When Neha + Dan invited us up to Auckland to photograph their pre-wedding ceremonies we were absolutely over the moon! Haldi, Mehndi and Sangeet are all Indian traditions that take place before a wedding and it was a wonderfully colourful time of celebration for our happy couple. New Zealand born Neha really embraced her families Fijian Indian culture (hailing from Fiji and Gujarat on the west coast of India) and although of a completely different faith to his future wife, Dan was well up for taking part in the rituals too. Their Hindu/Christian fusion of pre-wedding celebrations and blessings took place at Neha’s family home beneath a fabulous white marque scattered with pink cushions and lanterns.

Raj Tent Club NZ provided the marque, wooden couches, colourful cushions and golden poufs and this combination of Indian wedding hire items made for a truly breathtaking back yard wedding set up!

We arrived first thing in the morning in to document the full day from Neha’s family prepping lots of different ingredients for the priest to use during the blessings and stayed right the way through until party time in the evening to make sure we captured everything perfectly.

Neha + Dan’s super cute pup Obi was also suitably dressed for the occasion and even had as many outfit changes as his mum and dad.

Part of documenting wedding ceremonies is to make sure all the little details are captured. We found visually that hands played a big part of Haldi, Mehndi and Sangeet. From carrying rice back and forth from the house in procession to praying with the priest, carrying fire and smearing turmeric all over the faces of our bride and groom. Hands down, hands quickly became our focus.

The Haldi ceremony is a holy bath which is just one of the famous pre-wedding ceremonies in India. Turmeric (haldi), oil and water are applied to both the bride and groom by married women in advance of the wedding day. In some families, turmeric is mixed with sandalwood powder and milk while in others, it is mixed with rose water. The sacred mixture is believed to protect and bless the couple and is also well known to have properties that literally leave the skin glowing! The auspiciousness of this bright yellow paste is said to bring prosperity and good luck to the couple as they start off their new life together.

Haldi holds an important place in Indian traditions because it also purifies and cleanses the body. After the Haldi ceremony, when the bright yellow paste is rinsed off, it helps to detoxify the skin. It is an excellent exfoliant! Apart from its beautification properties, Haldi is also known to alleviate some of the nervousness that the bride and the groom might feel before their wedding day. It used to be that only the bride underwent the Haldi Ceremony and it acted as a sort of ‘spa day’ before she got ready for her wedding. These days, grooms are also invited to take part and our main man Dan totally embraced it! As documentary wedding photographers we live to snap precious moments like these and we felt really honoured to be a part of this incredibly special day.

Embracing it…

After Haldi and in advance of Mehndi and Sangeet it was time for a power shower and an outfit change. Our couple’s 2nd outfit for the day was from Kaysons - Neha + Dan’s one stop shop in Auckland as they’re specialists in quality designer Indian apparel. We loved doing a few traditional wedding portraits with our bride and groom to show off their amazing red and gold threads. Even puppy Obi had his own taylored suit!

Henna by Pallavi arrived to start Neha’s pre-wedding henna. Mehndi artist Pallavi Vazirami is next level talent. How she doesn’t smudge her delicate work is beyond us! Neha + Dan also hired a 2nd Mehndi artist to do henna for any guests that wanted it… of course Andie couldn’t resist and opted for a floral design on the back of her hand. Which of course she smudged while taking photos haha.

Our bride, Neha had to remain super still while Pallavi worked away on her arm design and she surrounded herself with good friends and family for company who couldn’t resist taking a few snaps of the artwork in progress.

Mehndi is a pre-wedding event where, traditionally, the bride and many of her loved ones will have henna applied to their hands in intricate patterns. Traditionally, the mehndi party is hosted by the bride's parents and may include special choreographed dances to keep everyone entertained as the mehndi application can take a long time.

Did you know that henna has properties that help to regulate body temperature? The cooling effect it creates on a bride's hands and feet are said to help relieve stress and headaches.

Sangeet is like a Bachelorette Party the whole family is invited to with lots of dancing and singing along to traditional/Bollywood music. Richa Chandra and her dance group provided loads of entertainment for everyone while Neha had to sit incredibly still while having her henna done. Everyone had a fab time and the dancers were so good!

As Neha’s henna was being completed her family danced under the fairy lights and partied well into the night!

We, along with Neha + Dan encourage all couples with varying cultures and/or religious differences to embrace, respect and celebrate each other and enjoy the vibrance of traditional rituals and celebrations. We had the best day with these guys and it was a huge privilege to capture this super colourful day filled with so many precious moments for them both and their lovely family.

Neha + Dan: “Outstanding photographers! Both Robin + Andie were very pleasant to work with as they displayed clear dedication to capturing those special moments. The pictures are absolutely stunning! My wife and I are so grateful to Robin + Andie. Thanks guys!!

Indian Wedding Photographers: Robin + Andie

• Indian wedding designer outfits: Kaysons https://kaysons.co.nz/

• Hair + Make up: Revive Naturally by Avisha Khatri https://www.facebook.com/ReviveNaturally/

• Mehndi: Henna by Pallavi by Pallavi Vazirani https://www.facebook.com/hennabypallavi

• Caterer: Biryaniwala https://www.biryaniwala.co.nz/

• Wedding Planner: Stylez NZ by Lucky Saini https://www.facebook.com/styleznz/

• Hire: Raj Tent Club NZ https://www.rajtentclubnz.com/

• Bollywood Dancers: Richa Chandra https://www.facebook.com/RichaChandra.co