Jasmine and Gagan held their Sikh wedding at the Singh Sabha Gurdwara Hounslow on a bright and sunny September day. Both bride and groom had plenty of family on hand to help them prepare for their wedding and surround them with love and support – it was very much a family affair. They gave their blessings before they went off to the Gurdwara for the ceremony. Bride and groom arrived to the Gurdwara separately and Gagan’s arrival was met with much fanfare including brass instruments, drums and a brilliant white steed. The families presented each other with garlands. During the ceremony blessings were made and the union of Jasmine and Gagan was formalised and blessed.
Soon it was time to board the coaches to take the wedding party to the Intercontinental Hotel on London’s Park Lane for the reception. The hotel staff were ready to greet them with fresh fruit and chilled drinks. We got about filming various wedding guests while they enjoyed visiting and having some refreshment. The musicians were once again present to usher in the newlyweds to the reception where they could cut their wedding cake while everyone took multiple photographs of the happy couple. We thank Jasmine & Gagan for letting us share in their wedding day and we hope their video brings them many happy memories for years to come.
Sara had her beautiful wedding clothes all laid out for her Pakistani Muslim wedding to Muneer. The family home was buzzing with activity as she went about her wedding preparations. When Muneer arrived, he was showered in flower petals to welcome him. After a ceremony in the home the family enjoyed a lovely spread of food. The Mendhi – once again Sara had a helping hand for her preparations before a Rolls Royce arrived to take her to the VIP Lounge in Edgware Hertfordshire. The Lounge was decorated beautifully for their celebration where they received many blessings from family members. It’s never a true celebration without a fine meal and this was no exception to the rule with excellent catering on hand for the wedding guests. After eating, the guests enjoyed taking a spin on the dance floor.
The Walima was held at Watford’s The Grove with its splendid landscaped gardens. Once again there were some remarkable cars to convey the wedding guests to the Walima. When Muneer arrived, he was again showered in flowers and garlanded with flowers. Taking his place inside with Sara they enjoyed another feast. The Grove’s gardens were a wonderful setting for wedding photographs with Sara & Muneer looking at their best. We wish them both much wedded joy together.
For Manoj and Anupa, their Asian wedding had several components to it – so it was a pleasure for us to be invited along on the whole journey to document it for their long-term memories. For Anupa it all started with the helping hand of a make-up and hair professional to prepare her for her civil ceremony. When she was ready, a classic Rolls Royce pulled up to drive her to the wedding at Birmingham Botanical Gardens to meet up with Manoj for a large wedding ceremony. With plenty of family and friends arriving, the room was getting quite full and the anticipation was building. All eyes were on Anupa as she made her way up the aisle and she had a lovely warm smile with which to greet Manoj. As they left the Botanical Gardens, hand-in-hand and husband and wife, they were showered in flower petals and all their family snapped photographs of the happy couple. At the reception the couple cut into, and fed each other from, a lovely cake before taking to the dancefloor for a romantic first dance.
A week later they reconvened at the Shree Ram Mandir in West Midlands for a Hindu wedding ceremony. Once again Manoj and Anupa were the stars of the show beaming throughout the ceremony. We wish them much joy together and thank you both for allowing us to share in your special day.
Channi Singh is the godfather of Bhangra music in the English-speaking world, so it was a particular thrill to have him sing live at this wedding at the Intercontinental Park Lane Hotel (London). For us, it was exciting to capture his live event performance on video. The response from the audience as soon as he was announced was incredible – the cheers immediately started and the hands started to clap above their heads. As founder, lead singer, producer and director of Alaap, he has performed around the world in places like Madison Square Gardens and The Royal Albert Hall, so to be up close and personal with him at the Intercontinental was a great treat for these wedding guests.
When Channi Singh sings, he has a perpetual smile on his face. His delight in making music is palpable. Channi is not one to separate himself from his fans too as he wades out into the dancing crowd to embrace some of the guests – many of whom appear absolutely thrilled. Clearly everyone is hoping for a slice of the limelight because as Channi sings various wedding guests pop up on stage with him to be near him! He takes it all in his stride – what a pro.
Haleema and Humza chose The Fennes, in Essex as their venue for their Muslim wedding reception. With a talented make-up and hair person on hand to assist, the girls were soon ready to present themselves (and looking beautiful). Meanwhile The Fennes staff were hustling around doing the final preparations and ensuring that the marquee was all set-up and ready for their reception. Before long the guests started to pour in, eager to see Haleema and Humza. We sent a camera operator about to capture some of the venue sights, taking in the fountains and green lawns and some of the fine architectural details of The Fennes. It makes for some nice detail which we can cut into the final video. Our lovely bride made an entrance trailed by many family members all carrying red roses. She met the groom and they posed for many photographs as a family unit. With the photos complete, it was time to eat. The kitchen had been working double-time to prepare all the food and soon it was served up to the appreciative guests. The dinner conversation bubbled throughout the room and we made our way about with the camera to capture suitable footage. After dinner, it was time for Haleema and Humza to cut the wedding cake – and once again the cameras came out. They posed like pros. When the time came for them to leave, their families followed them out to the car to wish them well. Let us join in their good wishes!
Amit & Onima’s civil wedding was a family affair through and through. The groom’s family were in attendance at the family home in order to send him off with their blessings (and make sure he was in tip-top form, including placing the turban on his head). They also had a spectacularly decorated car ready to whisk him off to Syon House, in the suburbs of London, for his wedding service. The honey-coloured stone building was a great choice for their celebration and the guests all remarked on how lovely it was as they arrived. We were able to get out in the sunshine and film the guests as they arrived and made their way into the venue – but not before participating in the welcoming of the groom with drums and dancing! The groom met his bride at the altar in time to take their wedding vows. Smiling throughout, they make a gorgeous couple.
The reception took place in the stunning glass house (conservatory) behind Syon House. Flooded with daylight, it was simply brilliant. We don’t recall another wedding banquet where the guests wore sunglasses throughout! The next day, at the Chancery Court Hotel, they had a second celebration. Amit & Onima made a fantastic entrance, dressed in beautiful clothes, and once again celebrated their union. We wish them a long and happy marriage.
Shahida & Asif celebrated their Muslim wedding at the Hilton Hotel in Warwick where they were able to surround themselves with their nearest and dearest to celebrate their union as man and wife. Shahida was upstairs in the hotel getting dressed for her wedding with a few helpers to aid her with some of the trickier bits. She was in great spirits and was clearly enjoying it all. It wasn’t long before their guests started to arrive to the hotel with their children in tow. Their theme of red and white even extended to a beautiful stack of decorated cakes – white with red ribbon. Asif had a drummer and dancers to escort him into the building with all the guests trailing behind him. With everyone gathered for the Nikah, they received the wedding sermon.
After, it was time for the Walima – the celebratory feast and the Hilton staff did a great job of laying on a lovely meal. Before eating, there was a chance for us to get around with our video camera to capture all the guests. Soon enough though the food started to arrive and people were ready to tuck in. We put our camera away while people were eating. Later in the evening, when it came time for Shahida & Asif to say goodbye, there were a few tears from family members bidding the couple off to begin their married life! We wish them all the best.
Nighat and Naveed had an Asian civil wedding ceremony at the Dunkenhalgh Hotel in Lancashire on a lovely July day. But there was no time to enjoy the sun for our bride – she was busy with makeup, hair and getting dressed in her elaborate dress. Even in black & white her radiance shines through and you get a sense of her enjoyment of the process – especially with some of her girlfriends on hand. Meanwhile in room 708 the groom was busy with his own preparations with his mates there to lend moral support. The guests began to arrive and take their places in the chairs (wrapped in white and tied up with ribbons). With all the beautiful saris there was plenty of colour about the room. When the civil ceremony was completed the flash bulbs started going as all the guests made their way up to take photographs with their cameras.
There was a complete change of dress for the reception with our newly married couple making quite a grand entrance for their reception. Our newlyweds took to the dance floor and gave a very polished showing for their first married dance – our camera was able to follow them around and capture all the angles. Thank you to Nighat and Naveed for letting us be a part of their big day.
Talk about making a spectacular entrance! With the red draped staircase and an army of drummers it looked like the Oscars. It certainly made for a very grand entrance for this Sikh wedding video hosted by the Grosvenor House Hotel in London. Coming just a few days after Christmas, they needed to really offer something with the ‘wow factor’ and they sure pulled that rabbit out of the hat. Try not one, but ten Dhol drummers from Ministry of Dhol. Viewed against the star cloth in the background (with all the twinkling lights of the night time sky) these drummers started to work their magic. The group beat their beguiling rhythm while our couple walked across the room, showered in confetti the entire time. The drummers kept the beat steady – never rushing, never lagging, which is a mean feat. When the bride and groom reached the very centre of the room, they were greeted with a glass of champagne so they could drink a toast to their matrimony. All their assembled guests raised their glasses high in salute to their nuptials. Next up was cutting into the cake. The cake was actually quite small since they had cupcakes for all the guests, but it still made for a nice image as they had more confetti pouting onto them! There was a whole lot of confetti going on. They took it all in their stride and seemed to thoroughly enjoy the proceedings. We wish them all the very best.
When the announcement was made that ‘the next 15 minutes are going to blow your mind,’ did anyone really have a sense of what they were in for? ‘Signature’ – the group which first came to nation’s attention on Britain’s Got Talent – were making an appearance at an Indian wedding reception at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London. The guests quickly crowded around the floor to get a better view. What they saw was a single man, dressed like Michael Jackson in his black suit. Then he started to dance! From his moonwalk to his arm ripples, it was like watching Michael himself! The camera phones quickly came out and people tried to capture footage of what they were seeing. The bride and groom clapped along looking delighted with the events.
Signature, made up of performers Suleman Mirza and Madhu Singh, are a great double act. Turns out the announcer at the beginning soon wanted to take his turn on the dance floor! Turns out he is just as talented! The music switched from Michael Jackson to Bollywood and Madhu Singh showed how adept he is at Bollywood style of dance. The two work really well off each other and their mock competition to see who could dominate was very entertaining! If you get a chance to see Signature perform, we highly recommend them.
