new york wedding photography ~ mita and brendan’s wedding

Mita is of Indian heritage and Brendan is Irish, through and through. Mita is of Hindu faith and Brendan, is Roman Catholic. Weddings whether done in a church or synagogue are considered sacred and sanctified rituals. Indian weddings are no different. The great thing about this wedding was that they decided to combine both of their heritages to make their wedding a multi-cultural extravaganza and also their very own. It was full of not only fun, but so much color. From the Indian sari’s the girls wore, to the flowers, to the Indian food with its curries, to the golden jewelry and all the little touches in between. Brendan came from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Mita was born and raised in Islip, New York, a small town on Long Island. After graduating and working in the Boston area, a mutual friend introduced them. While they were living in Tarrytown, New York, Brendan brought Mita to a Red Sox game at Fenway Park in Boston for the weekend. Unbeknownst to Mita, Brendan had a plan. During the game, his proposal came up on the scoreboard, and they were engaged! Mita told me it had been a wonderful day and one she will never forget, and it marked the beginning of their future together.

We met Mita at her home where she was busy preparing for the first part of their wonderful wedding day. She was going to have many clothing changes. First up, was a traditional, white, satin wedding gown.

Hindu weddings are long, ritualistic and elaborate affairs with lots of pre-wedding, wedding, and post wedding rituals. The occasion of Mehendi is one of the most important pre-wedding rituals. It is a fun-filled ritual, which is celebrated mainly by the bride’s family. Different regions of India celebrate the ritual in different ways according to their own marriage customs, rituals, and culture. The celebrations also depend on the wealth and status of the family. The bride’s family celebrates by throwing the bride a Mehendi party for the bride’s friends and relatives and as a blessing for the bride, as well as, for just amusement.

The ceremony is usually held at the bride’s parent’s home or sometimes in a banquet hall on the eve of the marriage ceremony or it can be held a few days before the marriage. Mita said hers was held on Thursday as the wedding was on Saturday and they needed to keep Friday open for their rehearsal and dinner held at the Beachtree Cafe in East Islip right next door to St. Mary’s/ On this occasion, a professional henna designer or even some relatives, apply mehendi (the brownish, red colored dye) to the bride’s hands and feet. There are few places in India where it is a ritual that the first motif of henna or mehendi is applied by the bride’s sister-in-law whereas there are some places where the first mehendi motif is said to be only done by the bride’s mother.

The Mehendi or henna motif is not only the adoration of the bride rather it epitomizes her transformation from a virgin to a temptress for her husband. As per Kama Sutra, henna is one of the sixty four arts of women. Popular motifs of the bridal mehendi are conchshell, flowers, Kalash, peacock, doli and baraat patterns. The intricate motifs of the bridal henna also hide the husband’s name. It is said that the husband’s name should be hidden in the intricate henna motifs and are made for the groom who has to find his name in his bride’s mehendi as an evidence of his sharp eyes and active brain to impress his girl. I love customs such as this, it really personalizes a couple’s day.

Mita and her crazy girlfriends….

Just a a little bit of nerves before leaving for the church…

I just love this photo of Mita right before the limo drives off to St. Mary’s Church in East Islip. She just looks so happy…

Mita and her mom as they enter St. Mary’s and all their awaiting guests.

First our ring bearer as he was totally unaware of my presence…

and then exactly what he thought of me taking his photo! Gotta love kids, they seriously make my day!

Our little flower girl contemplating her “big” walk down the aisle minutes before she is set to go.

Working the crowd!

Mita and her mom, wait anxiously in the back of the church for the music to change which will signal her time to meet her groom, Brendan.

Brendan receiving his ring, is all smiles.

Some of our gorgeous guests outside the church following the ceremony…

After the Catholic ceremony honoring Brendan and his faith, we left with the wedding party and went to the Bayard Cutting Arboretum to take some pics.

Brendan’s brother, our best man, was quite the prankster…here he is unscrewing Brendan’s head, LOL.

It was cold, but the colors just popped and they were troopers!

Then we came back to the Wyndham Wind Watch Hotel up in Hauppauge for their reception and the Hindu ceremony celebrating Mita’s heritage. Here is Mita changing into one of two colorful sari’s and all the fabulous gold jewelery which gets handed down through the families. There are many rituals here as well. One is that the bride wears red on the day of her wedding because red symbolizes happiness. Another reason why red is worn is because it is bright. No one else wears red that day except the Bride. Covering her head during a wedding is a mark of respect to the deities worshipped and the elders present. The ghunghat, which is equivalent to the veil of the Christian bride, is worn by the bride. It may vary in length, covering not only the head but the shoulders, back and almost down to the waistline.

Mangalasutra (Thread of Goodwill)
A necklace worn specifically by married women as a symbol of their marriage.

Fancy feet….

Close up of the Mehendi….

The bridesmaids wore various color lengas, the groomsmen kept on their tuxedos.

The groom may don a white brocaded suit called a sherwani like the one Brendan wore below. Brendan receiving spices and rose petals…

The Indian culture celebrates marriage as a sacrament, a rite enabling two individuals to start their journey in life together. In a Hindu wedding, the multiplicity of creation becomes possible when the spirit unites with matter. The Hindu wedding lays emphasis on three essential values: happiness, harmony, and growth.

Jaimala (Exchange of Garlands)
The couple exchanges garlands as a gesture of acceptance of one another and a pledge to respect one another as partners.

Gath Bandhan (Tying of the Nuptial Knot)
Mita wearing the pink chiffon scarf. The scarves are placed around the bride and groom and are tied together symbolizing their eternal bond. This signifies their pledge before God to love each other and remain faithful.

Rajaham (Sacrifice to the Sacred Fire)
The bride places both her hands into the groom’s. Together the bride and groom offer the rice as a sacrifice into the fire.

Havan (Lighting of the Sacred Fire)
The couple invokes Agni, the god of fire, to witness their commitment to each other. Crushed sandalwood, herbs, sugar rice and oil are offered to the ceremonial fire.

Mangalphera (Walk Around the Fire)
The couple makes four Mangalpheras around the fire in a clockwise direction representing four goals in life: Dharma, religious and moral duties; Artha, prosperity; Kama, earthly pleasures; Moksha, spiritual salvation and liberation. The bride leads the Pheras first, signifying her determination to stand first beside her husband in all happiness and sorrow.

Saptapardi (Seven Steps Together)
The bride and groom walk seven steps together to signify the beginning of their journey through life together. Each step represents a marital vow:

First step: To respect and honor each other

Second step: To share each other’s joy and sorrow

Third step: To trust and be loyal to each other

Fourth step: To cultivate appreciation for knowledge, values, sacrifice and service

Fifth step: To reconfirm their vow of purity, love family duties and spiritual growth

Sixth step: To follow principles of Dharma (righteousness)

Seventh step: To nurture an eternal bond of friendship and love