Beautiful Indian Ceremony in LBI

Jill & Rishi had a spectacular wedding weekend blending both their American and Hindu cultures down by Long Beach Island where they love spending time in the summer! This is part one (see here for part two!), which celebrated the two tying the knot in the Indian way!

What vibrant and bold colors, flavors and music! Guests (and myself and team) had so much fun capturing this unique and refreshing wedding day filled with joy and love.

Believe it or not, this was the first Indian wedding I photographed in full and I hope it won’t be my last! Now I am not an expert, but I will try to recap (thanks to Google) whey certain parts of this day were special. There were a TON of small ceremonies inside the big ceremonies, each with lots of meaning…

Vendors

Venue: LBI National Golf Club
Photographer: Alexa Lynn Photography
Videographer: 4K Weddings
Florist: MDS Floral Designs
Entertainment: DJ Barr
Hair & Makeup: Gina Jost Hair & Makeup Artistry
Lehenga: Khajana
Kurta: Khajana

Part I: Haldi

The day started bright and early – 9:00 am for the Haldi ceremony, which symbolizes “purification, warding off evil spirits and blesses the bride and groom with good luck and prosperity before their wedding day.” Haldi actually means turmeric and this spicy paste was painted onto the couple by their guests! My favorite part was when everyone tossed bright red flower petals on them.

Part II: Baraat

The next part of the day took the longest. It was the famous Baraat! This is the kick-off to the wedding festivities when the groom parades down to the wife on a noble steed. Everyone had a blast dancing in the street and tossing color bombs in the air!

Once Rishi got to the altar, Jill made her appearance walking down under a “phoolon ki chaadar,” a stunning floral canopy. The two went through a series of mini ceremonies here until at last they were pronounced husband and wife.

Part III: Sangeet

Last but not least, it was time to party. There are no toasts or parent dances during this time. Instead, it is called a Sangeet ceremony. Members of the bridal party – boys then girls – had to come up with choreographed dances to perform for the newlyweds. J&R’s cousins also performed a dance, which they hopped into too as a surprise!