Red, White & Love – Part II: the colors of an Indian Wedding

Indian Wedding in the Tuscan Countryside

More Weddings & Couple Shootings in Tuscany:

Destination Wedding Photographer Tuscany / A stunning Indian Wedding in the Tuscan Countryside

Here we go for the second part of this stunning wedding!

Becki and Divesh had a two-days wedding – on the first day, they got married in a beautiful Protestant Ceremony in the American Church of Florence.
Then, they had a stunning Indian Wedding in Villa Catureglio, a gorgeous venue in the Tuscan countryside.

I’m in love, and I’m sure you will love it too!

I’m in love with Indian Weddings!

After the gorgeous Protestant ceremony and the Henna party, it was up time for the big Indian Wedding!

My day started with Divesh and his friends, as they were all wearing their Sherwani. I really loved that all their wedding guests, no matter their culture, wore Sherwani (the typical male Indian suit) and Sari (the female one) on the wedding day. It was so beautiful to watch!

While the guests enjoyed a light Indian lunch (it was delicious!) I went to Becki’s room to photograph her getting ready. The Indian dressing up ceremony is stunning to watch: the Sari is adjusted on the woman’s body and basically built upon her. The groom’s aunts put her Sari on: it was a lovely and emotional moment. The beautiful hair and makeup, plus the wedding mehndi (the henna drawing on her hands and feet) made her look incredibly beautiful, and the red sari looked perfect on her. 

Before the ceremony, it was time for the Baarat – the traditional procession of the groom, together with his friends and relatives, up to the wedding location. 

Divesh’s wasn’t my first Baarat – do you remember Sogol and Jad’s Persian-Lebanese Wedding in Lake Como? – but it was overly exciting nevertheless, and I absolutely loved the use of smoke bombs along with it, they just looked incredible!

From the moment Divesh walked – barefoot, of course! – under the wedding Mandap, the ceremony began. 

After the blessing of the groom, Divesh had to seat behind the Antarpat (a decorated silk cloth) while Becki was walking the aisle with her brothers. 

Becki received a blessing from the priest, too: then, the antarpat was lowered and they could see each other in their wedding dresses for the first time. 

Many ceremonies and special moments take place during an Indian wedding, but the most emotional to me was the one called Mangal Phera. In that ritual, the bride and groom – whose dresses have been knot together – walk four times around the sacred fire. The groom leads the way the first three rounds, while the bride leads on the last one. The four walks symbolize the four Vedic inspirations in life: Dharma (the pursuit of one’s moral duties), Arthma (prosperity), Kama (passions), and finally Moksha (spirituality). 

After that, in another incredibly powerful moment, the bride and groom walk together the Saptapadi, the Seven Steps, praying for the blessing of God. After the Seven Steps, they are officially proclaimed husband and wife. 

After this beautiful, emotional Indian Wedding ceremony, we had a couple-portrait session – and then they all got ready for a gorgeous, black-tie party!

If you missed the Part I of this wedding, check it out by clicking on the photo below!

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