Niket + Mira | South Asian Wedding Flair in Chicago

It’s all in the Moment…

Editor’s Note: Today’s guest post is written by the fabulous Chicago South Asian wedding planner, Nirav Amin. All photos were captured from the WeddingMix photo video app. Check out the new South Asian editing style in their wedding video trailer at the bottom of this post!

South Asian weddings are basically a Cinderella story when it comes down to it.  When all is said in done, in almost a poof-like manner, the mandap, flowers, up lighting, centerpieces, the horse and carriage all go away.  There is one exception however.  Your photos and videos are the only pieces you get to walk away with.  These elements, are the most important to focus on when planning your event, especially when it comes to South Asian weddings.  There are so many important moments going on at once that the Bride and Groom ultimately end up missing out on many of them.

Around the time my friends, Niket and Mira, were getting married, I came across a product called Wedding Mix, produced by Storymix Media.  Most of what they produced had to do with more westernized weddings, but I thought it’d be cool to try it out at this event.  I chronicled some of the events of the weekend that I captured, in hopes that it explains how this works with South Asian weddings:

Henna application at the Mehndi

The Mehndi

Before the main events began, Niket and Mira had a couple of pre-events, one being the Mehndi night.  This is where Mira had her henna placed on her and where other women from both sides of the family, have their hands dressed up with henna.  Key moments here are when Niket enters the hall and greets Mira and feeds her, along with the other men feeding their significant others, as the women cannot feed themselves with wet henna on their hands.

Pithi

The Garba

Garbas are very large and colorful events that usually take place the night before the wedding.  Alternatively, a sangeet might take place instead.  It was great to have the Wedding Mix app on so many phones in the room that night.  Whether people were at the flavorful buffet or inside dancing to the beats of a live band, almost every moment was captured.  After dinner, Niket and Mira started off the night on the floor themselves and then had people joining in.  After 90 minutes of Garba dancing, the night moved into Raas, where people pair up and face each other in two lines, using the sticks to dance and then shift down the line.  The couple made their way around each line making sure to dance with each person they could.  After Raas, the night ended with a jubilee of various dances, where crowds gathered around the bride and groom in concentric circles.

Ceremony

The Wedding

 Starting very early in the morning, both Niket and Mira got ready for their big day.  Wedding Mix allowed capturing moments, such as Niket getting ready and presenting himself to the family.  As Niket arrived at the wedding hall, the Baraat took place in full form.  The baraat, or when the groom arrives, was full of color, music and dancing.   Note the scene where Niket’s brother Shaan, and how his excitement glows on his brother’s special day.  Mira’s arrival was as royal as you could imagine.  Every single person stood as she was carried in on a “Doli” or carriage for her entrance.  Capturing the couple as well as their friends while they stood on the Mandap, or altar, was definitely a plus point about the Wedding Mix App. Usually this is not something photographers can capture at stage level.

The Reception

 Just like any wedding, this is one of the most fun events, but with Niket and Mira’s added style, it became a night to remember.  Niket and Mira shared some special moments with their bridal party, doing a closed champagne toast and then taking the time to come out and enjoy their guests at cocktail hour, which is a rare occurrence.  The rest of the evening was filled with food, drinks, song, and dance, leading all the way up to a very special moment at the end, where everyone joined in the dance floor and had the couple center stage as they closed out a great weekend.

Overall, this app was great for capturing a South Asian wedding and I think it helps do one key thing that many South Asian couples miss.  With all the events that go on and with all the directions they may get pulled in, they want to be able to see the moments they missed.  What better way than to have your friends and family do the work for you on their own mobile devices?