Rajani + Karan | Hindu Indian Wedding in Tampa

We were so honored to be chosen to photograph and be a part of this special wedding. We had such a great time celebrating and learning about all of the important traditions of their culture. When I say celebrate, I mean it. At this wedding, everyone was dancing! Even at 9am when I’m still trying to wake up, they were ready to party and celebrate.

Everything took place at the India Cultural Center, which had this amazingly ornate temple that made us feel like we were in another country. It all started at around 8am (well, almost) with the the bride, her bridesmaids, and the company of the elder ladies with the Gowri Puja ceremony. Meanwhile, the groom and his party were all at the temple for prayer. After the father of the bride asks him to marry his daughter, he then gets hoisted on the wedding horse (awesome!) and everyone gets the party started. As the groom travels to meet the bride’s family, all of his family and friends dance around him to the beat of a drum. We were almost tempted to join in, but ya know, we are there to work, not partake in street dancing. So after meeting the family and exchanging pretty flowery garlands, then everyone moves inside for the more serious ceremony, the Var Puja. This is where a lot of different family traditions happen, and there is no way I can list them all, but our favorite was when they had the blanket over the groom and then dropped it for them to see each other for the first time, and then when they threw rice at each other. After the ceremony, every one ate lunch, and then returned again later in the night for more partying at the reception. After all of the speeches and cake cutting, the dancing got kicked off with choreographed dancing and other entertainment who performed for the newly weds. Then the lights went down, and of a room full of 3-400 or so guests, almost everyone flooded the dance floor. We both took so many photos, it was hard to narrow down our favorites, but we hope these tell the story well : )