A couple summers ago I experienced my first traditional Indian Sikh wedding as a wedding photographer. It was amazing and a very full day for me and my handy assistant. There were three ceremonies and a reception with 500 people and a few formal photo sessions squished in between everything. After the first ceremony it was a simple capturing of the procession as the families mingled and everyone prepared to travel to the next location. The bride and groom were whisked away in their limo and we met up to have a relatively short time together taking some formal photos in the beautiful gardens at Government House here in Victoria, BC.

The colours were absolutely amazing and I had a wonderful time capturing the bride and groom as they walked together, pausing to pose or take in the beauty of the environment. If we were not so rushed to make it to the next ceremony I could have continued shooting all day. Then we took some time to capture several traditional poses with the bride and groom. It was a little staged  - and we all felt it – but we wanted to make sure we covered all the traditional poses that the family was going to want to see. After a few fun group photos with some of the family that had joined us on location we rushed off to the next ceremony. There were no major surprises at the second ceremony – just some of the typical challenges of having sun directly overhead for many of the images. After the obligatory bride and groom posed shots with every family member and friend under the sun (literally, AND literally) there was a nice little break before the reception.

With 500 + people, tables and tables of food, traditional dancers – I mean, these guys were intense – and the following dance party for everyone in attendance, I had my fair share of work to do. I think that particular wedding still holds the record for number of images captured. There was so much going on and such a variety of visual elements from colourful outfits to henna hand designs. So if you find yourself shooting a traditional Indian or Sikh wedding, be prepared to shoot A LOT of images. It will pay off bigtime.

Until next time,

Victoria Wedding Photographer | Dean Kalyan