Favorites: Gopal & Joanna Hindu Wedding Ceremonies (104 images)

My best friend Gopal recently married his longtime girlfriend Joanna in Northern Virginia. Gopal, coming from a traditional Indian family, had several days worth of beautiful and elaborate traditional Hindu ceremonies leading up to the traditional American wedding ceremony on Saturday. I have been fortunate enough to have photographed a traditional wedding in India before, so the ceremonies and customs were somewhat familiar to me. The three days of ceremonies I photographed were full of...
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My best friend Gopal recently married his longtime girlfriend Joanna in Northern Virginia. Gopal, coming from a traditional Indian family, had several days worth of beautiful and elaborate traditional Hindu ceremonies leading up to the traditional American wedding ceremony on Saturday. I have been fortunate enough to have photographed a traditional wedding in India before, so the ceremonies and customs were somewhat familiar to me. The three days of ceremonies I photographed were full of family gatherings, henna tattooing, many coconut blessings, feeding the bride and groom traditional sweets, and smearing the bride and groom with traditional turmeric. The ceremonies culminated on Saturday with the main Hindu wedding ceremony, beginning with the Baraat, the groom's wedding procession leading up to the entrance to Durga Temple in Fairfax Station, Virginia. The bride's family welcomed and received the groom's family at the temple's entrance, then then groom's party entered and ascended the temple's stage.

It was a beautiful three days of ceremonies. I was the best man, and apparently the best man is supposed to protect the groom's shoes from being stolen. If stolen, the shoes are held for ransom by the bride's friends and family. Needless to say, the shoes went for $50 a pop. Woops!

May Gopal and Joanna have many happy years together full of adventure traveling down the road that is life!
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