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Shortly after we arrived back from India last summer Anuja stumbled on into the Ritz-Carlton South Asian Bridal Show that was hosted in part by Engaged! Magazine. At the time we had no idea that she was interested in our services till a short time after when we received a phone call of her interest, it was then that we remembered exactly who she was!

It was during their engagement session in Old Town Warrenton that we first met Sanjay and without a second thought hit it off quite well with the two of them as a pair. Sanjay himself loves the art of photography and is a extreme hobbyist in the art of photography. Naturally he gravitated towards work that compelled him through the story telling of our wedding images.

Anuja is one who knows exactly what she is looking for and when she is on a mission to get something she sets her heart, she always wins! Luckily for Sanjay she has captured his heart forever.

The time spent with the two of them and their will forever be cherished by us. We will forever remember the smiles that were on Anuja’s mother’s face the days throughout her preparation and marriage to Sanjay, as she passed just days after Anuja and Sanjay’s wedding. We are sure she will always be smiling down on the two of them as they grow as a couple and family, we were indeed honored to have spent time with her throughout our stay. We hope that the two of you will keep in touch and let us know about all life’s precious encounters. May you both have a long and happy married life together!

To view Anuja and Sanjay’s hightlights click here!

The final night of Anuja and Sanjay’s event consisted of the Groom’s Reception where the Groom’s side of the family accepts and welcomes the new couple home. This happens through festivities and dinner. There was live entertainment to keep everyone’s attention as the event came to a conclusion.

Anuja’s brother the following morning along with the rest of the family headed to Goa, India for his marriage which was to take place. As for us we chose to head bad to spend a little bit of time with parents and friends before our departure. Keep checking back as we post a few personal photos shortly!

It goes without saying that we had fun taking part in Anuja and Sanjay’s wedding day and the time that we were able to spend with both of their families.

Our condolences go out to Anuja and her family as we received an email shortly ago that her Mother has passed away before returning to the United States from their travels. Our heart and prayers are with you at this time.

As the day kicked off with the Haaldi ceremony, here’s a little bit of background for those interested:

Haldi, also known as Uptaan, is one of the most ancient parts of the Indian wedding traditions. According to Indian rituals, the Haldi ceremony is celebrated the day before the actual wedding ceremony. American brides often have this ceremony a week before their wedding day. On the day of the Haldi ceremony, the haldi paste (made from turmeric, sandalwood, yogurt and water) is applied to both the bride and groom by their relatives and friends. Historically, this ceremony is celebrated separately in homes of bride and groom, but nowadays, it is often done together.

During the Haldi ceremony, the married female relatives of each household apply haldi on both bride and groom along with water. The haldi ceremony is said to remove any nervousness from the groom, as well as, bless the couple with fortune and prosperity. Turmeric, a natural exfoliate, so it is also applied to the bride’s face so she will have sparkling skin for her wedding day. The bride’s hands should be covered so the haldi doesn’t interfere with her mehndi. Some people also add aata (flour) and rice to the Haldi, but that depends on which regional rituals you are usually follow. After the paste is allowed to dry the bride and groom shower (separately of course!) and emerge glowing and ready to be married. During this time ladies will gather (Sangeet) and sing folk songs around the dholki and food and drinks usually follow the bride and groom’s re-entrance to the function. The Haldi ceremony is a joyful occasion that can be enjoyed by everyone and often enough can turn crazy when the younger crowd is involved Each family also depending on timing may plan these events in a different order.

For more information on the Hindu ceremony rituals check our Roja and Rajesh’s post by clicking here.

Due to the longevity of Anuja and Sanjay’s wedding we will be posting it in parts. As most of you are aware through our Facebook we are just returning from being away in India where we covered Anuja and Sanjay’s wedding events in Kerala, India.

Upon our arriving to the Zuri Hotel on the 20th of January we were able to do a quick walk through with the clients to get an idea of what the days were going to consist of as it was our first time on location at this venue. The wedding consisted of around 70 of the couples closest friends and family and carried over 3 days of festivities.

The day started off with some formal welcoming ceremonies to welcome the families to include the Mehendi party. Leading up to the evening where the Sangeet would allow everyone to not only bless the couple, but be entertained through a little bit of India’s traditional song and dance. This was held in the Amphitheater there at the Zuri Resort.

We cannot recommend with venue enough as the service and quality was top notch and we truly felt welcomed and catered to during our stay. Much love goes to Princy for her patience and endless efforts as she catered to everyone’s needs throughout the stay on the Resort making her more like family to many!

For those eager to know a little background and history of the celebration in traditional India customs:

Weddings in India are considered to be a sacred and sanctified ritual. They are long ritualistic and elaborate affair with lots of pre-wedding, wedding, post wedding ritual. The occasion of Mehendi is one of the most important pre-wedding rituals. It is fun a filled ritual, which is celebrated mainly by the bride’s family. Different regions of the country celebrate the ritual in a different way according to their own marriage customs, rituals, and culture. The celebrations also depend on the wealth and status of the people. The bride’s family celebrates Mehendi party for gathering bride’s friends and relatives for blessing the bride as well as for amusement.

The ceremony is mostly held at bride’s place or sometimes in a banquet hall on the eve of the marriage ceremony or few days before the marriage. On this occasion a professional henna designer or some relative applies mehendi to the bride’s hands and feet. There are few places in India where it is a ritual that the first motif of henna or mehendi is applied by the bride’s sister-in-law whereas there are some places where the first mehendi motif is said to be auspicious if applied by bride’s mother.

The Mehendi or henna motif is not only the adoration of the bride rather it epitomizes her transformation from a virgin girl to a temptress for her husband. As per Kama Sutra, henna is one of the sixty four arts of women. Popular motifs of the bridal mehendi are conchshell, flowers, Kalash, peacock, doli and baraat patterns. The intricate motifs of the bridal henna also hide the husband’s name. It is said that the husband’s name in the intricate henna motifs is made for the groom who has to find out his name in his bride’s mehendi as an evidence of his sharp eyes and active brain to impress his girl.

Mehendi function is usually organized with the sangeet function. So, it has a festive feel to it with the women dancing and singing traditional songs on the mehendi ritual. The bride is dressed in light color clothes with light jewelry. According to the custom the bride must not step out of the house after the mehendi ritual until the wedding day. It is believed that the darker and deeper the henna stains the more the husband and the in-laws will love her bride. The ritual of mehendi signifies the strength and power of love in a marriage so it is regarded good omen for the would-be bride. It is said that the long the bride retains the mehendi, the more auspicious would be her future.