shilpa & toby are married!

saturday was a milestone for us, we photographed our first indian wedding and oh.my.gosh it was amazing! the emotions, the traditions, the colors, the dancing- it was beautiful. shilpa was breathtaking and watching the getting ready process was an incredible treat. her friends and family flitted around her all day each helping in a very specific way and ready at a moment’s notice to grab her a bite to eat, find a specific family member or give their opinion on a piece of exquisite jewelry she was considering wearing.

even though i didn’t know the language being spoken most of the time it was clear to me through glances, attention, gestures and smiles how shilpa’s family felt about her, about toby and about them together- that was amazing to watch. i could go on forever about different portions of this day that were really incredible but let’s get started with the pictures and i’ll explain as we go:

one of toby’s groomsmen sent toby an email letting him know if he didn’t send back a wedding gift idea he would be receiving a brick of nickels, and so:

no one is ever too old for mom’s lipstick residue and subsequent cheek scrub. toby looks thrilled, no? this would be my exact face as well:

the handsome groom looking up toward the room where the girls are peeking from the windows. shilpa dipped back immediately, no chance he caught a glimpse of her!

finishing touches applied by her aunt as her mom looks on:

matt took this awesome shot of the rings on the pillow, the gold diamond ring is toby’s pinkie ring from shilpa’s family while the soft gold ring is his wedding band. 

last minute shilpa added the nose ring (a replica of what her mom wore for her own wedding) and made some adjustments to her incredible jewelry.

the wedding started with a short ceremony with just toby and the priest before shilpa entered escorted by her parents.

the ceremony was beautiful and it was amazing how close we were able to shoot and still be out of the way. these are some of my most favorite ceremony shots ever:

matt and i love this image for all of the different textures and beautiful colors:

toby and shilpa got into a small rice fight during the ceremony. it seemed shilpa knew that placing the rice on toby’s head would turn into a competition- toby did not. after the first few gentle palmfuls of rice toby placed on her head he caught on and really filled up his hands and dumped it on her. just after this she trumped him by picking up the basin and emptying the rest over his head. i like her style.

there was a cocktail hour and a break for the bride and groom to change before the reception got started with shilpa’s dad giving a sweet toast to his daughter and thanking everyone from coming from all over the world to celebrate with them.

the happy couple as they listen to the toast:

…and the dancing began! toby prepared his groomsmen by telling them to just pretend to screw in light-bulbs with each hand. that was great instruction for them because watching this guy right here i’d say this just can’t be taught:

shilpa’s parents breaking it down:

everyone cheered as the newlyweds broke away from chatting with old friends for a few dances together:

i don’t think the end of the night for us was the end for them! as we pulled out at 12:30 there were calls across the parking lot of an after party promising lots more fun to come, whew!

shilpa and toby, you are incredible together. watching you lovingly intertwine your different cultures was a beautiful experience for everyone in attendance. thank you so much for having us and we wish you the best honeymoon ever- how could diving and exploring australia not be amazing with you two involved?!