We are so excited to introduce Braja Mandala on the Wedding Paper Divas blog. She is a talented wedding photographer extraordinaire most known for her work with extravagant South Asian weddings.
Braja is a highly sought after photographer for Indian weddings because of the connection she shares with the culture and her unique ability to capture the emotion behind the memorable stories and scenes from each occasion surrounding the ceremony itself. Having practiced and being a follower herself of Hindu traditions for more than 15 years, this week we learn about Indian Wedding Traditions particularly for Hindu weddings from Braja Mandala.
She likes to connect personally with her clients and fuse the traditional Indian elements with the more contemporary elements the bride and groom seek to incorporate into the weddings so the photos become a true expression of the bride and groom. In doing so, she is redefining tradition. We will learn more from Braja Mandala as she highlights the importance of understanding and knowing the deep meanings behind the wedding ceremonies of South Asian weddings.
1. What inspired you to become a wedding photographer and specialize in South Asian Weddings?
LOVE. It is the driving force behind my wedding photography. I feel very fortunate to be doing what I love.
I was born and raised in a a small beach town in Southern California, I spent my Summers as a kid swimming in the ocean and camping with my grandparents. From early in my teenage years I wanted two things in life, to be a photographer and to learn about the Hindu faith. The day after I graduated from high school I committed five years of my life to studying the Hindu religion. I traveled to India twice, although I must admit the first time I went to India at the age of 20 I was in complete culture shock, but after being there for a few days I grew to love India. I’ve been in love with the Hindu faith, the people of India and the traditions ever since.
After my five years of study were completed I still had one more passion that I had not fulfilled and that was photography. I studied under other photographers for a several years until I felt confident to branch out and start my own photography business. My roots in the Hindu religion was the deciding factor to specialize in South Asian Weddings . Understanding the traditions and meaning behind the ceremonies is a major asset to getting the best images for my clients.
2. In Hindu weddings, we have seen images of turmeric paste being smeared all over the bride & groom, can you tell us about the significance of this ritual?
Being made mostly from tumeric this is what gives the haldi paste its yellow color. Haldi is applied the morning of the wedding or the day before the wedding. Traditionally the haldi is done at separate locations, one location being for the bride and the second location being for the groom to be. But depending on the families the haldi can be done together. Both the bride and the groom have the haldi applied on their hands, feet, legs, arms, face, basically any part of their body that is not covered by clothing. The haldi can be a really fun, light hearted ceremony as many of the guests applying the haldi have fun smearing it all over the bride or groom to be. Once one person gets going with smearing the haldi all over the bride and groom then everyone else follows their lead and start getting huge clumps of haldi to smear all over the bride and groom.
Once everyone is done applying or smearing the haldi on the bride and groom, the haldi is then washed off. Because of the yellow color the haldi leaves the bride and groom with glowing skin for their wedding day.
3. What is the significance behind the intricate henna designs the women have on their hands during Indian weddings?
Henna is applied as a wet paste and can take anywhere from 1-5 hours to dry. After your henna dries you have to scrape off the dry paste and your design is revealed. Your henna design can last anywhere from 1-3 weeks and will be a dark red color. Lemon juice is applied to the henna while it is still wet on the skin to help the henna have a deeper red color.
The funnest thing about a bride-to-be getting henna is that the henna artist hides the grooms name inside the henna design. On the wedding night the groom is supposed to find his name in her henna designed hands. If he can not find his name in the henna, then the bride is said to have the upper hand in the marriage.
4. Indian weddings can last for days can you tell me what are some of the pre wedding events in an Indian wedding?
A Sangeet is more or less a big party thrown the night before the wedding day. Usually all of the guests who are attending the wedding are invited to the Sangeet. Because of the large amount of guests attending a Sangeet it is usually held in a ballroom of a hotel.
Most families take pride in throwing a lavish Sangeet for their son or daughter. Guests are welcomed with drinks and appetizers and there are many times ladies who will apply henna to your hands. It is a good way for people to interact with each other and have some kind of activity to do during the cocktail hour. Don’t shy away from that gorgeous outfit hanging in your closet, come dressed in your finest lehenga or sari because not only do the bride and groom wear a stunning outfit to their Sangeet so do all of the guests (the more sparkles and embellishment the better).
Music is a huge part of a Sangeet. Many times cousins of the bride and groom put on singing and dancing performances. Anything from a live band to a Punjabi DJ are spotted at Sangeets. Along with rockin’ music comes dancing. And boy do Indians LOVE to dance. So strap on those dancing shoes and get ready to party the night away.
Along with music and dancing and henna the Sangeet night is a great way to meet family and friends of the bride and groom and toast to their new life together.
5. Can you explain to us the significance of the groom’s grand entrance (a Baraat) on his wedding day?
A baraat is a huge, I mean huge parade of friends and family of the groom dancing and singing their way to the ceremony site. This is the groom’s chance to make his grand entrance. I have seen a groom enter on an elephant, a horse and even a Ferrari. A baraat lasts between 30 minutes to 1 hour. During this time all friends and family members dance around the groom whom is traditionally carried on a horse or elephant. There is usually a DJ and a dhol player who accompany the friends and family. About half way thru the procession the groom gets off his elephant or horse and joins in on the signing and dancing. When the groom joins all of his friends and family members this is when the real fun starts to happen. The crowd goes wild and forms a circle around the groom while he dances to the ceremony site to see his bride-to-be.
6. What is the meaning of the Vidai ceremony that takes place after the wedding?
After the rituals of the wedding ceremony are performed the vidai, or saying “goodbye” takes place.
Back in the day, women lived with their family until they got married. Their wedding day would be the first time the woman would leave the protection of her family. After the wedding the groom and his family members would go to the home of the bride to bring the bride to live at their home.
Depending on families traditions today the vidai is most of the time located near the ceremony site and seldom at their homes. After saying goodbye to her parents the bride and groom are driven away in a car to the reception. The vidai is a very emotional ceremony, with tears from not only the bride but her parents and siblings as well. I love to see all of the emotion and love between the families during the vidai ceremony.
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