Capturing Weddings during the Pandemic – Adhiti & Jagan’s Intimate & Fun Filled Wedding Gala!
Foto Zone had a very unique opportunity of covering the two-day Telugu wedding ceremony of Adhiti and Jagan. Held at Somerset Greenways Hotel, this wedding was scheduled during the Pandemic in 2021, and the fact that right from the guest count to the arrangements, this wedding was not a typical function with sound, lights, people, and laughter, but more focused on the meaningfulness of the rituals, the people who were invited and most importantly about following the COVID protocols.
We as a team had much time on our hands to conceptualize and capture some very memorable pictures given that the couple was comfortable posing with each other and the wedding venue itself was endowed with scenic spots. We could play with the natural light and ambient lights to bring a few stand-out shots for pre-wedding couple photoshoots, reception photoshoots and candid wedding photoshoots.
We have focused our photos on the bride, groom, and their parents mainly, going through each ritual from day 1 evening until day 2 afternoon. Given that 60 guests were invited owing to restrictions, we could travel with the rituals and capture the essence and sincerity of each of them.
The guests were following the mandate COVID guidelines of Social Distancing, and wearing masks, and were all double vaccinated. Small packs of sanitizers and masks were kept at the reception for the use of the guests. As an auspicious start to the festivities, the couple and their parents kept their heartfelt prayers at the Sri Ganapathy Temple right opposite the venue and entered.
Mappillai Azhaippu had the two families enter the venue in the first attire of their engagement. Here’s a poignant picture of the fathers holding hands with the bride and groom while the mothers bond over some small talk.
Our team did a quick recce of the venue and chose some scenic spots that had lots of natural lighting and the function was in the evening, we wanted to make the best use of the golden hour lighting. We snuck the couple out to these shots to capture their candid couple photoshoot.
The main function of the evening was the engagement where the bride was seen wearing a resplendent bridal lehenga and the groom was wearing a Sherwani complete with turban and aesthetic jewels.
The hotel staff was amply masked and seen serving food to the guests. We made it a point to capture this to document how much safety was given importance by the venue.
We captured some grand photos before they stepped into the hall for the function and those were some of the freshest faces.
The groom even had a matching embroidered mask stitched, which elevated the look in a much more stylish manner!
The next day dawned bright and the bride was ready on time. The bridal glow simply had to be captured and we could take the choicest bridal photography in all her wedding finery.
The groom is set on his Kasi Yatra, following the Telugu Wedding ritual where the bride’s parents promise their daughter’s hand in marriage to the groom. An important moment of the wedding with both side parents and very close relatives are captured here.
What followed was nothing short of a dream wedding which was very simple, yet very momentous for the families that were gathered to witness the wedding. The whole wedding was a culmination of the collected wishes and blessings that were amply showered on the couple.
To capture the couple’s post-wedding photoshoot, we took them out to the best spots that had natural daylight, and executed some illuminated candid wedding photographs.
The hotel staff extended all their support to ensure a hassle-free and memorable wedding and the couple insisted on taking a group picture with the entire crew. Conducting a wedding during the pandemic surely poses a lot of challenges and at Foto Zone, we made the best use of the situation to change the narrative and capture the often not seen moments in a wedding during normal times.
