Weddings in South India - Jhancy & Janardhan

In this post and the next, I am going to share some shots from the Telugu weddings that I have covered in the past. These assignments gave me a reason to travel to Andhra Pradesh; different regions each time - Vijayawada, Secunderabad and Hyderabad. I will, probably, say "I have visited the sates of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana" the next time I refer to these shoots.


This girl got me started on candid wedding photography. Yes! this was my first ever wedding shoot. She saw my Flickr link and called me to ask if I would shoot her wedding. This was a totally unexpected call for me, especially when I was engrossed in analyzing some heavy-duty online advertising campaigns at my desk.
I asked her if she was sure she "wanted me (who had never covered a wedding before, but was planning to start somewhere) to do this?" She said "Absolutely!", came the answer. "I have seen some of your work and I think you can give me the photographs I am looking for. I have checked with photographers here and I can't afford them. They charge in lakhs." It took me a moment to swallow that before I said "Ok. But, you should have a 'backup' studio photographer." She told me her parents had booked a conventional studio guy in Vijayawada.
Thank you for this opportunity.



Just a couple of days before I were to leave, she said that I must come 'dressed up' and attend the wedding as a friend; turns out her parents don't know I was the official photog. Woops!


Anyway, here you go!

Their Wedding Invite

The best aspect of shooting weddings in different parts of India is that I learn about the diverse traditions. You might have read that before. Sorry; it's true.
 

 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed. Even the silly competition against the studio photographer who just wouldn't let me click and failed to understand the idea behind candid photographs to the extend that he kept making all the fun he could. It felt like I was back to school and this bully was trying his best to push a girl of the basketball court.

The priest played a prank during the ring game. He kept the ring in his hand and pretended that he had dropped it into the 'matka'; the groom figured it out just in time. I captured him laughing at the enthusiastic and excited bride along with the priest

 

I didn't feel like I had met this girl for the first time in my life. In fact, her groom thought I was a friend clicking pictures at their wedding. She's a great girl and we're still in touch.
Here are some images that I made at the Satya Narayan Puja, the day after the wedding at the groom's house. I remember, her make-up artist ditched her on the Puja day and I ended up playing the make-up girl as well!

 

 The 'Pallu'

  

The Purohit Preparing for the Puja

  

   

Most ceremonies required the bride to change sarees half way through. Jhancy changed into different sarees during her Haldi, at the Mandap for the Muhuratam on her wedding day as well as during the Satya Narayan Puja, the day after the wedding. The bride must, also, adorn all the traditional ornaments for each ceremony. And all this at a roller coaster speed. Remember, she could not take her own sweet time. Kudos!

Oh! Did I tell you I loved all her jewelry. She purchased most of it from Bangalore itself; not to forget the sarees that were also purchased all by herself from Bengaluru where she used to work before she tied the knot.

The Final Aarti

 
This was a little more than 2 years ago.

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