Indian weddings are known for their vibrant and elaborate celebrations, which are rich in cultural significance and filled with joy and festivity. Here are some of the reasons why I love being a photographer for Indian weddings.
Read moreWeddings In Indiana, Chicago and Michigan - The 2019 Year In Review
Bride in Converse All Star shoes in front of a red door in Chicago.
It was another action packed year of wedding photography in Northwest Indiana, Chicago and southwest Michigan. There are a TON of images from February weddings all the way through November so let’s get started.
I had two winter weddings in 2019 with Sarah + Robert and Erin + Mason. Yep, we had some snow and even the Village People showed up to rock the reception.
Black and white winter wedding photo in the snow.
Winter weddings in 2019.
Early Spring saw torrential rain almost every single weekend. Like the postal service though, we deliver in ice, rain, sleet or snow. For Beth + Chad we had that all in one day!! Cherise + Thomas had some sunshine for their big day at Sand Creek Country Club and for a bridal portrait session in Chicago we had to dodge some puddles for sure.
Rain and wind and fog surround the bride and groom in a wedding photo at Sand Creek Country Club.
April weddings in Northwest Indiana.
Bridal portraits on the streets of Chicago.
The wet Spring continued for Breana + Kevin’s Chicago wedding and Sarah + Billy’s hometown wedding in Crown Point, Indiana. Both had wonderful church ceremonies.
Bride and groom walk back down the aisle after their wedding ceremony at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church.
May weddings in Chicago and Crown Point, Indiana.
The month of May was very busy with Northwest Indiana weddings of Tessa + Luis as well as Dan + Tea.
Vintage bridal portraits in Northwest Indiana.
Spring weddings in Northwest Indiana.
June saw Gabby + Matt at Briar Ridge Country Club and Becky + Chuck along with the summer weddings of Rachel + Brandon at County Line Orchard and back to the Crown Point Courthouse with Robyn and Stacey.
First dance at Briar Ridge Country Club.
June wedding photos at Briar Ridge Country Club and Centennial Park.
Weddings in late June in Crown Point and County Line Orchard.
July saw me at the height of summer and back at County Line Orchard for an outdoor wedding with Emily + Tyler and Whiting Lakefront Park for the beach wedding of Maureen + Carlos.
July summer weddings at County Line Orchard and Whiting Lakefront Park.
Newlyweds kiss between two Golden Delicious sign in the apple orchards.
July also saw me heading east to Heston Hill wedding venue for Maggie + Eric and staying close to home for Cynthia + Zachary at Avalon Manor wedding venue.
Summer weddings at Heston Hills and Avalon Manor.
Bride and groom share a moment at Heston Hills wedding venue in Laporte, Indiana.
August began with a themed wedding from Isela + Thomas and Jackie + Kevin for the first time a bride has ever arrived via boat at Lighthouse Restaurant in Cedar Lake, Indiana.
Early August weddings in Northwest Indiana.
Wedding photo with a sunset over the lake.
Mid to late August saw the 4 day Indian wedding of Molly + Ahsan in Chicago and the church wedding of Brie + Ryan at St. Michael’s Parish and reception at Sand Creek golf course.
Mid to late August weddings in Chicago and Northwest Indiana.
A candid moment underneath the willow tree at Sand Creek Country Club.
Early September saw the first of two weddings at Four Corners Winery with Holly + Ethan and then it was onto The Allure in Laporte, Indiana with Mary + Jeff.
Wedding photos at Four Corners Winery and The Allure.
Photo at the rustic wedding venue Four Corners Winery in Valparaiso, Indiana.
I’d always wanted to photograph at the Naperville Riverwalk in Illinois for a wedding and did just that with Vilda + Brandon and weddings at Aberdeen Manor are some of the most elegant and the nuptials of Kristen and Zach did not disappoint.
September weddings in Naperville, Illinois Riverwalk and Aberdeen Manor.
Wedding photo on the staircase at Renaissance Hotel in Schaumburg, Illinois.
Candid wedding moment at a lake in Aberdeen neighborhood in Valparaiso, Indiana.
A photo at night in front of the chapel at Aberdeen Manor.
September is still the most popular month for weddings and I was back at Avalon Manor for Violet + Jeremiah and an epic wedding with Jordan + Matt at Centennial Park where it snowed on the dance floor.
Late September weddings in Northwest Indiana.
It snows on the dance floor at the Centennial Park clubhouse for a wedding reception.
October is football season and we celebrated that with Francesca + Zane at Wicker Park and also wine tasting season at Four Corners Winery with Ammie + Matt.
October weddings in Northwest Indiana.
Reema + Corey donned two wedding dresses and two suits at their Meyer’s Castle wedding in Dyer, Indiana and Mary + Ben braved the rain at the Center for Visual and Performing Arts in Munster, Indiana for their late Fall weddings.
Late Fall weddings in Northwest Indiana.
Rain falls at night in this wedding photo at Center for Visual and Performing Arts.
I certainly can’t forget about Annie + Michael at Aberdeen Manor as well as the 2019 wedding season finale of Kim + Dustin at Fair Oaks Farmhouse.
Late November weddings in Northwest Indiana.
I’m looking forward to next year’s weddings in Northwest Indiana, Chicago and Michigan. To inquire about wedding photography for your big day, please do fill out the Contact Form on this website and set up a meeting so I can show you more of my work. Happy New Year to all!!
A bride in front of graffiti art in the Bucktown area of Chicago, Illinois.
Indian Wedding in Skokie, Illinois: Nikah and Reception
The newlyweds on stage at Skokie Banquet & Conference Center.
Day 3 - Nikah
If you missed Day 1 and Day 2 of Ahsan and Molly’s traditional Indian wedding please follow this link right here. Of course, don’t forget to come back here for the Nikah ceremony and reception.
It was a very bright day and the sun made Molly’s white dress glow as Ahsan awaited her tap on the shoulder for their first look. Associate photographers Jaime and Bridget captured the moment from all angles before heading inside of His Highness Prince Karim Worship Center for the formal ceremony.
Once again, many thanks to Raag and Isha of Paraagon Films for being so welcoming as we worked together during this epic wedding.
First look for the bride and groom at His Highness Prince Karim Worship Center.
Portraits of the bride and groom at their Nikah.
Ahsan and Molly officially became married with traditional rituals and friends and family gathered behind them. They then headed to the Koba Kobi with traditional marriage games played as the bride and groom sat opposite one another. The living room of the home was packed with people but wide angle lenses to the rescue!!
Ahsan and Molly are officially married following time honored religious traditions.
Koba Kobi marriage games after the ceremony.
Day 4 - Reception
The reception day began with the bride and her bridesmaids prepping for their big celebration. Bangles and soirees and hair and jewelry were all precisely placed. I asked Molly if I could take some extreme close ups of her during this time and she obliged. Associate photographer Jaime captured the groom and his guys.
Bridal prep for an Indian wedding at Skokie Banquet & Conference Center.
The bride shows off her incredible red dress on Day 4 of her traditional Indian wedding.
Groomsmen prep on Day 4 of an Indian wedding.
The groom all suited up for the reception.
Just before introductions I was able to steal a few minutes of the bride and groom’s time for some portraits inside and outside of their ballroom. We did some family group photos and wedding party group shots as well. Then it was on to the party!
The bride and groom before their big entrance at their wedding reception.
Bride and groom portraits on stage in the North Shore Ballroom at Holiday Inn Skokie.
The beautiful bride in her reception dress.
The wedding party has some fun.
Before introductions we made a sweep of the room to capture all of the wonderfully colorful decor. Then the lights went down and introductions began going right into the cake cutting and first dance.
Decorations for an Indian wedding reception at Skokie Banquet & Conference Center.
Introductions and then cake cutting.
First dance for the bride and groom.
Ahsan and Molly did their take on the shoe game. Then it was time for something really unique as the groom had to guess which kiss came from his wife. He was blindfolded of course. I’m not going to say whom he chose, but I will say that those whiskers from the best man’s beard MUST HAVE been a giveaway. It was one of those times where I had to remind myself to stop laughing and start shooting. It was truly a good time!!
Reception games at an Indian wedding.
The best man, maid of honor and friends roast the bride and groom during their reception.
The rest of the night was pure dance floor fun with one surprise pause where the groom showed videos of friends and family talking about how much they loved Molly, his bride. It made her tear up before once again hitting the dance floor.
A fun reception of an Indian wedding at Skokie Banquet & Conference Center.
It was an incredible 4 days just north of Chicago capturing Ahsan and Molly’s traditional Indian wedding. The rituals kept us on our toes, the colors were beautiful, but most of all every moment was heartfelt and authentic.
There are SO MANY more images from this wedding that I can’t possibly fit here. Please do follow Region Weddings on Instagram for more from this wedding and others. As always, Contact Me right here to inquire about your big day. To view Day 1 - Mehndi Party and Day 2 - Nikah, click over to this link. Enjoy!!
Indian Wedding in Skokie, Illinois: Mehndi and Sangeet
Bride and groom own the stage at Skokie Banquet & Conference Center.
Day 1 - Mehndi Party
Ahsan and Molly’s wedding was a traditional 4 day celebration which began with covering the Mehndi Party at the parent’s of the bride while associate photographer Jaime was with groom and his family at another nearby home. This is Part 1 covering Day 1 and Day 2. To view highlights from Day 3 and Day 4, please follow this link here.
Henna artist were on hand at both locations and lots of well wishes, good food and laughter were on display.
Henna and make up are applied at the Mehndi Party for the bride.
The bride displays her henna art for the camera.
The groom preps for his wedding.
The Mehndi Party is a pre-celebration and was our shortest day of coverage. It was wonderful to meet everyone involved and we all hit it off really well. I knew we were in for a terrific next 3 days of intense celebration. Many thanks to Raag and Isha of Paraagon Films for being so welcoming as we worked together.
Day 2 - Sangeet
I love music so I was looking forward to the Sangeet taking place at the Skokie Banquet & Conference Center. Friends and family would be performing later in the evening but first we captured the colorful decor of the room before the bride and groom’s pithy (good luck ritual) and the “egging of the groom” which lead to a break in the festivities for a changing of clothes. Let’s just say this was one time where the groom was probably going to take a little longer than the bride to get ready!! See below…
Colorful decorations at the Sangeet celebration.
The groom was brought in first…
The groom’s pithi ceremony at Skokie Banquet & Conference Center.
Now, I had been told of the “egging of the groom” but I had not anticipated the level at which the groomsmen would take this ritual. Let’s just say, when Ahsan becomes a groomsman for one of these guys - look out, I think revenge will be off the charts!! Vinegar, salmon, flour, ketchup are just a few of the ingredients seen below. Even the bride did a cake smash on her husband to be.
If you have a groom to be who isn’t carrying his weight with wedding planning, just show him these next set of images to set him straight!! haha
The “egging of the groom” with a healthy showering of white vinegar.
Pithi ceremony for the bride.
After a pause for a changing of clothes for Ahsan and Molly, the Sangeet music party began with introductions and performances. I was able to snag the bride and groom for a few portraits after dinner before round 2 of the musical celebration began.
Introduction of the bride and groom with musical performances from friends and family.
The bride and groom on their colorful stage.
Happy moments for the bride and groom during their Sangeet celebration.
Molly looked exquisite during some quick portraits in between musical performances.
The performances came from children, family members, friends, members of the wedding party and finally the bride and groom themselves took to the floor. Then they invited guests up as the room engulfed with sound.
Music and dance performances from friends and family and the bride and groom.
The dance floor opens up to guests for the finale of the Sangeet.
I hope you are enjoying Day 1 and Day 2 of Ahsan and Molly’s traditional Indian wedding at Skokie Banquet & Conference Center. To view Day 3 and Day 4, please follow this link.
To inquire about wedding photography, please fill out the Contact form right here.