Recently we received a call from Reena inquiring about photography for her wedding. It was a wedding coming up within a couple weeks at the Embassy Suites in Milpitas, Ca. Fortunately, still had the date open because had a great time working with her and Kunal for their special day! There was no time for engagement shoots, face to face meetings, or long drawn out negotiations prior to the big day (thank god). We simply went over the timeline via email and phone and arrived ready to go the day of.
My favorite hair and makeup artist Christal worked on Reena and did a great job getting her ready while we photographed the bride’s jewelry. We did a mix of posed and candid shots of Reena getting ready. I felt like with some direction she was really good at posing and it was fun teaching her! Reena has an infectious laugh and once she started laughing capturing natural shots of her was equally as fun.
We had Kunal see Reena for the very first time on the bridge in the atrium. It was the perfect spot because of the nice background and lack of people in the atrium during this time of day. Once they saw each other Reena could not stop laughing! After a couple minutes we were able to resume shooting and take them around for their portrait session. Once too many family members arrived and were watching we ended the shoot so that Reena could go hide before the ceremony and so Kunal could go outside to start the Baraat.
The Baraat was one of my favorite parts of the wedding because the car for the Baraat was a C7 Stingray Corvette. This is probably my most favorite cars. I love the look of the lines on this car and it has amazing power and performance at an excellent price. If we have another good year, you will probably see me in a red one next year!
The ceremony was held inside the ballroom and included something we had never seen before. Their priest played guitar during the ceremony and it was a nice touch while he spoke the mantras and had them walk around the fire. I really thought that everything sounded “more beautiful” this way as well. The only small problem during the ceremony was that the priest forgot to have them tie the mangalsutra. I reminded him and then they did it before bowing to their parents which is the official conclusion of the ceremony. See it helps to have a photographer that knows what is going on!
After the ceremony the bride and groom went to their rooms to change and get ready for the reception. The ballroom was expanded and flipped to include tables and a dance floor and we did another portrait session before they entered for their reception program. The evening included speeches, performances by a Bollywood dance troupe, and lots of dancing by family and friends.
With all the months of planning that most weddings include, this wedding was pretty awesome considering it was put together in a few short weeks. We wish Reena and Kunal the best and hope you enjoy some of our favorites below.
