UCLA alums Versha and Arjun were married on a sunny day at the beautiful Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, which any photographer will agree is a breathtaking site for an Indian wedding. The cliff-side ceremony location overlooked an azure ocean that provided the perfect backdrop for this gorgeous couple’s mid-day Hindu wedding. The day started as many Indian wedding days start — with hair and makeup (this time, provided by Oscar Naranjo) providing comedic relief while the bride’s look was being perfected. Versha’s proud parents and brothers stopped by her getting-ready room to help with her bangles and finishing touches, and then I kidnapped her for portraits. After a first look and some quality photo time, Arjun went to meet Tai the elephant (from Have Trunk Will Travel) for his baraat. Since their entrance took place on the north side of the property, I was able to grab a great shooting location in a room overlooking the north lawn. The end result was a high-angle overview image of the baraat that was truly rare (simply because we can’t often find that kind of vantage point from which to shoot).
Versha wanted to incorporate elements of nature into her mandap, as she thought this would perfectly accent her oceanfront wedding location. To help Versha’s vision come to life, the talented Fayaz from Bloom Box Designs created a garden interior on the mandap’s ceiling, complete with greenery, roses and hanging flowers. It was a beautiful complement to the more subtle gold draping that made up the rest of the mandap. To ensure that their reception had an elegant feel, Versha and Arjun settled on a palette of creams and golds, with pops of coral. Fayaz also set up a unique front backdrop featuring a modern white couch, massive mirrors, candles galore and hanging plexiglas flower boxes.
Coordinator Nutan Shah from Elegant Events by Nutan Shah made sure that every detail was attended to so that the couple and their families could relax and enjoy an incredible evening. Their guests delighted to numerous performances by The Jewels that Raq, a troupe of dancers offering too many styles to count (belly dancing, snake dancing, knife dancing, Tango, Brazilian, etc.). The multi-tiered cake was expertly crafted by the very creative Christopher Garrens, who employed the reception palette of cream, gold and coral to create a magnificent work of cake art. No party would be complete without fantastic sound and light, which for this event was provided by Parag and the team at the always fabulous Special Occasions Los Angeles. With videography by Brian and the team at Impressive Creations, mendhi by Neha Assar, and officiant services by Shukavak Dasa. With second camera by the talented Yoshi Morimoto.
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