Wow! Where do we begin? A combination of both Hindu and Muslim traditions, Aliya & Ibrahim's wedding was a fantastic and new experience for Christlyn and I. The wedding lasted for 3 days, 2 of which we had the pleasure of photographing. The first day began at The Opal Event Hall in Lawrenceville, GA and incorporated the Ghari, Pithi, Mehndi and Sangeet. The Opal Event Hall is the perfect Atlanta and Lawrenceville, GA venue for Indian weddings. And now, please enjoy Opal Event Hall wedding pictures from Atlanta Indian wedding photographers, Lunalee Photography.
As guests arrived, the ladies took turns getting their hands beautifully tattooed by a Henna artist.
And then, the Ghari ceremony began where holy water is brought in by family members.
Aliya made her entrance to the event hall, and soon after, family gathered around her for the Pithi.
And of course, Ibrahim makes his entrance.
Carried in by her family, Aliya makes her grand entrance.
Next up, the family gave performances for the bride and groom.
After the performances, the dance floor opened up!
On to Day 2! The party continued at Little Gardens in Lawrenceville, GA and featured a more American wedding structure, but with a Muslim Nikkah ceremony. And now, please enjoy Little Gardens wedding pictures from Indian wedding photographers Lunalee Photography.
Just as the party was wrapping up, there was one last tradition called the Joota Chupai or as we called it, "the shoe buyback game". In this tradition, the groom's shoe is stolen by the bride's family and the groom is forced to bargain for its safe return. This bargaining tradition is tons of fun and it left me wishing more American weddings had a similar tradition. In the end, the groom did get his shoe back, but at a cost!
Bubble exit!
In the end, we are so thankful to have been a part of Aliya and Ibrahim's beautiful wedding and want to thank them for giving us this new experience. It has truly left us with a desire to experience more culturally diverse weddings and traditions. Special thanks to both venues: The Opal Event Hall and Little Gardens! Decor for The Opal Event Hall: Events InStyle by Beenish, Inc. See the full gallery here. FIN