Haldi ceremony photography

I had been looking forward to Nina and Nima’s Haldi ceremony ever since they booked me to photograph their wedding celebrations and just as I had hoped it would be, it was an absolutely fantastic day to be a part of!

The blessing and Haldi ceremony (sometimes called pithi ceremony) took place in a specially constructed marquee, which looked absolutely amazing, in Nina’s parent’s garden and was attended by Nina and Nima’s close family and friends.

I love photography ceremonies from other cultures and it was fascinating to capture this blessing.

The first part was conducted by an priest and involved a number of traditional Indian rituals. The second half, and the part which I had been looking forward to the most, involved all the wedding guests putting the Haldi (or turmeric) on to Nina and Nima in the belief that it will ward off evil spirits for the bride and groom and for a photographer, this part of the ceremony is amazing!

The Haldi ceremony is so colourful and vibrant and so much fun to photograph. The turmeric paste is put on to five places on the bride and groom; the feet, knees, hands, arm and face. It is definitely fair to say that no one held back with the amount of paste they were putting on to Nina and Nima, Nima especially was absolutely caked in turmeric by the end!

Following the Haldi ceremony everyone enjoyed the rest of day by talking, eating, drinking and dancing. The ceremony were just a few days before the actual wedding day and it was such a relaxed and happy atmosphere and the perfect way to start off all the official celebrations.

You can view my favourite photographs from Nina and Nima’s Indian wedding day here 🙂