Indian wedding - day 3 - celebration at the Riverside Banquet Hall

Day three started back at Siya's parents house. We arrived with everyone busy writing their speeches, however I quickly joined the women in Siya's family for a final ceremony at a near by river. 

After returning, prep for the final night began with hair and makeup for the ladies.

By the time the prep was finishing the rain was really starting to come down! We had originally planned for Alex, my second shooter to head to the venue to get pictures of the details and guests arriving, however the plan had to change due to the rain. He would now come to Minoru Park with me to help keep me dry. Siya and Rob had a large umbrella of their own of course. 

As soon as we headed out though, we were in luck as the sun came out in full force! With the guests just starting to settle in at the banquet hall, we had a fair amount of time for portraits. I'm super happy with the way these turned out. Of course no walk through Minoru Park is complete without a rabbit picture!

Arriving at the venue, there wasnt much time to settle in as Siya and Rob were scheduled to make their grand entrance shortly. We were efficient with our time and grabbed some shots of the details before they made their way in. As soon as things settled down there were speeches, food, entertainment and lots of laughter. Both Rob and Siya's bridesmaids presented speeches that were full of love and laughter. Of course there were also some great speeches form both sides of parents as well as the best man!

The couples first dance was followed by the cake cutting. They moved beautifully through a piano rendition of Colby Callait's "Bubbly". The ending of the first dance was followed by an invitation for everyone else to join them on the dance for. It's always great seeing every member of the family, through the generations on the dance floor. It's like they're saying; I still got it, can't just let you kids have all the fun! One of the highlights of the dancing was the huge game of limbo they had going on which had many people join in.

It was an amazing three days full of tradition, celebration, love and laughter. The three days truely helped unite two families into one. It was such an honour to have been part of such an occasion! 

Hair: Blo

Makeup: Amanda

Suit: Top Man

Floral + Decoration: Bridal Beginnings

Cake: Cakeaters Edible Arts

Venue: Riverside Palance Banquet Hall

Indian wedding - day 2 - the ceremony

Day two started back at Siya's parents house where we began with more henna; this time by Siya's aunt. It was nice having time with just the immediate family as it provides a more intimate experience. The natural light was a bonus. We then started to get ready with hair and makeup for the big day. 

Siya happens to be very passionate about makeup so it was only appropriate that she did her own makeup on her wedding day! You can check out her makeup channel on youtube here.

Once the hair and make up was completed, the wedding party helped each other put on their sarees. Siya's saree weighed as much as my camera, however it looked and photographed just beautifully. Right before we headed off to the temple, Siya and her brides maids took some time to open and share some gifts. Last minute preparations to some final details were made before we headed off in the limo.

Arriving at the temple, we quickly headed into a private room where the bridal party could make some final preparations for the ceremony. This room also provided a hiding place for us in a sense, as it's customary for the bride to not be seen by the guests before the beginning of the ceremony. Siya couldnt help but take a peak outside the room as the guests gathered. 

Rob arrives shortly after with his immediate family and is offered a ceremonial welcome by Siya's family. He is then joined by Siya's dad on the altar for prayers and a blessing. 

The ceremony officially beings as Siya enters the room with her cousins by her side. Prayers and blessings, mixed in with offerings of gifts start things off. 

A fire is then lit as the ceremony continues. In a Hindu wedding, the fire acts as the main witness and plays an integral role to the ceremony itself. During this time vows and rings were exchanged and we welcomed the new couple as Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery!

The ceremony is followed by two small games the first involving the henna on Siya's hand. It is said that the husband should be able to find his initials in his wifes henna. A crowed gathered as Rob successfully takes on the challenge. 

The next game involves Rob's shoes. Of course shoes are not allowed in the temple, and during this time the brides maids will take advantage of this and will hide his shoes as part of a traditional game. After the ceremony, Rob must find his shoes, or pay up; and it is the goal of the brides maids to get as much as they can out of him! 

The day is completed with a vegetarian dinner as the newlywed couple is greeted by guests at the head table. Tomorrow begins the party! 

Indian wedding - day 1 - henna night

So it began, the first day of Siya and Rob's wedding, the henna night. Having never attended an Indian wedding before, I wasnt quite sure of what to expect. I definitely made sure to do my reading ahead of time and things seemed pretty straight forward. I arrived right as the guests were starting to arrive and quickly found Siya upstairs covered in a turmeric paste. The paste is applied by the women in the family and is supposed to purify the bride. On top of this, it is also supposed to give the bride a radiant glow on her wedding day. 

Siya could not leave the living room the entire day in order to avoid the "evil eye" as her mom would say so I was given a tour and was introduced to the guests by one of her brides maids. 

All throughout the night we saw Siya's grandpa hand Rob's dad this drink which I though was some kind of soup. I only found out the next day that it was an alcoholic Fijian drink! Rob's dad must have downed at least 5 of these!

As the day progressed we moved into traditional ceremonies which were filled with joy and laughter. A home made dinner was also served at around the same time the ceremonies were happening.

Of course this couldnt have been a henna night without the henna! All of the ladies ended up joining Siya inside the home and lined up to get their henna done while bonding through conversation. It was great getting to know all of the main guests before the wedding day as familiarity is almost always a good thing. Stay tuned for the wedding day photos!