Every once in a while, as wedding photographers, we get to experience a wedding that goes on to become a highlight of our photography journey. The experience becomes something we recount to friends & family over dinner after several years. Years of shooting some intense moments can numb us photographers to the point that emotions at weddings feel merely like waves of an ocean - they are beautiful but common. But these weddings take us back and force us to look at celebrations with almost child-like innocence, making us introspect as to why we became wedding photographers in the first place.
Sneha’s & Shubho’s wedding was a dream for me. It was in a resort that sits comfortably between two river streams, up in the hills of Dehradun. The wedding itself was under a mango tree with thirty guests in attendance. And every night, after all the rituals and group photos - there would a bonfire where everyone would drink and dance or dance and drink or just drink :) I still think about those bonfires - which kept us warm during the 4 degrees Celcius nights.
Personally, I was scared. Sneha wasn’t just another bride. But she is a wedding photographer herself. As the founder of Coffeestains, she photographs some beautiful weddings across India. On the other hand, Shubho is a photographer and photobook publisher at Binder Books. Despite their standards being so high, Sneha and Shubho gave me unlimited creative freedom to shoot the wedding HOWEVER I want. What more could I ask for? I shot their wedding trying to incorporate my own POV in most, if not all photographs. I am personally connected to each of these photographs, not only as a photographer but also as a participant.
Here’s to a wedding that I know I will never forget! :)
Photography: Elvin Jacob
Wedding Film: Kiran Kallur & Praveen Pillay
MUAH: Geetanjali Rawat
Decor: Sneha, Manvi & Friends
Catering: The Bong Twist
Venue: The Sylvan Retreat, Dehradun
Blog Music: Hawaijahaj - Sajjan Raj Vaidya
