I usually post a few of my favorite images, then I’ll put a slideshow on the bottom with all of the highlights.  With Holly’s and Vinay’s wedding, I’m going to break from that tradition and just put up the slideshow.  There’s no way I could pick 20-30 favorite shots and tell the story of the day accurately.  If you know Holly and Vinay, you’ll enjoy seeing the story come to life in pictures.  If you don’t know the couple, but visit my blog regularly, I think you’ll love seeing what happened when I, Betsy, and Magnus were turned loose with our cameras to document our very first Indian wedding.  We had an absolute blast.

Do me a favor?  If you’re one of Holly’s and Vinay’s friends or family, please go HERE first and preregister to see ALL of their wedding images.  There are thousands….seriously.  I’ll have them up on the proofing site in the next week or so.  If you’re registered already, you’ll receive an email notification once they’re ready….and a gift credit toward purchases.  From there you’ll be able to look through all the shots and order some prints, etc.  Thanks!

Now for the slideshow….It is the biggest one I’ve ever put together.  You’re going to want to click play, then immediately pause it for a few minutes and let the show pre-load first before unpausing it.  Trust me, it will help the show run more smoothly.  When you’re finished, please leave a comment below and hook up with me on Facebook and Twitter.  I want to hear what you think!

To Holly and Vinay—Thank you for including me in this part of your lives.  You could’ve hired ANYBODY.  I’m sooooo stoked you picked me.  I loved being around you all, your friends and families.  Everyone was so warm and happy.  I’ll never forget it!

Last, but not least, give it up for the vendors!

VENUE

The Lexington Center

Contact:  Natasha Stamper

Phone:  859-233-4567 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              859-233-4567      end_of_the_skype_highlighting ext 3224

http://www.lexingtoncenter.com

Wedding Decor

Weddings Instyle

Contact:  Sima Patel

Phone:  513-307-4162

http://www.weddingsinstyle.net

Videography

Cineline Productions

Contact:  Matt Perry

Phone:  859-420-7024

http://www.cinelineproductions.com

Cake:

Tinker’s Cake Shop

Phone:  859-224-0639

http://www.tinkerscakeshop.com

Hyatt

Contact:  Amanda Sharp  (Sales)

Phone:  859-519-4136

Make-up

Contact:  Kayla Purkey

MAC cosmetics

Hairstylist

Contact:  Kinnari Shah

Phone:  859-533-9773

Catering

Punkaj Patel (Alabama)

Masala “Sunny”

Ramesh Patel

Horse

Contact:  Pendleton Farms

859-497-1716

D.J.

Raaz Entertainment

Contact:  Jay Rana

Phone:  732-397-1925

www.raazlive.com

I’m really excited to share these images from Holly’s and Vinay’s Indian Wedding.  This might be the first time that I’ve ever had to split up a wedding into two blog posts.  There are just too many cool shots that I want to share.  We shot for three days.  What you’re looking at now in this blog post are the shots from the pre-wedding ceremonies and celebrations– the Haldi ceremony and Ganesh Puja (at Holly’s parents’ house in Lexington on Thursday) and the Grah Shanti and the Mehndi Sangeet (at the Lexington Center on Friday).

Shooting this wedding was a photographer’s dream-come-true.  Everywhere I turned, there was beauty.  Uninhibited emotion, sacred rituals, warm people, over-the-top decor.  Sensory overload!  I loved it!

I’ve put a few of my favorites below, but I really want you to check out the slideshow.  There are plenty more images in there that best tell the story of those two days leading up to the wedding.

And be sure to check back in a couple of days.  I’ll be posting the images from the actual wedding day.  This is just the beginning!

The Haldi ceremony:

Holly’s and Vinay’s grandmothers were holding hands during much of this ceremony. So sweet.

During the Haldi ceremony, a turmeric paste is applied (quite generously this time) to the bride.  It’s supposed to give the bride glowing skin on the day of the wedding.  It worked, because Holly was gorgeous!

One of my favorite shots of Holly’s mother.

Once Holly had cleaned up from the Haldi, she and her parents took part in the Ganesh Puja ceremony.  Ganesh is the Hindu god known as the “remover of obstacles.”

Friday, we were at The Lexington Center (connected to the Hyatt Regency) for the Grah Shanti ceremony.

A cold refreshment is given to the guests during the ceremony.  What a great tradition.

Holly and her bridesmaids.

OMG.  Stunning, right?

The whole crew.

The fellas.

After the Grah Shanti, we moved to an adjoining section of the Lexington Center that had been setup for the Mehndi Sangeet.  It’s the big celebration preceding the actual wedding day.  It’s a great time for both families to meet, enjoy good food, dance, and have Mehndi artists apply henna to the hands of the women.

Funny story?  After I took this next picture, I thought, “Man, that particular dish looks awesome.  Must be an entree of some sort.  I have no idea what it is, but I’m going to make sure to get a large helping of it when I go through the buffet line.”  For those more familiar with Indian cuisine, you can imagine my shock after eating that large helping of pickle.

Holly with her bro Victor.

One of my favorite shots ever.

Holly and Vinay enjoying a dance performance put on by one of their family members.

These guys know how to dance.

Magnus grabbed this shot.  Pretty cool, eh?

Before you watch the slideshow, please go ahead and preregister HERE to see all of the images.  Once they’re released to the public view, you’ll be notified by email so that you can look through them and purchase prints.

And here’s the slideshow with almost 200 images!  Depending on your internet connection, it might take a few extra seconds to load.  It’s worth the wait!  Enjoy, and be sure to check back soon for the actual wedding day post. In the meantime, leave a comment below and connect with me through Facebook and Twitter.  Thanks! -shaun

I’m a simple guy really.  I love my family.  I love people.  I love business.  This post brings together all three of my loves.  That excites me.

Katie and I work really hard to always make sure that Carson has new experiences and opportunities for personal growth.  Of all of the classes and groups that we’ve been a part of with Carson, he has been the most interested toward the Kids Yoga class at Bliss Wellness Center.

Katie took Carson the first couple times, and she would come home telling me about the incredible instructor Kara, who would take Carson’s interests (dinosaurs, animals) and develop around them playful, imaginative yoga.  I just had to meet her and see what this was all about.  Of course, I brought my camera, too.

I was shocked by how well Carson did.  He can really rock some poses!  Most impressive, though, was the genuine warmth that Kara exudes.  She has the ability to bring fun and peace to a room.  Like a super-hero.  So cool.

Bliss Wellness isn’t just about kids yoga, though.  They offer a variety of services–yoga, pilates, massage, reflexology, reiki, meditation, acupuncture and Chinese herbs, Phoenix Rising yoga therapy, life coaching, and counseling.

I’m passionate about my businesses, and I can’t help but want to cheer-lead for other people who are fervently pursuing their own.  So after you check out these shots from Carson’s yoga class, I really want to encourage you to check out Bliss Wellness Center.  You’ll be so happy you did!