I first met Shephali at her friends' Pro and and Jean's wedding, which I was also fortunate enough to photograph. Not too long after that, Junior finally popped the question, and she began planning her own wedding. And, a year ago, she messaged me on Facebook to inquire about us shooting her wedding.
During our initial meeting, we immediately got a great vibe going, and obviously from the content you see here, she booked us. One of the interesting things I recall from our meeting was when she asked, "So, I know you saw that we got engaged. I'm curious why you didn't ask if we needed your services. I had so many people hit me up and asking if we needed this or that for the wedding."
I didn't really think about it before she asked, but I actually I've never went out and asked someone, "Hey, I see you're engaged. Hit me up if you need photos." I always wait until someone contacts me themselves. For one, it already shows that they're interested. And also, honestly, I'm much better at the artsy stuff than the business-y salesman stuff. I guess I've always been like this. I never asked Sasha for her number. I waited until she gave it to me herself! Don't let her tell you otherwise.
A day before their engagement shoot, I put out an "ad" on Facebook looking for an assistant. I didn't mention who the couple was, but it turned out that I got a response from their good friend, Siva. We kept it as a surprise for them until right before the shoot. I pretty much forgot that I was hired for this, because the four of us just joked all day about anything and everything. And, I mean everything, as Junior will tell you himself that he has absolutely no filter. He's legitimately one of the funniest dudes I've ever met, and it's hard to keep a straight face around him.
A few months later, the wedding at the Hanover Mariott was finally here, and it was a gorgeous affair decorated by Rangoli Weddings. Shephali and Junior's jaws almost literally dropped when they saw the mandap and the reception setup. The lovely couple was decked out in their beautiful outfits designed by the talented Deepak Lakhani and Sonia C did a fabulous job with the makeup. The coordinator, Teresa Gaspar, was phenomenal! Whenever we needed something, she got it DONE and done quickly. DJ Raj Gandhi is one of the best emcees we worked with, and he and his DJ team kept the party going until the last second.
This was definitely one of the best weddings we've ever shot aesthetically and from personal level as well. I had a number of friends as guests, and of course, I work with my closest people. Sasha De Silva and Saad Rahman did a tremendous job on the cinematography, and Yeahia Ahmed was a super, super clutch last minute addition to the team. He's a tremendous talent and I'm happy to call him one of my best friends now.
This blog post featuring this amazing couple has a little bit of everything - snow, waterfalls, smoke, teary-eyed emotions, a rowdy party, surprise performances, broken glass on the dance floor, and even a little booty grabbing. It was even shot on cameras from all three major camera brands - Canon, Nikon, and Sony. Enjoy!
