Sometimes, in order to move forward, you first need to take a step back. With the birth of my second child and the move across the country, I was forced to take almost six full months away from shooting. I was worried I’d come back rusty, out of shape, and maybe even forget how to work the camera, but what happened was just the opposite… I returned refreshed and inspired.

Starting off the break with Harini & Kapil’s 22-hour 3-day Indian wedding was a test of wills in terms of stamina. It took 110%, but I pushed through and came away with what I consider some of the best images of my career to date. I will attribute that in part to the fact I lucked out with an AMAZING couple to work with, and an awesome associate photographer in Jim!

The traditions from this wedding were a little different from my previous Indian weddings, as the couple hailed from a different part of India. I was totally stoked to get to photograph the traditional Haldi Ceremony, where Tumeric Paste is applied to the brides face and arms, which is supposed to purify her and make her glow, and while all my brides have had Mehndi done, it was the first time I was hired to photograph that as well.

Day 1: Haldi and Mehndi (groom’s ceremony photographed on day 2)

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Day 2: Sangeet – this couple wasted no time getting the party started!

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Day 3: Wedding Day… including a billion other ceremonies I’d never encountered before!

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Portraits taken at Valley Forge ParkNJ_Indian_Wedding-38
NJ_Indian_Wedding-33The Baraat is one of my absolute favorite parts of any traditional Indian wedding.

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I know it’s crazy to cull down a traditional Hindu ceremony to just four photos, so don’t worry Harini, there are plenty more where these came from!

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After the couple’s crazy Sangeet, we knew we were in for a pretty darn lively reception. One of the highlights was the “roast” of Kapil by his college pals.

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Harini and Kapil: I will admit, I had NO IDEA the epic-ness I signed up for when I agreed to shoot your wedding… but I can’t thank you enough for the amazing opportunity to be a part of it. This blog could easily have been well over 100 images long, as shot after shot yielded one beautiful moment after another. I just feel so so lucky, and hope the future of Lauren Brimhall Photography sees me attending many more weddings like yours!