114. Archana and Rakesh

I met Archana at more than one wedding where I was shooting and she was the bride’s best friend in all of them. I think she booked me as soon as she got engaged. It was obvious that I’d be shooting her wedding. I’m glad I did!  :)

She first told me that it’s an ‘Arranged Marriage’, but after shooting the wedding, I beg to differ. It’s like as if they know each other for many years. They are so Adorable! You’ll see as you browse this post. Archana told me that Rakesh is very camera shy, but I thought he was pretty chilled out in front of the camera.

Here’s an interesting story, Rakesh was born in Libya, Africa. Grew up in Hyderabad and now settled in San Diego. Yes, I know, you might me wondering, how did this all happen?! That’s exactly what even I was thinking. Well, apparently the fathers of the bride and groom were colleagues long ago. I think it was written in the ‘stars’ that they were meant to meet. Archana, keeps mentioning that (believe me, many many times) Rakesh is a ‘Gem of a guy’. How sweet! :D

The wedding was at Sri Ram Convention Hall on Serpentine Road, Bangalore. It was a pretty modern version of an Iyengar wedding. :)

For me, I was looking forward to shooting this wedding for one other reason. Akash Khairate was my second shooter, the ‘Y’ chromosome of ‘CreativeCouple’ wedding photographers. Was awesome fun shooting the wedding with him. :)

Here’s a picture of the family waiting to welcome the groom. The battalion arrives. :) I’m very proud of this picture. You can see the groom getting out of the car and also the bride’s parents in the windows’ reflections and also the bride’s sister. (A not so modest Pat on the back!) :P Perfect picture to set the stage for this photo story. Voila! Meet the bride! Yup. She has a very infectious smile! :) Rakesh was all set for his Kasiyatra. It’s nice to see the bride’s name mentioned first. Subtle things mean a lot. Showered with petals. Trying to convince the priest that he is going straight to San Diego from Kasi. :P Archana’s dad not letting him go anywhere until he marries his daughter. That one foot on the swing. I knew something fishy was happening behind that Antharapata.  :P Archana wanted to trick Rakesh by standing on the swing. Instead of pulling the Antharapata down, it was let free and the entire action happened underneath the cloth. First time ever :P Anyway, you know who won the challenge. Hint: The person who is gesturing that the task was finished long before.  :) They were both welcomed into the hall together, escorted by their respective in-laws. Kanya-dhanam was a very ‘we-shall-look-into-each-other’s-eyes’ affair. :) And then it was time for the bride to get into her main saree for the mangalya-dharnam. (How did that lip-stick mark get on the wall?) I wonder what’s going on in her head at that moment. Fantastic shot Akash! Imagine the Nada swara team playing the main tune for the day. And then claps, whistles, woohoos all around. Showers of blessings from everywhere. Yup. That’s the best way I can describe that moment. :) She was so emotional. Never thought Archana would get so emotional. :P Rakesh was very gentle while putting the toe-rings. Good job buddy. Kid: Hey! What is happening here? :P They were introduced to the legend of Arundathi and Vashishtha Nakshatras. I’m always intrigued by that story. They would just not let go of each other. ‘Arranged Marriage’ they said… hard to believe right! :) Archana and Rakesh. Congratulations and wish you the best in life wherever you are!

It was fun documenting your wedding. Thank you for choosing CuspConcepts!

Hope you like the pictures. :)