Raluca & Aman - Wedding at the Hindu Society of Alberta

Raluca and Aman intended to get married last year in Romania and it was supposed to be the perfect job for me, as a Romanian photographer specialized in Indian weddings. But when Covid 19 plays wedding planner, things go differently...

Anyway, the bride starts her day with a cool playlist and with makeup artist Shana, in North Edmonton.

Mirela, Raluca's mom, is working on her speech, which should come in handy later tonight:

In the same time, Aman decides what wristwatch to wear.

Everything else is taken care by his family. Mom and dad place the turban on his head:

The sarwala is a younger brother or nephew, in this case, that acts as a protector of the groom and wears the exact same outfit:

The purpose of the varna custom is to ward off the evil eye. Parm, the groom's bhabi (brother's wife) lines his eyes with surma: 

We leave for the temple a little late, but it's okay if your ride is the traditional horse. It's actually supposed to be a white mare, but that's just details.

The car is so fast, Aman might have arrived at the Hindu Society of Alberta before he left home.

Following the government's restrictions, there are no more than ten guests allowed, but that doesn't put a damper on the excitement of the baraat, the groom's wedding party procession.

Milni is the formal introduction, where both families meet and greet with garlands, right in front of the venue.

During the ponkhwanu, Aman is welcomed inside by his new mother-in-law, who looks like she's done this her entire life. She puts tilak on his forehead:

The bride walks down the aisle with her mother in what is known as kanya agamana:

The groom is mesmerised by her in what is known as love:

As the jaimala takes place, the couple exchanges flower garlands under the first of many rose petal showers of today.

Vivaha sanskar, the Hindu wedding ceremony is underway.

Grains, fruits and flowers are used as offerings throughout the formalities.

Full of exhilaration, Mirela is using the entire supply of rose petals found in Alberta at the moment:

During kanyadaan, Raluca's mom gives away her daughter in marriage by placing her hands on Aman's hands.  

After the groom accepts his responsibility, the sacred fire is lit:

Agni, the Fire God, is the symbol of light and purity. Accepting the offerings of ghee and grains, he dispels darkness and ignorance in life.

To bring eternal love and union, Shaveta, Aman's sister, makes a knot with the scarves worn by the couple, thus joining them together in what is called simply gath bandhanam:

The lively pheras - circles around the sacred fire - bring more rose petal showers:

More jewelry: 

More rice offerings into the fire:

Saptapadi means 'seven steps' and it is considered the most important rite:

The couple takes seven steps to symbolize their journey together in life and each step comes with a vow to each other:

One of the last rituals is the mangal sutra. Aman places a gold necklace around Raluca's neck, signifying his love, integrity and respect for her:

And now, everything is official in the province of Alberta, Canada:

Time to relax for a while in the park, but not before a delicious traditional lunch.

The newlyweds return to the groom's place where they are welcomed with sweets even before going inside:

At the door, Aman's mom performs pani varna, a joyful reception of the newest couple in town:

The bride pushes over a kalash of rice, thus bringing abundance into her new home:

The griha pravesh tradition continues with Raluca dipping her feet in water containing red kumkum or vermillion powder:

This way, she leaves her footprints as she walks inside, signifying that Laxmi, the Goddess of Wealth has entered the home:

A prayer to Lord Ganesha, the remover of all obstacles, is followed by a shared glass of milk to mark the beginning of a peaceful marital life.

There are a few games that take place now. This one is so old that names were not even invented back then, so we just call it the Ring Fishing game.

Happy to be the host, Shaveta takes the rings from the couple and hides them in a bowl of milk, where the newlyweds have to find them in order to establish who's going to rule the house.

I think Raluca won, or maybe Aman... It's not an exact science, but it's a lot of fun.

We'll be back after a commercial break.

The reception takes place in the basement, which is transformed into a banquet hall for the evening.

We even have a master of ceremonies in Umang:

One last wave of flower petals covers the new husband and wife while they cut the cake:

Varun, Aman's brother, offers cake to the groom in tilak fashion, to keep up with traditions that are being invented right now:

Obviously, there are hundreds of friends and family members that couldn't be here, but many of them sent video messages to congratulate the couple, contributing to a highly emotional moment.

Mirela gets to read the speech she's been working on in the morning, which goes very well with the raised glasses:

The dance floor is taken over by the newlyweds. They must have practiced a little bit for this:

Congratulations one more time, Raluca and Aman! As they say in Romania, Casa de Piatra!

love.more.cosmin

Vendors 'n' Things:

Vivaha Sanskar (Hindu Wedding Ceremony) - Hindu Society of Alberta

Bridal Makeup - Shana Chowdhury

Decor - Puja, I Do Event Services

Mehndi - Ruby's Henna Studio

Video - Saurabh, RS Wedding Studios

Hindu Fusion Wedding Photography - Cosmin Danila

 

You like? You want? Let's talk about your wedding plans: cosmindanilaphoto@gmail.com