Our weddings typically start bright and early, sometimes even before the sun rises, and Swetha and Ashu’s wedding at Holman Ranch in Carmel Valley was one of those weddings. We arrived early to capture the bride and groom getting ready and to capture their details like clothing and jewelry before they got dressed. The couple then hand wrote their vows and met during their private “first look”, where they beautifully gave their vows to each other in private.
Holman Ranch is such an amazing place and love everything about the images we can capture at this stunning venue. We took the couple around before the ceremony to take advantage of the beautiful morning light, long before it would get quite hot later in the day. It also gave the couple quiet time to be together. Indian weddings can be quite hectic and Swetha and Ashu looked forward to this romantic time together.
Swetha and Ashu decided to combine their two cultural backgrounds into one ceremony. Ashu is Punjabi and Swetha is Telugu. They are polar opposite cultures in many ways, however, they still share the same religion. Since they each have customs that need to be performed, the ceremony was more than three hours and included aspects from their two states, as well as, a wardrobe change by Swetha. She went from a Sabya Sachi Lengha which is North Indian style, to a Saree which is traditionally worn in South Indian Hindu weddings.
Another example of how the two cultures were blended was when the groom did a Baraat procession on a horse, at the same time, Swetha was doing a Pooja which is a mandatory custom that she has to perform before the ceremony. We covered both aspects and blended them together in both their photographs and their films.
The reception decor was my favorite part of the wedding! It was simply stunning. The flowers, table settings, and even the custom wood chairs, were all amazingly put together. The tent provided a clear view out to the beautiful surroundings yet kept all their guests warm during the dinner and speeches.
The large oak tree at Holman Ranch is one of the hallmarks of this great venue. It is the perfect backdrop for a sunset shot and we are super excited with the shots we got there during our extremely short but awesome session we had in just under fifteen minutes.
Scroll through to see our favorite photographs of this beautiful Indian wedding at Holman Ranch in Carmel Valley!
