Daljit and Anuj had an amazing wedding that took place at the Fremont Gurdwara and the reception at the Oakland Rotunda. It was a day that started at 5am with the bride already getting her hair and makeup done in Fremont, while the groom got ready at their hotel in Oakland. It was still dark out when we started but the light became very beautiful as the day progressed.
The groom’s Baraat was held outside the parking lot of the temple as they do not allow Baraat’s within the property like the San Jose Gurudwara does. The Fremont police came to ensure everything ran smoothly (at first I thought they were there to shut us down). After the Milni, which is the exchanging of garlands between the two families, guests enjoyed a wonderful breakfast before the start of the religious ceremony.
Daljit was stunning and the groom had not seen her in her wedding attire she sat down next to him. The ceremony went on for a little over an hour and we captured a variety of amazing shots using a variety of angles.
After the ceremony we had one of the most amazing lunches we have ever experienced at a Sikh wedding and then headed to Oakland for the start of the reception. Lots of set up was needed as the Oakland Rotunda is large a challenge to get everything inside. The historic building is a wonderful place for a reception due to its multi levels and architecture. The dome gets better and better as the night goes on and the lights come on.
The best part of the wedding was when we took the bride and groom out for their portrait session which included shots around the city and best of all, on top of the Rotunda building roof. It was here we captured the most dramatic portraits because we had these beautiful clouds in the sly behind them that we used in the backdrop of their modern romantic portraits.
The party was a lot of fun with speeches, performances, food and dancing. Violinder, the violinist played songs for their first dance and entertained the crowd with his fusion classical style.
We had a wonderful day with Daljit and Anuj and wish them the best on their journey together!
