Indian Wedding Photography Videography Boston MA.
Our Indian Wedding Films.
About Boston’s Best Indian Wedding Photography Videography team.
I filmed my first Indian wedding in 2007 and I was mesmerized with everything that was going on! Groom on the horse, beeds across his face, people sitting on the floor during the ceremony. Nothing like I’ve ever seen before. I was tired at the end of the long Indian wedding day, but I also knew that I have witnessed something that I liked. I couldn’t exactly put my finger on it, I just knew that I enjoyed it, and that I liked it. We have photographed and filmed 100’s of Indian weddings in and around Boston MA since then, and now I have a pretty good idea what is it that I like about being an Indian Wedding Photographer Videographer in Boston MA and the whole New England.
This question would usually come up during our meetings with the bride and groom, and their parents. They usually think that it must be all of the colors that you see at every Indian wedding, like the color of the wedding dress, as well as all of the guests at an Indian wedding are wearing all of these beautiful colors, Indian wedding decoration at the mandap, or the stage during the reception.
And yes, the color pallets at Indian weddings are so vibrant and beautiful, but that’s not the real reason I enjoy being a part of this community and enjoying being part of the photography and videography team at Indian weddings, here in Boston MA and beyond.
For me, the real reason is the people! I have found a lot of friends amongst the local Indian Wedding vendors, and even though we all work super hard during the wedding as photographers, videographers, DJs, planners, coordinators, makeup artists, all of us are also looking forward to these weddings because we like working together. And as you can imagine, that makes a huge difference, not only for all of us to feel better at the actual wedding day, but also in terms of the quality of the wedding pictures and wedding videos.
Now let me also say, my love for Indian food is REAL, haha. And it is a big part of Indian culture and Indian weddings.
Three tips before hiring your Photographer and Videographer for your Indian Wedding.
1.Ask them about their Photography and Videography experience in Indian weddings.
As you can imagine, it is always helpful when the photography and or the videography team is experienced when they are filming any type of wedding. But in my opinion, this is true especially when we are talking about the Indian and also Jewish weddings. You don’t want your photographer or videographer to learn about Indian wedding customs and traditions on your wedding day. Not only do they need to be familiar with all of the parts of an Indian wedding, they should also be experienced, and therefore having a good workflow, that would guarantee a smooth capture of all of the festivities and ceremonies that happen during the whole Indian wedding. Read more here for a detailed description of Indian wedding ceremonies.
2.if you are not hiring a Wedding Photography and Videography team, Ask your Photographers if they know the Videographers, and vice versa.
Again, this is true for any wedding, and in my opinion for the photographers to know the videographers, at the wedding, and also being comfortable with each other is a huge plus. It makes the Videographers and Photographers job a lot easier, when they like working together, so it is always a good idea to ask that question. The Photographers and the Videographers have a similar job at the weddings and you want them to work together, and not compete against each other. We are now working with our Photography and Videography team almost at every wedding, but unfortunately I have been in situations where I didn’t feel a support or an interest to work together from the Photographer. It is frustrating to say the least when that happy, because in my opinion, all of the vendors should be working together for one common goal. To make sure the Bride and the Groom will have the best day and best Photos and Videos. The simple solution is to hire a Photo and Video Wedding team that understand this goal.
3. Ask other local Vendors specializing in Indian weddings, like Planners, Djs, Decorators, if they know the Photographers and Videographers you are interested hiring.
At last, there is something to be said about all of the vendors knowing each other, and being friendly towards each other and enjoying working together. I’m always saying, that when I go to a wedding, and I know, that I will be working with all of my friends like Indian wedding planners, Venue coordinators, DJs, Decorators, makeup artists, Photographers, I know I have a good day in front of me. And again, when you have vendors enjoying working together, I think it’ll show during their work too.
Indian Wedding Timeline and Traditions
Mehndi or Henna
Mehndi also known as Henna is a form of body art, that Henna artists apply imitating jewelery designs of temporary decorative art to the bride's hands and feet. The Mehndi or Henna party for the bride, happens a few days before the wedding ceremony, so that the painting will dry up and settle in. Mehndi party for the bride is usually scheduled as a separate event, and it is attended by the bride's close female friends and family members. There is usually another Mehndi, Henna event scheduled for the guest as well, and this could be a separate event, or sometimes it is a part of the Sangeet night.
The Mehndi design usually reflects floral patterns, and elements, important in the life of the bride and groom’s life could also be incorporated. This could be the city where they lived, or where they met, as well as other important and interesting artistic motifs.
There is also a tradition to hide a Groom’s name amongst the many intricate design elements, and groom then needs to find his name on his bride’s henna.
The Mehndi event takes a few hours for the henna artist to finish, and we as the photographers and videographers would usually arrive in the middle or towards the end of the mehndi event to capture the mehdi applied on both hands and feet, as well as other family traditions, or just family and friends getting together and socializing.
Ganesh PUja
If you are getting married in the Hindu tradition, then the first ceremony will be Ganesh Puja, and it usually happens one day before the wedding ceremony. Lord Ganesh is the elephant-headed Hindu god of beginnings, who is traditionally worshipped before the wedding and its main goal is to bless the wedding and all of the proceedings. His name means “Lord of the People” and “Lord of the Ganas”. It is performed for good luck to be bestowed onto the married couple and their families, so that whatever obstacles they may face will be removed.
Required for Ganesh Puja:
The idol of Lord Ganesh, needs to be placed on a raised platform.
Red flowers - it is known that Lord Ganesh loves flowers, and especially red flowers, therefore you will find red pebbles during every Ganesh Puja ceremony.
Coconut - during the puja ceremony, or sometimes we see this also during the Vidai ceremony, coconut tends to be smashed into a ground, signifying shattering one’s ego. Coconut is offered for the blessings of Lord Shiva who is Lord Ganesh’s father.
Red thread - is offered to Ganesh Ji and is auspicious in many other Hindu traditions and ceremonies.
Lamp, incense or dhoop - is used to clean negative energy and to spread positivity.
Modak - is Ganesh Ji favorite snack, and you can not worhip him without it.
Haldi, Pithi Ceremony
Haldi Ceremony also called as Pithi ceremony, or sometimes even turmeric ceremony, is one of the most vibrant ceremonies during an Indian wedding. Very often these ceremonies take place at the house, sometimes backyards if weather permits. Location is decorated for some great photography a videography opportunities.
Sangeet
You have to love all of these fun and touching ceremonies and the Sangeet doesn’t disappoint. Sangeet night mostly happens a day before the wedding ceremony day, and it is mainly about the family and friends performances for the soon to be married couple. It is also opportunity for everyone to mingle, have drinks, enjoy sone great Indian food and sometimes get a henna that is setup for the guests. Our approach to a Sangeet video coverage starts with filming the details of the decoration, caterers getting ready the delicious Indian foods and the guests arriving and having a good time. We usually cover Sangeet night with one videographer using up to three cameras, for a cinematic and reliable approach.
The night is always full of energy as the performers are always well prepared and are preforming with a lot of energy. The night usually ends with the DJs getting everyone on the dance floor and raising the energy bar even higher.
Baraat
Talk about energy. This is when we get going!