohorts only temporarily fended her off (and you playfully tugged at her sari to “ask” for gifts and family blessings). Such fun, and smiles all around. It was clear too how much preparation went into the talent dances your families performed for the two of you that evening as well after such a deliciously seasoned dinner! That was some insanely good food, and your brother did such a great job of hosting the evening’s festivities, Shraddha, whipping the crowd into full excitement in preparation for the garba.

By the time Saturday morning rolled around and our cameras’ shutters began opening at 6am, (not gonna lie, never thought we’d be ever typing that starting time on the blog!) we were fully immersed and so excited to celebrate your wedding with you both and your families. Since you had told us beforehand that Samir had designed and hand-crafted your mandap we were especially eager to see it standing beautifully on the banks of the James River. Since summer was still in force, your guests availed themselves (as did we) to the best idea ever–a shaved ice machine–during your ceremony. Passing ice cream and cold water to your guests, many  of whom decided to move their chairs to the shade of the trees, was also a very nice and much appreciated touch. When the ceremony ended, we loved watching and capturing the back-and-forth between your brother and bridesmaids, Shraddha, and Samir for the joota chupai. We always thought it was a fun tradition to steal and hide the groom’s shoes for small ransom. Why not?

The incredibly close ties you have to your families was in full display as you prepared for your vidaai. We could not hold back our own sniffles as we watched you with your parents, Shraddha, before leaving with Samir as the official start of your new life with him.  That moment was one of the most concrete in our memories and one we’ll hold close in our hearts for a long time to come.

Finally that evening, when things cooled slightly, it was the first time we had seen a toast from bridesmaids turn right into a dance routine with participation from not only you but the rest of your wedding party. It really set the mood for the non-stop party in store for the evening, and we’re pretty sure we hadn’t seen that kind of ebullience on the dance floor in quite some time. After midnight, as the party slowly faded, we held broad smiles on our faces, having witnessed one of the most fun, endearing, and touching weddings we’ve ever seen. Then we returned to the hotel, where we were asleep before our heads even hit the pillows! Whew. What an incredible weekend we shared and we’re so excited to share your photos with you this week.

Thank you so much for inviting us into celebration and for your trust in us, s&s. Congratulations!

With love,
…a&b