Indian marriages are known for their lavish and vibrant look, but in reality there is much more than just the gloss and glamour in an Indian wedding ceremony. In fact, the Indian wedding ceremonies are the most ritualistic and serious of affair than any other kind of marriage performed anywhere else in the world, and it is considered as a soulful affair of the merger of two souls.

Hindu wedding ceremonies are traditionally conducted at least partially in Sanskrit, the language in which most holy Hindu ceremonies are conducted. This Hindu Priest was also fluent in English and translated the complete ceremony and the meanings of each ritual he performed into English.

In most Hindu weddings, the ceremony is held on a small, usually covered stage, known as mandap. This couple decided against the covering so that the guests could see and enjoy the ceremony, and the also felt the backdrop of the Langham Hotel was really sufficient enough. It also allowed me to get better unobstructed wedding photography coverage.

The bride and the groom are handed the garlands while the priest is chanting the religious hymns. Following this, the groom and bride exchange garlands, which are the var mala or jai mala, signifying their acceptance of each other as husband and wife.

After the initial exchange of garlands by the bride and groom, the bride and groom are next seated in front of a holy fire, or agni, as a priest recites various mantras from the Holy Scriptures. In Hinduism, fire is regarded as a purifier and a sustainer of life. In a ritual called Mangal Fera, the couple offer prayers to the fire, which represents God serving as the couple’s witness as the two are joined in marriage. Prayers are offered by placing honey, rice, and flowers in the flame. In this ceremony the sashes worn by the bride and groom are tied together for the bride and groom walk around the fire seven times; each time around the fire, a symbol of the four ashrams of life, praying and exchanging vows of duty, love, fidelity, and respect.

Brides typically dress in colorful saris and are painted in elaborate mendhi or henna designs covering her hands and feet before the ceremonies begin. It is said that the darker and bolder that the Henna becomes shows the deep love that she will hold for her husband. The groom is dressed in a sherwani (long jacket) and ‘churidars’ (fitted trousers).

Their reception was held in The Georgian Ballroom.

To see stills from this ceremony, please visit blog.deremus.com.

To see more of my work please visit deremus.com.

Pasadena based photographer David DeRemus is available for travel worldwide.

All images and text are copyright David DeRemus Photography and may not be used without prior express written consent.

When you watch this video, you will see that when I photograph an engagement session my preferred style is to combine a certain amount of posed work, with a usually much larger amount of inter-active posed, and also a lot of controlled candid or “faux-tojournalism”. You will see examples of each of the mentioned styles in this slideshow video.  I use this same style of blending different types of photography when I am photographing weddings except for wedding photography, I include at least two other styles as well. For more about my style of photographing weddings, please visit my html website: deremus.com.

To see more of stills from this video, click here.

DeRemus Photography is based in Pasadena, CA and is available throughout Southern California and is available for travel and destination weddings worldwide.

All images and text are copyright David DeRemus Photography and may not be used without prior express written consent.

*Monrovia is a small and beautiful community in the Pasadena area, located in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in the San Gabriel Valley. Monrovia is the fourth oldest general law city in Los Angeles County and the L.A. Basin (after Los Angeles,  Santa Monica, and Pasadena).

My wedding photography coverage always includes a fusion (or mixture) of  photojournalism, editorial and posed. And whenever I mention the word “posed”, I feel I must add that we can do as little or as much as you like.  And although this couple had a lot of requests for posed work of both their rather large wedding party and their families, they were such a fun couple that when it was all said and done, I still had many more candid, photojournalistic images than posed.

Their wedding ceremony was at the very picturesque Garden Patio which features waterfalls at each end and at night the trees and redwood arbor illuminating with strings of lights.

Their reception was in the Calamigos Ranch Main Dining Room which is just a few steps away. One of the room’s most memorable features is the romantic “waterfall”, a curtain of water that descends like a light rain just outside the glass widows of the south wall.

To return to or visit my main blog: blog.deremus.com

To visit my site: DeRemus Photography

Pasadena based photographer David DeRemus specializes in wedding, portrait and fine art and is availabe for travel worldwide.

The Wedding Coordinator for this event was Karin Detweiller of Artistic Weddings.

The florist was Susanne Lawrence of Jardin del Sol Flowers.

The Calamigos Ranch is a 130 acre expanse nestled in the Malibu Mountains and is located at 327 S. Latigo Caynon Road in Malibu.

All photography, text and video is copyrighted by David DeRemus Photography and may not be used without prior express written consent.

To see a few retouched stills from this video, please visit blog.deremus.com.

To see more of my work, please visit my website: www.deremus.com. To see more of my engagement session photography, check out the engagement session gallery on my main flash site.

Pasadena based DeRemus Photography is a professional photographer specializing in portrait, wedding and fine art photography and is available for travel worldwide. For more information on destination weddings check out my destination weddings post.

The Tampa Garden Club is located at 2629 Bayshore Blvd. in Tampa, Florida.

Southern CA based DeRemus Photography is available for travel worldwide.

Check out my destination weddings post on my primary blog.

To see more of my wedding and portrait photography, please visit deremus.com

Or see more of my wedding photography at my primary blog which is http://blog.deremus.com.

To see more of my wedding and portrait photography, please visit deremus.com

Or see more of my photography at my primary blog which is http://blog.deremus.com.

Wedding photography by Pasadena based photographer, DeRemus Photography.

DeRemus Photography is available for travel in all of Los Angeles County, Orange County, and Southern CA and offers destination wedding photography worldwide.

You can see the complete set of Mandy and Salvatore’s wedding photography previews at deremus.com/online_viewing.

To see more of my wedding and portrait photography, please visit deremus.com

Or see more of my photography at my primary blog which is http://blog.deremus.com.

Photography by Pasadena based photographer, DeRemus Photography.

DeRemus Photography is available for travel in all of Los Angeles County, Orange County, and Southern CA and offers destination wedding photography worldwide.

You can see the complete set of Peter and Rebecca’s preview at deremus.com/online_viewing.

To see more of my work, please visit deremus.com

Or see more of me at my primary blog which is http://blog.deremus.com.

Photography by Pasadena based photographer, DeRemus Photography.

DeRemus Photography is available for travel in all of Los Angeles, Orange County, and Southern CA and offers destination wedding photography worldwide.