Sikh and Hindu wedding

What an neat experience to witness this. There are so many wonderful cultures with such amazing traditions that are out there.

I shot an Indian wedding today and I had no idea what to expect. It was beautiful. The flame ceremony, the candle dance, the circling of the altar, the seven steps, it was amazing to witness.

Wedding after wedding that I shoot,
it seems the actual wedding ceremony is becoming less and less respected and more about lights, cues, and rushing through to get to the booze and the party. Are these brides and grooms really understanding what they are vowing to each other. When hard times come, do they remember those words they said that day?

The Hindu ceremony was beautiful. There was so much talk about kindness, respect, the joining of families, walking the steps of life together, etc. They even symbolically walked seven steps forward together, and as they took each step forward together they made another promise to one another to forgive, to love, to lift up, to trust, etc. I hope they will remember what love was in that room today.

And oh my, is an Indian wedding reception wild.