San Francisco Based Indian Wedding Videographer
Every moment of an Indian wedding is significant. From the pre-wedding rituals to the ceremony and beyond, these gestures are an homage to the rich, cultural heritage dutifully passed on from one generation to the next. This is the first lesson in Indian wedding videography.
Typically, Indian wedding videographers are chosen based on how many weddings he or she has done. After all, not many videographers can smoothly follow a groom and his horse during baraat (the groom’s procession towards the entrance of the wedding venue, symbolizing the happy acceptance of the bride by the Groom’s family). And it’s no simple feat to unobtrusively capture the ceremony taking place under the mandap (a canopied altar which symbolizes the universe and the home that the couple will build). But in an effort to prove their skill, some videographers get so caught up in how to film the specific rituals that the videos become more about showcasing the grandeur of traditional Indian weddings and less about the union of two unique people.
But for us at HMF, we take a different approach to being an Indian wedding videographer: we put the couple first.
When it’s time for the two families to meet and welcome each other with garlands (called milni), we don’t just worry about getting a good shot of the groom and the family members. Keeping in mind the couple’s story, we ask ourselves what this tradition truly means to the groom or bride’s family. Did the bride’s mother take a long time to warm up to the groom? If so, we’ll want to capture the moment that the mother and groom look at each other as she begins the welcoming ritual. By capturing that particular moment, we show that we recognize how important that moment actually was for the couple.
In the same way, when the bride’s mehndi is being drawn on her hands and feet, we don’t just worry about the intricacy of the patterns and how to show them off. We think about the bride first– is the bride close friends with the artist? If so, we’ll be sure to capture some of their time together- giggling, whispering, communicating through the eyes as only good friends can. This attention to detail is our way of honoring those who support the couple.
Our team believes in going beyond understanding the ins and outs of an Indian wedding. As dedicated storytellers true to our philosophy, we add a personal touch by remembering that all weddings, regardless of culture, always start with a couple and their story. Feel free to contact us for more info!