Posted by eaphoto on June 30, 2010 – 1:49 pm
This is our second instalment from our amazing time spent with Raj and Pia. The day started really early, earlier than imaginable for these two and a wee bit earlier than normal for us. With our tea and coffee in tow we headed out the parents homes for the bride and groom preparations. Getting ready for this wedding is no small task. At one point I looked at Pia and she was doing the triathlon of wedding prep – Sharon Rai, her makeup and wardrobe assistant, was sorting out her many layers, her sister Nidhi was adding some bling to her Mehndi, and her Auntie was feeding her cereal – all at the same time!! Aaron was impressed with the skill of Raj’s cousin as he wrapped his turban and excited by the horse, which until this season we have not seen in a wedding. As Rajan is Sikh and Pia is Hindu they decided to have both ceremonies which made for a very full day with lots of activities and much fun for us! The Sikh ceremony was held first at the Sikh Temple, Gurdwara in Victoria and the Hindu ceremony was held outside at the Bear Mountain Westin Resort just outside of town. For the Hindu ceremony Pia included her school friends and cousin as Bridesmaids and Rajan’s brother and cousins stood as his groomsmen. It was a gorgeous, colourful, love filled day and we were so amazed at everything we were able to be a part of and witness. After the ceremony we hopped on a bus sized van and headed out to the 18th hole. There is a great view there but of course in typical Emmy and Aaron style the following happened on the drive: Emmy from the back of the bus: Hey Aaron see that on the right? Aaron from front of bus: Yup let’s do it! - Stop the bus! There it was – a beautiful shaded rock wall. We have been eyeing up quarries for a while and this was exactly what we were wanting. We had a few minutes so we hopped out and grabbed a few shots before having to head back. So we leave this post with a few images from that wall. It was very hard to pick images for this post as there are so many that we love but here are a few to give you a peak into Raj and Pia’s incredible two ceremony day. The more we work on their images the more we are missing all of the great people that we met and became friends with, we hope we get to see many of them again soon. If you can believe it there are more images to come as the “just us and them” shoot and the reception was held the following day! Bye for now – E&A
Posted by eaphoto on June 25, 2010 – 1:36 pm
I am not sure of where to begin with this post. To say that we were excited for Raj and Pia’s wedding is an understatement – I think the feeling was more like ecstatic and giddy!! Aaron went to highschool with Rajan and before he and Pia ever contacted us about shooting their wedding his name would come up Aaron and anyone else who knew him would always say what an incredibly nice person he is – they are so right!! And lucky for him he has married a beautiful person inside and out in Pia. You might remember these two from the engagement session we did with them back in March. We had a great time with them on their engagement shoot but we could not have anticipated the amazing experience of spending three days with them and their families. We are still savouring every memory as it was an event that we will forever cherish and remember. We really can’t thank the Nagpal and Dhariwal families and Raj and Pia’s friends enough for welcoming us so warmly, feeding us at every turn, and for leaving us blessed with lasting memories and friendships. Rajan is Sikh and Pia is Hindu so their wedding combined traditions from both by having two ceremonies on one day and their reception the following day. Before the wedding ceremonies, family and friends gathered at each of the parents homes to celebrate the ladies Sanjeet and the Maiyaan. I also went earlier in the day to cover Pia having her Mendhi {henna} applied to her hands and feet. Pia’s sister Nidhi, her mom, aunties and cousins came in and out watching, chatting as she sat patiently still while the intricate work was completed. Behind her on the mantle I noticed a beautiful old photo of past generations of her family, watching over the room and all the preparations. In the evening I returned to the Nagpal home and Aaron went to the Dhariwal home to cover the Sanjeet and Maiyaan. At both Raj and Pia were greeted by friends and family who rubbed their skin with spice paste and Pia was given her wedding bangles by her Uncle and Aunt. The evening at both homes ended in food and dancing which for us was only a glimpse of what was to come in the following days. We were both struck by how close all of the extended family members are and how so many friends and family came to this evening to celebrate Raj and Pia. Because there was so much more going on in this wedding than in others we have covered, and because we took more photos than we ever thought possible for one couple! – we are splitting our usual blog post into three separate posts to show the three main days that we spent with Raj and Pia. This post focuses on the Sangeet and Maiyaan for both Raj and Pia. We will have a post on the Hindu and Sikh ceremonies soon with more stories of our adventures with Raj and Pia so check back soon as there are more amazing images to come!!
Pia’s Ladies Sanjeet and Maiyaan
Rajan’s Maiyaan
