Nikkah Ceremony, Shipley
Majesty, Marriage, Mendhi’s and Magic – At York Place Weddings we photograph all kinds of amazing weddings from the smallest family civil ceremonies to the most elaborate receptions for hundreds of guests. From the most elegant event to the most raucous party we’ve seen it all, but few ceremonies can match the spectacle, colour, scale and tradition of the Indian and Pakistani wedding.
In June 2010 we were invited to photograph the wedding of Kamar and Sairah taking place over three days between the Ramada Jarvis Hotel Bingley, Oulton Hall Leeds and the Craigland Hotel Ilkley. It was a fantastic and truly memorable (if a little tiring!) event for an amazing couple and we were made to feel incredibly welcome and right at home by the entire family. It’s no surprise then that we were over the moon when Kamar’s younger sister asked us to photograph her magical wedding earlier this year, this time taking place at our bride’s gorgeous home in Shipley and at the appropriately named Majestic Hotel in Harrogate.
Part one of the wedding was the Nikkah ceremony. With the ceremony taking place in such familiar surroundings the event was filled with heightened emotion and a very personal history for our bride and her family. We found our beautiful bride in her room applying the finishing touches to her hair and makeup amongst a sea of photographs; personal images that told the story of her relationship with her husband to be thus far.
As the men and women congregated in separate rooms, the bride, veiled and beautifully adorned, waited nervously as downstairs the ceremony began in earnest.
Following two separate but equally emotional ceremonies, the bride and groom finally came together as their loved ones clambered to be the first to hug and congratulate the happy couple.
The raw heartfelt emotion of the day was as humbling as it was joyous. As the day wore on the fantastic food and drinks did little to dampen the energy in the room, and it was clear that the next week’s Mendhi celebrations would be something spectacular.
Watch this space to see the images from part 2 of this amazing wedding as we moved to the Majestic Hotel, Harrogate for a magnificent Mendhi celebration!