Puja and Delaney are awesome! We had such a great time with them over the course of a few days for all their wedding events. The first day was the bride’s Mehndi day, followed by a lunch and rehearsal the next day. That evening they had a cocktail party at home and then Poojas and Pithi ceremonies. The final day was the weddings and reception which took place at Wente Vineyards in Livermore, CA.
Wente on this summertime Saturday was absolutely gorgeous and Christal made Puja look even more amazing than she already is! Puja’s dad constructed their beautiful mandap which one of the coolest we have ever seen. The floral arrangements were perfect and we had a wonderful time capturing both the bride and groom prep shots that led into the first look and a quick portrait session before Delaney had to go get on the horse for the Baraat.
The ceremony took place under the most perfect lighting on this hot afternoon. Puja was carried down the aisle by her uncle and brought to the mandap for the ceremony. I love all the candid shots we were able to get during the ceremony and that was due to Puja and Delaney having a good time and not being afraid to smile and laugh. After the ceremony the bride and groom left on a horse and carriage which was their Vidai and then they came back to quickly change for their Western ceremony which took place in the Vineyard on the other side of the property.
Puja wore an elegant white dress, while Delaney and his groomsmen changed into suits. By this time it was extremely hot out so they started quickly with the ceremony and both the bride and groom exchanged vows, rings, and a passionate kiss. With that the party started and the bride and groom went to change once again for their third time back into Indian clothing for the reception.
During this time there were cocktails and appetizers being served and casino gambling tables for guests to enjoy. Instead of winning money they won tickets that were later redeemed by guests for prizes that were chosen by the bride and groom. It was very original and a lot of fun for their guests.
The bride and groom played the shoe game, where they have to answer questions and raise the shoe of the person it applies too. That is another great opportunity for fun reactions from both the couple and the crowd. There were touching speeches and lots of great food, followed by dancing under the stars, a wonderful popcorn table with many different flavors, and a cake cutting that included two cakes!
This wedding will be one of our most memorable weddings of 2014 because we had such a wonderful time with this couple. They always made us feel like we could be as creative as we wanted to be and gave us 110% in creating the best images with us. Puja’s family was so hospitable and we are very grateful to work with such kind people. Through the heat, long hours, and non stop shooting we feel we created some amazing shots and films that Puja and Delaney will cherish forever.
Scroll through to see our favorite shots. There were a ton more but we had to control ourselves!
