Raheel + Zoya Wedding (Day 2)
On the second day of their wedding celebration, Raheel and Zoya joined their loved ones at the Worlds Fair Marina Restaurant & Banquet Hall. Saturday’s schedule was a whole lot more relaxed; food, games, dancing, speeches and a full night of celebrating. As a photographer, observer and cultural outsider, it was fascinating to be immersed in a completely different kind of wedding than one I was use to. Many of the wedding practices had great significance behind them too; something that really made their two day celebration very special. When the Groom and his family entered the banquet hall, Zoya’s family showered rose petals on them as a traditional form of welcoming. When the time came, Zoya came out of the bridal room and proceeded to the ceremony area with her family members. Raheel and his family met them midway, whereupon the father of the bride symbolically joined their hands together– perhaps one of the most emotional moments of the evening. As husband and wife, they took their seats together on stage. After rounds of group photos and plenty of food, rings were exchanged and the cake was cut.
One of the most entertaining activities of the night came next: the “Juta Chupai” (the hiding of the shoe). In this lighthearted activity, the brides’ friends and family steal the groom’s wedding shoes. In order to get the shoes back, he must pay their requested ransom… in cash. After a little bargaining between both parties, the groomsmen pay the ransom and the game is complete. This payment (many hundreds of $$, believe it or not) also doubled as a thank-you gift for the tremendous amount of hours the bridesmaids devoted in making the wedding celebration happen… so obviously both sides bargained pretty tough.
The last few hours were celebrated with a whole lot of really fun dancing. In the final phase of the wedding ceremony, an event known as the “Rukhsati” took place. Zoya’s family gave their final blessings to the bride & groom, and wished them both a happy marriage. This was definitely the most emotional, tearful event for everybody. Although in many other cultures it may sound like a simple “goodbye”, for the bride’s family it was anything but. Her family was essentially saying farewell as Zoya literally ‘departed’ from her family’s household to join the new household that was her marriage. And my favorite images? The last three. In the few moments that the bride was alone, she is given her final, tear-filled goodbye by her own father.
Vendors for Day 2:
Videographer: Tee McKnight of KnightCap Productions
DJ & Entertainment: Rezi & Ash of Desi Club Djs
Reception: Worlds Fair Marina Restaurant & Banquet
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Raheel + Zoya’s Wedding (Day 1)
Some time last summer, things got real crazy for us at Dreamlite. Our schedules were so over the top, we held off on uploading a half a dozen, full sets of wedding photos. It wasn’t that we were lazy; we simply didn’t want to upload a random assortment of photos, slap on some tag words and call it a day. You could say that we like to put in time, effort and a little bit of thought when composing posts for our blog. Well, here’s one of those exciting weddings you all missed out on. We’ve finally found time to share some of our favorite images with everyone, and here they are.
All in all, I (Jon) spent two and a half fantastic days with Raheel and Zoya. On one particular thursday evening, I met up for Raheel and Zoya to do their engagement photos in Central Park. Check out the full set here. The photos shown below are from that following Friday; a celebratory, prewedding tradition known as the Mehndi Ceremony. This ceremony centers around the celebration and honoring of the woman before she is “given away” by her family and friends in marriage. The women have henna intricately applied to their hands and feet, and everyone is dressed in vibrantly colorful attire. The bride-to-be, Zoya, was adorned with gorgeous jewelry, colorful garments and carefully applied henna on her hands and feet. In the end, this ceremony took place to both bless and celebrate the would-be-bride in the days before she becomes a wife.
After everyone had gathered for the marriage certificate signing with the Maulvi (religious officiant in white), traditional religious prayers were read and the certificate was signed. Raheel awaited on stage while his bride made her entrance alongside all the women from her family. The ceremony took place over a couple of hours- including Dholki (event where family members sit on the floor and sing traditional songs for the bride & groom), Mehndi Rasams (ceremonial activity involving the honorary feeding of sweets from relatives to the bride & groom), choreographed dancing and a slideshow presented by the bridesmaids. As with any indian/pakistani wedding celebration, you can’t expect to end the night without a whole lot of dancing.
Vendors for Day 1:
Videographer: Tee McKnight of KnightCap Productions
DJ & Entertainment: Rezi & Ash of Desi Club Djs
Raheel + Zoya’s Engagement
Raheel and Zoya were another couple I (Jon) had the the honor of photographing this past summer. Within the span of four days, I photographed Raheel and Zoya on three separate occasions (a thursday engagement and a two-day wedding extravaganza.. but more on that later). Venturing through some of my favorite locations in Central Park, we were joined by spectacular summer evening light. We went through colorful gardens, up inclined rocks, down traffic tunnels and even broke some park rules via hopping over a fence.
Check this set out, and if you like what you see… refer us to someone you know & leave us some comments below =]
Congrats again to Raheel & Zoya, and thanks for making this day awesome.
