It was an honor to photograph Kruti and Pritesh’s beautiful Gujarati wedding. Their traditional Hindu ceremony took place at the Westin Hotel, in Bellevue, and came to life with bright colors, loving family, and happy friends.

Throughout the wedding festivities, it was evident that Kruti and Pritesh had developed a deep, meaningful, relationship with each other, their friends, and most importantly with their families. The love & joy in the air was invigorating and it created such a happy and celebratory feeling. Many of Pritesh and Kruti’s guests travelled from all over the country, and the world, to attend their special day. New Jersey, Texas, Canada, London, and India, are just a few of the places.

I hope these photographs show the love, friendship, and joy that we felt from everybody. They are just a small glimpse into some of the traditions of a Gujarati-Hindu Wedding ceremony. Kruti and Pritesh were such a fun bride and groom. They were so relaxed, happy, and stress-free. They just enjoyed their special day, and I think that really added to the overall positive vibe. I’m so thankful to have them as friends, and can’t wait to see them again!

Their Hindu wedding ceremony and reception took place at the wonderful Westin hotel in Bellevue, WA, and the Westin did an excellent job of hosting this special wedding. I also want to thank Parm for second-shooting with me. He has such a happy and fun spirit, and it was truly a pleasure to work with him. Thanks for all your help, and look forward to next time.

Thank you to all the friends and family, who helped to make this evening so special! And a huge congratulations to Kruti and Pritesh!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baraat:  In traditional times, the Gujaratis’s did not marry within their own town; therefore, the groom’s family had to travel to the bride’s town.  The baraat is a processional of the groom and his family making the journey to the wedding. It’s been so awesome to see this same tradition occur in Sikh Weddings, and even Cambodian-Khmer weddings!

During this baraat, Pritesh, his friends, and family, walked around the Westin Hotel, in downtown Bellevue.  They gathered in the front of the hotel, where they danced and celebrated.

 

 

The photo below shows the “Hasta Milap,” where the groom’s scarf is tied to the bride’s lehenga.  This is to symbolize the union of their souls as the pundit (priest) prays to Goddess Parvati and Goddess Lakshmi to bless the couple. At the same time, friends shower the couple with grains of rice and rose petals.

 

During the “Mangal Pheras,” the bride and groom circle the sacred fire four times. Each circle signifies one of the four human goals: Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha.  (Natural Law, Purpose, Love, Liberation)

 

Congratulations Kruti and Pritesh!! You guys are awesome! Wish you both so much love and happiness!

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Our engagement session began at Seattle Center, underneath the iconic Space needle, and then took us to a beautiful golden sunset at the Seattle Waterfront. Neeru and Avneet are the type of people who you quickly become comfortable with. It felt like we had been long-time friends. There’s something special between these two, the way she smiles when he’s near her, or the feeling of comfort they have with each other.

Photographing Neeru and Avneet was an absolute pleasure because they left me feeling appreciative of love…Of finding that person who fits into your entire world, your entire life…not just one aspect of it, but in a complete and truly fulfilling way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking through these pictures really makes me smile… I mean, their smiles are so contagious…and you can see their love jump out of every frame!

 

 

 

 

 

Growing up in Bellingham, Neeru is a country-girl at heart. To capture this aspect of their relationship, we came to Bellingham for some really fun photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was so cool to spend time with these two lovebirds, and I truly wish them both the very best! Thank you guys for being so awesome!!

 

 

Sandhya and Scott are incredibly kind, thoughtful and so happy with each other.  I’m glad our paths crossed and hope to see more of these two in the future! Sandhya is so down to earth and warm-hearted, and Scott is fun and hilarious! It was one of those photo sessions that leave you energized and inspired.  Sandhya is a super-talented make-up artist in Seattle, and she did awesome make up for one of my previous brides.

The moment I met Sandhya and Scott at the Seattle waterfront, it felt so comfortable. We were cracking jokes and hanging out as if we were friends for years. Seriously, how awesome is that?!  They were so relaxed and in tune with each other, and that energy really came through in the photos.  A huge thanks to both of you for your positive spirits and happy smiles!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sandhya mentioned they love drinking tea together, and often go for tea-tastings. They will be incorporating tea into their wedding, and also wanted to a few engagement photos to show this part of their relationship.

 

 

 

 

After fun adventures in Seattle, we drove up to Deception Pass, on Whidbey Island. After they had become friends, Scott brought Sandhya to this park, where they talked for hours. It was at this park where they took their friendship to the next level.  It was an important and meaningful part of their journey together and we wanted to capture these memories.  The photo below is a view from the Deception Pass Bridge. It’s actually quite scary to be up there! It’s higher than it looks!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The photos below were taken at the beach where Scott and Sandhya went on a very special date.   So awesome!

 

 

The photo below is super special. This is the place they sat for hours, when they took their friendship to the next level.  Congratulations to both of you!

 

 

In the early part of their relationship, they went out with friends and wanted to show this in a few photos. We took these photos at The Parlor bar in Bellevue, WA.

 

 

Congratulations!! 🙂

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This is part two of Kris and Lollie’s Chinese-Cambodian Khmer wedding ceremony, which was held at the beautiful Piper Hall Mansion at Loyola University in Chicago.  Part 1 described the groom’s processional and hair cutting ceremony, and these photographs show the Monk’s Blessing (Soat Mun), Pairing Ceremony, and Knot-Tying Ceremony (Sompeas Ptem).

 

Honoring the Parents

Kris and Lollie honored their parents by thanking them for the hard work of raising a child.  They also acknowledged their duty and responsibility to take care of their parents for years to come.

 

 

 

Monk’s Blessings  (Soat Mun)

 

During this ceremony, Buddhist monks blessed Kris and Lollie by sprinkling them with flowered water while chanting specially selected blessings.  During this peaceful ceremony, Kris, Lollie, and guests, remained very quiet with their heads bowed and hands folded in prayer.

 

 

 

 

Pairing Ceremony and Knot-Tying Ceremony (Sompeas Ptem)

The Pairing Ceremony was the final and most energetic stage of the wedding. Family members and friends tied Kris and Lollie’s left and right wrists with blessing strings. The praises of happiness, good-health, well-wishes, success, prosperity and long-lasting love are acknowledged and witnessed by a loud gong and joyful cheer!

During the knot-tying ceremony (Sompeas Ptem), friends and family came forward to bring their best wishes and blessings to Kris and Lollie by individually tying red strings around each of their wrists. These knots were tied on both the bride and groom, and were worn for three days afterwards to preserve good luck.

While Kris and Lollie’s wrists were tied with the blessing strings, the following song was sung:

“We tie, we tie three strings to each wrist of our children.  We wish for true happiness and success to this couple, who will always be together like wet grass seeds.  We tie your left wrist to make you remember your parents.  We tie your right wrist to make you carry on the family lineage and traditions.”

 

The ceremony concluded with a shower of palm flowers thrown over the couple. It was a very exciting and energetic part of the wedding. The guests were having fun as they showered Kris and Lollie with white Palm Flowers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you Kris and Lollie, for the wonderful opportunity to photograph your beautiful Chinese-Cambodian Khmer wedding in Chicago.  We enjoyed celebrating with you and your families, and wish you both the very best on your new journey together.

 

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