SAFFRON - SESHU'S DOCUMENTARY WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY & PORTRAITS BLOG

Nidhi and Chirag's Wedding Celebration In A Fort Palace

01.20.10

A Hindu Ceremony In One Of India's Historic Luxury Hotels

Devi Garh, fort palace and resort hotel near Udaipur, Rajasthan/©Seshu Photography

As I start packing for another trip to India, I am reminded of my last visit there when I photographed Nidhi and Chriag's wedding in Devi Garh.

Devi Garh, an 18th century fort palace, is just outside of Udaipur, a city in Rajasthan and part of a chain called Preferred Hotels & Resorts. As a luxury hotel with all the amenities your imagination can conjure up, Devi Garh is a popular destination resort for weddings.

When Nidhi read about my wish to photograph at a heritage hotel in Rajasthan, she contacted me about her Hindu wedding. We must have spoken on the phone at least a half-a-dozen times before we finally met in New York City for a quick cup of coffee. Chirag was out of the country on business and I didn't get to meet him really until I got to Udaipur!

I flew into Chennai, spent some time with my family (my parents have lived there since 1970) and then flew to Udaipur, through Mumbai. I used Jet Airways and loved their courteous, professional service. My equipment – two Nikon D300 bodies, a slew of lenses and two SB-800 flash units – all fit neatly into my ThinkTank International equipment bag. It was full and heavy but the gate agents passed me through without any trouble at all. When I landed in Udaipur, I took a taxi out to my hotel (no, I didn't get to stay at Devi Garh). The hour-long ride was quiet, save for the ringing cell phone in the taxi driver's pocket. I was quite amazed that he had such amazing reception where I could see no cell phone towers for miles.

The evening before their big day, Nidhi and Chirag spent some quality time with their family and friends at a Sangeet. "Sangeet," in Hindi means music. The event was filled with laughter, dancing, splashes of color, simply the very best food I have ever tasted and of course lots of music. The folks at Devi Garh coordinated quite a show and I had a great time making images thanks to their efforts to make me feel very comfortable.

The following day, Nidhi and Chirag got ready in their respective rooms. The "bharaath," or procession for the bridegroom was something I had never seen before. Chirag rode on top of an elephant! While camels and horses led the way, the wedding band trumpeted Chirag's arrival into the fort palace. The wedding ceremony was conducted after the sun slipped below the horizon. From this South Indian's perspective, it was a short ceremony. Nidhi and Chirag took charge of the dance floor and slowly their family and guests joined them. The food, as I mentioned earlier, was phenomenal! The festivities in the desert continued on through the wee-hours of the night.

Here are a few of my favorites from the two-day event. To see them all as a slideshow, click on the link below that says "Big Show." As always, I welcome your comments.

By the way, if you know of couples planning their destination weddings in South Asia, please let me know. Whether it is now – from January 23 through February 10 when I will be in India – or sometime in the future, my goal is to photograph at every heritage luxury hotel in Rajasthan. Having lived in India, Japan and now the US, I am extremely fond of traveling!

Nidhi and Chirag, it was an honor to photograph your spectacular wedding. Thank you both for the opportunity to be a part of this very important family event.

Big Show at Devi Garh, Rajasthan.