Tonight’s  Mehndi (henna painting) was beautifully relaxed as took place within the friendly atmosphere of the bride’s in law’s home.  I was only supposed to stop-by for an hour from 9-10.00pm but in the end had such a lovely evening I stayed to beyond midnight.  Here is a taster of the art created by Aatika.

the first hand is nearly complete

the underside of both hands

intricately painted henna

upper side of the Asian bride's hands with her freshyly painted Mehndi

Mehndi artist Aatika Hughs at work

expressive mehndi hands

You can see more on our Facebook page. xx Elaine

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Arrival of the groom at The Grand Banqueting Suite

Best men arrive with flowers as gifts for the bride

Gifts for the bride - elegant shoes she will wear on the final day of the wedding celebrations

Like any wedding, Asian weddings are full of their own unique traditions.  Here the groom’s family arrives at the Grand Banqueting Suite on Huddersfield Road, bearing well-chosen gifts for the bride.  Inside the Asian wedding venue – near Dewsbury in West Yorkshire – the bride is awaiting her groom on the stage, where her family’s gift to the groom are all neatly load out.

Shiny Serving Pods at Grand Banqueting Suite

clean and tidy, all ready to receive the wedding guests

Gifts for the groom laid out on the stage

Gifts for the groom

Children swing their feet while waiting for the groom's grand entrance

I have had to be selective in the images used for this story, so as not to reveal too much as yet, until the bride has had time to see and approve her wedding images.
See more from Reel Life Photos on www.LeedsWeddingPhotographers.com  and here from another Asian wedding in Bradford.

We have just completed a 3 day Asian wedding in Dewsbury and Batley and Ravensthorpe – all popular areas for UK residents whose families originate from India and Pakistan, so many of our wedding clients are Gujarati or Urdu or Arabic speaking Muslims,  Sikhs or Hindus.

I can’t as yet show you more than a few details till the couple get back from their honeymoon in Dubai and Mauritius, as they have requested to be the first to see their wedding photos.

Shadows reflected on an opaque door as the Asian make up artist plies her craft

Putting the finishing touches to the bride’s hands.

The bride's lenga (wedding dress) is laid out ready to wear

 

All ready to go...

A soft light catches the bride's long wedding scarf showing off its rich colours

Wedding jewellery completes the outfit

Bride puts on her earrings

See more from Reel Life Photos on www.Leeds WeddingPhotographers.com , or visit our Facebook page for literally thousands of whole wedding pictures.

xx Elaine

This lovely couple live in London, but chose to hold their traditional wedding engagement session at the bride’s parent’s home near Manchester, followed by a wedding party for the women at Shahi-Qila restaurant .  They have asked me not to show certain images online but have authorised these ones that show little details from their evening ceremony and ladies party a day later. They were very creative with their own ideas too, so it was great fun!

The hem of the bride's wedding dress is just visible above the bowl of water in which she places her feet during the ceremony

Three ladies hold a rug or cloth above the bride’s head during the ceremony while the priest stands discretely outside the door along with the other menfolk.

Colourful nuts, grains and pulses are on display

Decorative candles flank the bride during the traditional ceremony

Cardamon pods, henna and honey. The bride is offered a spoon of honey by the groom and has henna symbolically applied.

platters of middle-eastern food at private wedding ceremony

Middle-Eastern rice dish sprinkled with cashew nuts, almonds and raisons

gifts for the wedding guests

At last we catch a glimpse of the beautiful bride with the groom!

See more wedding pictures on Reel Life Photos main site

and this couple’s post wedding photos

Visit Reel Life Photos main website here: http://www.reellifephotos.co.uk

or visit our Asian wedding section on this blog  or contact Elaine direct.  http://www.reellifephotos.co.uk/?p=1077

Out of respect to my bride’s wishes, am only able to add non-identifiable images from her wedding.  Many Muslims feel this way but hopefully these snippets will serve to give you a feeling of the venue and the day.  The day started with a phone call from the bride’s mother: ” You are coming today aren’t you?  You will manage  – with the snow..?”  Yes it was snowing heavily so I threw my favourite red snuggle blanket over my shoulders, just covering my lovely Asian costume (see profile pic on Facebook with that dress) and donned Winter boots.

wedding limo in the snow

Close up of Mehndi on hands

Limo arrives at the Mirage – luxurious Asian wedding venue in Bradford

Mirage

wedding at Mirage in Bradford

detail of nose ring

Mirage in a mirror

part of the three tier wedding cake

detail of the groom’s hands

detail of Asian bride and groom

Detail of Asian bride and groom while standing up

See more pictures at a recent Asian wedding in Pakistan on our Facebook Page or visit our Asian wedding page on our website.  xx Elaine

bride arrives at Al Hikmah Centre in Batley

Shareen arrives at the Al Hikmah Centre in Dewsbury

Pink and white theme for last day of Muslim wedding celebrations

beautiful bouquet and Mehndi

The newly wed couple

The Groom

Sepia portrait of the groom

the happy couple

The bride's dress ius really beautiful!

wedding reception chairs with blue bows

top table laid for Asian wedding reception

Asian wedding dress and groom's suit details

Detail of Asian wedding jewellery

Close up of beautiful Asian bride

details of facial ornamentation

Like all weddings, Asian wedding families like to give wedding presents.  Traditionally the gift of money is made public for all to see, as part of the wedding celebrations.

Traditional Asian wedding gift of money

detail of Asian wedding jewelley on bride's hand

Detail of bride's bejewelled hand on her wedding dress

general view of Asian wedding reception in Batley

family wedding photo

Both sets of parents

Close up of cutting the cake

Now they are really cutting it!

You can see more Asian wedding pictures on Reel Life Photos Asian wedding page   Our latest Asian wedding was in Pakistan, and our next one in Bradford will have the links on our site too.

Go to Reel Life Photos main website here

The wedding cars, the arrival, the grand entrance, then the constant flow of family and friends onto the  “Stage”, all perform their ritual roles, but what I like best is capturing the exquisite  details the beautiful Asian brides present.  I use the term “Asian” in the sense that it is used in the UK, to mean Muslim, Hindu or Sikh, though fully appreciate that in other parts of the world the term is more likely to refer to Chinese, Malayan, Korean, or many of the other groups in the geographical location,  simply because in the West Yorkshire area where I live (Dewsbury) , we have a  25% Muslim population, and this is the accepted meaning for Asian in our area.

Details of bride’s hands covered in intricate henna designs

traditional poses to show off hands and face

Look how elegantly she poses her henna painted hands

Bride with Mona Lisa-like enigmatic smile

Slightly more contemporary Asian bride and groom pose

Formal Asian wedding photography poses

Contact Elaine of  Reel Life Photos if you fancy having an exciting international wedding photographer who will literally travel anywhere for your wedding.  We have experience of Hindu, Sikh, Muslim weddings and various other ethnic groups such as Chinese, or various African weddings, including two in The Gambia, West Africa, and one in Nigeria.  We have even photographed a wedding in Pakistan for the brother of a former Asian bride of ours.  Would love to photograph a wedding in India too, and am always happy to travel to any  other countries as well as anywhere in the UK  if that helps make your day special.  Just LOVE weddings! xx Elaine

We also work in a modern style and can create beautiful contemporary storybook albums.  As we have to keep these private though I can’t show them here online.

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Just a couple of weeks ago Gulfaam approached me to cover his sister’s wedding – taking place this week.  He wanted someone local, but who also had experience of Asian wedding traditions.  The very first Asian wedding I ever did  around 9 years ago was a baptism of fire!  Four stretched limos, a parade through the streets, and over 2,000 guests at the Groom’s Walimah – the main reception day.

So today’s Mehndi, though I shot over 600 images in the space of 4 hours, was a real pleasure.  It helps that having met her family already, I know they are kind and friendly people, and that the bride is truly beautiful in her wedding outfit.

Smiling bride arrives with her brother

Family members pose on stage for the Mehndi at the Al-Hikmah Centre in Batley

Henna is squeezed onto a leaf on the bride's hand: the real Mehndi will be painted on later by the professional artist

Oil is rubbed onto the bride's hair by all the close family guests as part of the Mehndi ritual

Ritualistic feed of the Asian bride at her Mehndi

All the close family members file past, painting henna onto a” leaf” on the bride’s hand, then rubbing oil on her hair, feeding her an Asian  sweet, then handing over money.  The real work of art will begin later on her hands and feet, by a professional henna (Mehndi) artist.

Natural, unposed, wedding photo of gorgeous Asian bride at her Mehndi

Mehndi-hands, beautifully decorated with Henna

The venue was an old mill in Bradford, newly furbished with exciting, high specifation finishes from Dubai, so the interior totally belied the traditional Yorkshire stone exterior.  The bride and groom arrived together, via the tented entrance, as this was the reception celebration party.  Islamic culture forbids me to upload photos where the woman’s head is uncovered, but it was a happy occasion for the well-matched couple.

Wedding limo outside the Mirage on snowy day in Bradford

The Mirage - Luxurious Asian wedding venue in Bradford

Inside the Mirage: The Women's Banqueting Suite

reflections...