Part II of Mona+Vipul’s huge wedding celebration, the Highlight Edit, focusing on Day 4! During the reception they played the Newlywed Game, where couples try to match answers on relationship questions. There’s really only one answer that would allow Vipul to safely navigate this minefield: “If your husband could change one thing about you, what would it be”. See if he makes it through! :-)
Here’s Part I, their Same-Day-Edit.
This was a big one. Four days of celebration, food, family, friends, dancing, tradition, amazing wardrobe and jewelry, a horse-drawn carriage, and a mighty-nice view of Niagara Falls behind their outdoor ceremony. I kept a few notes along the way…
Day 1 of Mona+Vipul’s four-day wedding! This is without a doubt the longest wedding shoot I’ll have been involved in. Two ceremonies, Sikh and Hindu, lots of partying, lots of food, and an edit that will premiere on Saturday night covering the whole week. Here we go!
Day 2, the Haldi ceremony, where members of her family applied tumeric paste to Mona’s face, arms, and legs, among other traditions. Tonight, some live performances!
Day 3, ceremony number 1. The edit is starting to come together; in between events we’re assembling as much as possible. After the ceremony today, Mona’s family “gave away” their daughter, an incredibly emotion-filled moment. They drove away into the afternoon rain (to Niagara Falls, I presume, to get ready for an even longer day tomorrow!).
Day 4, ceremony number 2. I can’t think of many backdrops to a wedding ceremony more epic than Niagara Falls. Maybe the Grand Canyon?
Today was a whirlwind; the chairs were late to arrive and in the early morning it looked as though it could be a dreary day. Then the sun poked through and the venue was setup. Everything came together at the right time, our Same Day Edit premiered at the reception in front of hundreds of family and friends, and the four-day celebration was done.
Indian weddings are intense! No, seriously. Early mornings, multiple days, wardrobe changes, hundreds of guests. It’s a different animal, and I’m always excited to get the opportunity to capture it. That being said, I’m constantly amazed at how many similarities their are across all cultures and traditions. One of the cool things about shooting a lot of weddings is the unique perspective it allows. The celebration of love is a universal experience!
Bonus Video! Last year we shot a portrait film that was premiered at their reception:
Hafsah+Puneet are hilarious together—it makes my job so easy when a couple is willing to open up this much. One of my favourite moments in the edit comes when Puneet is carrying Hafsah in his arms and he’s asked, “am I heavy?” The tone in his voice as he deftly navigates out of those turbulent waters gets me every time.
Their Ottawa wedding started bright and early in the morning yet by 8am you might have confused it for 1am that night. A raucous party started down the road from the ceremony and slowly made it’s way in. After they were hitched, Hafsah and Puneet cruised around our nations capitol in style: a white Excalibur Convertible! I love the easy way they’re able to settle into conversation together. Hashtag Team Tiwari!
Special bonus video: Flavor Factory put on an amazing breakdancing performance at the reception so I cut this short vid together to show off their moves!
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