This week’s wedding is Manali and Udayan. The wedding was a beautiful Indian ceremony! There may have been rain on the outside but it did not put a damper on their Atlanta wedding! It was a wonderful wedding in the middle of downtown Atlanta.

We started early at Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center which a get venue in midtown with in walk distance of a lot great Atlanta restaurants and entertainment. It was perfect for this wedding because there plenty of rooms for out of town guests and large ball rooms that could be converted for a reception or ceremony. Everyone at the hotel were the ultimate professionals being so gracious to the guests. There are also two restaurants and two bars for the guests too.

photo by the Atlanta wedding photographers at AtlantaArtisticWeddings

The couple were so much fun! We had several photo shoots that day. We had one in the morning where we had the family and some shots in the ceremony area. In the afternoon when they changed clothes we had another photo shoot. I had mentioned that we should go outside and maybe do some romantic shots in the rain. I carry several umbrellas with me to weddings for occasions like this. Manali and Udayan said lets do this! We went outside and had a lot of fun! They were so cute and in love! You could tell they were up for adventure! The rain brought some nice reflections that added to the romance of the photos

The morning started with a photo shoot with the couple and their family. As we were shooting the room was being prepared for the ceremony. For the ceremony, the priest, groom, bride and bride's parents sit beneath a mandap, a canopy similar to a Jewish chuppah.

The priest – called a pandit – bride, groom, and bride’s parents are seated under the mandap with a ceremonial fire pit placed in the center. Fire is an important aspect in the Indian wedding because Agni – the god of fire – is said to give life. By lighting a fire, you are asking Agni to provide your marriage with a long life. The bride and groom then proceed with the mangalphera which is a ceremonious walk around the fire. They must circle the fire pit four times, each representing a major goal in their marriage – dharma (morality), artha (prosperity), kama (personal gratification), and moksha (spirituality). They may be joined together by string or tied scarves as they walk, though this custom is optional. The pandit chants verses as they proceed that officially tie them together in the eyes of the gods. After their fourth cycle, they are officially married and must race to their seats. It’s said that whoever sits first is the most dominant in the marriage! Next, the groom places red kum kum powder on the bride’s forehead and adorns her with a mangalsutra. a necklace made of black and gold beads. If the couple decides that they want to incorporate western traditions, this is where they would exchange wedding bands.

Atlanta Wedding Photographer - photography by - www.atlantaartis

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After the ceremony it is time to celebrate! This couple did something I have never seen before which was fireworks at their first dance! As you can see from the photo below there were these sparklers that flew up behind them and lit the room up! There first dance was so much fun with the sparklers lighting up the room and them spinning around. It was a blast!

It was an honor to be a small part of this couples wedding day. Thank you so much for visiting this Atlanta wedding photographers blog. I hope you keep coming back and seeing what we are up to. Please feel free to contact me. I would love to hear from you.

Thanks again!

David

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