This was part 2 of a colorful Portland Indian wedding I photographed recently.  I photographed the Pithi Ceremony earlier in the morning, and in the evening photographed this Sagai Ceremony and Sangeet.  The following day I photographed the official wedding at Scholls Valley Lodge in Hillsboro.  It was such an amazing weekend, full of bright colors and special traditions.

A Colorful Portland Indian Wedding

The Sagai, or Ring, Ceremony was held on the evening before the wedding day.  This ceremony is essentially an engagement ceremony, and is when the couple exchange mood ring with one another.  To welcome the families together, lots of immaculately wrapped traditional gifts, sweets and fruits are exchanged.  I loved the traditional dress that the bride and groom wore.  The bride’s red, orange, and navy lehengas and saree, and the groom’s kurta pyjama were beautiful.

Afterwards, the couple and families celebrated with a dance party.  First, a few family members performed special dances for the couple.  Next, the couple performed a few dances for the guests.  Finally the dance floor opened up to all guests and the party began!  You could feel the love and excitement pulsating throughout the evening, and there was so much joy on everyone’s faces.  My personal favorite dance of the evening was the Dandiya Raas dance.  This dance is performed by pairs of dancers who hit colorfully decorated sticks together in the air.  It was beautiful to watch, and the sound of the sticks was surprisingly pleasant.  I’m unsure how everyone had such great coordination.  I think I would be terrible at it, although I do love learning any new kind of partner dance!

Vendors:

Hair & Makeup: Cristina – Cru Beauty  

DJ: Balu – DJ Bee

Their Morning Pithi Ceremony

Their Indian Wedding Day at Scholls Valley Lodge