Traditional Gujarati Haldi, Pithi, Mehndi & Sangeet – Austin, TX

Gujarati weddings, like Marwari and other traditional Indian weddings last well over 2-3 days and each day is packed with ceremonies and rituals that date back centuries! Pragati and Anant’s wedding started with Haldi or Pithi, where family members apply “haldi” (turmeric paste) on the bride and groom to cleanse, purify and prepare them for holy matrimony. These two ceremonies were followed by Mosaru – Gujarati traditional meeting and greeting of the maternal families from both sides. This ceremony is very emotional and has some very tender moments. As wedding photographers, we want to capture all the special moments, but we don’t want to be intrusive either. We use tele-photo lenses for such moments, where we can capture these candid and very personal moments in great detail, without being intrusive and interfering with the ceremonies and emotions. The family members bring gifts for the bride as well and the bride’s aunts pack those gifts in bags as a ceremonial send-off for the bride. These festivities and ceremonies were followed by the mehndi or henna ceremony in the evening and a fun filled night of songs, dancing and shenanigans, called Sangeet. We’ll be back soon with photos from their traditional gujarati wedding and reception.