Hihi Maury and Jennifer! Congrats lovebirds! You guys must be somewhere mid-air on the way to your Mexican Honeymoon! Here’s a sneak peek shot at St. Joseph Basilica while we found shelter from the afternoon showers. =) Thanks for the amazing time guys! Enjoy Cancun, can’t wait to see you guys again with your lovely tans!
Much love,
~Rina + Anthony
Words by Maureen Young
What better way to cap a 5 day celebration than by partying into the early hours of the morning? Before the festivities began, we had some time for creatives with the couple and got the insider’s scoop on how Sam + Meezy were settling into married life. Sam was already asking Meezy where things were and for help straightening his hair. Meezy was quick to draw the line at helping clean up the sink after Sam had trimmed his beard. Love the ‘clean up your own mess, I’m not your mother look’ Meezy!
The Queen of foozball was bedecked in a jeweled sari and radiated from head to toe as all the jewels and embroidery caught the light. 
Sam was in competition for hottest half of the couple in his Hugo Boss suit.
Sam + Meezy kicked off the celebrations with 2 first dances as couples trickled onto the dance floor during the second song, Jaan. The party got started at 11pm when all 1,100 guests were on the dance floor showing off their moves. Rina got into the thick of the action to photograph dance moves that would have inspired JT – she came out bruised and a bit battered (1,100 people on a dance floor means a lot of flying limbs in tight spaces!) but we captured some brilliant moves! 
Even Sam + Meezy’s parents got into the action, being held up in the air by revelling guests! While Sam and Meezy were whisked off for some rest after the 5 day celebration, guests partied until 4am…before ending the night at a McDonald’s drive-thru! Crazy cats!
Meezy + Sam, thank you for inviting us to capture your memories. Being involved with a traditional East Indian wedding was a fantastic experience and we loved all the celebrations! A big thanks to your family, friends and community who made us feel a part of all the traditions and celebrations.  This was our first traditional East Indian wedding and wow, what a wedding to be a part of!
Huge shout out to Nathan for helping us out with capturing Meezy + Sam’s memories.
Your bruised friends,
A+R
Words by Maureen Young
The Gharoli ceremony, where Sam’s future sister-in-law and other female relatives fill a pitcher with water and bathe the room, caught Anton off guard. A serious shake up from other weddings Infused Studios’ has captured, this getting ready involved photographing a half naked groom in a tub surrounded by female relatives! After the bathing ceremony, Sam’s sisters tied a sehera (floral veil) to his forehead and adorned him with a garland made from paper currency. Properly attired, they proceeded to the Temple for the Milni.
In Sikh wedding tradition, the groom getting ready is a more ornate occassion than the bride. Meezy’s morning was one of bonding as she chatted with her future sister-in-law, Aman. Sonia did an incredible job with Meezy’s make up but it wasn’t hard to make the glowing bride absolutely stunning. The rich magenta of Meezy’s sari and her ornate jewelery couldn’t outshine her smiles. Meezy joked about how goofy Sam was and how he would have ridden to the Temple on a horse if she hadn’t stopped him.
The Milni ceremony takes place prior the marriage and is an opportunity for the two families about to be joined by marriage to embrace one another and extend good wishes.   This was held outside the Temple, where Sam was greeted by a crowd of well wishers.
Meezy + Sam enter the Temple seperately and then sit together to attend the Guru Granth Sahib Kirtan. Sam’s sister draped a chunni around his neck and tied the other end to the pallu of Meezy’s lehanga.
After the ceremony, family pictures were done outside. As part of tradition, the girls try to get the groom to take off his shoes and, cunningly, the girls decided that Rina would be an ideal accomplice. Sam, who had seen this happen at friends’ weddings, should have known better but a combination of being tired from the ceremony & Rina’s innocent request to take a nice picture of his shoes got the best of him. No sooner were the shoes off than in Meezy’s hands and being thrown into the air before her girlfriends got them. 15 minutes and several family portraits later, Sam was a Cinderella no more and reunited with his shoes.
Much like a Chinese door game, Sikh tradition also barrs the groom’s entrance into the bride’s parental home. Meezy’s sisters barred the doorway, demanding a $10,000 entrance fee. Both sides of the family had something up their sleeves though and a battle of silly string vs. water guns soon ensued. To protect the girls and the house, an umbrella was used to shield some of the water gun attack.
The Vidaai (or Doli) ceremony marked the end of the celebration. This is the bride’s official departure from her parental home and first steps into her new life as a married woman. Meezy was adamant she wouldn’t cry, but when she saw her eldest brother, Gurb, with tears in his eyes, the waterworks began. It seemed her entire family was equally touched by seeing her off to start a new life as a married woman.
From Meezy’s parental home to her new home, where new demands must be met! Inflation seemed to hit the entrance fee as by the time they got to Sam’s house, there was a 50% increase in price! After bribing his way past his sisters and surviving a silly string attack (what can we say, karma!), Sam and his bride were welcomed by his mum, who gave her blessing for Meezy to join her family.
Sweets, dancing and chanting welcomed Meezy into her new family.
Part 3 you will see the the party go on until 4am in the morning.
Words by Maureen Young
We shot Meezy + Sam in a Bowling Alley Romance back in July and were excited about our first 5 day wedding shoot and experiencing a Sikh wedding. This is a landmark wedding for us as it’s our first East Indian Wedding and we’d like to thank Meezy + Sam and their family and friends for showing us a fantastic time!
Sangeet – Meezy
A Sikh marriage is celebrated over 5 days, the first celebration being a Sangeet – celebrating the happy couple through music and dance. Meezy + Sam had seperate sangeets, which took place in the days leading up to the wedding ceremony. Meezy had a ladies only sangeet, where Sam’s mother and his female relatives were guests. While the sangeet may be for the bride, she’s not the centre of attention. The celebration is a dinner (yummy East Indian food!) and an opportunity for the ladies to party! The ladies sang traditional Indian songs accompanied by Indian instruments and joked around, complete with some good natured ribbing of the future in-laws.
Sangeet – Sam
Over 500 guests, including Meezy’s mother and female relatives as well as his guy friends, attended Sam’s sangeet. We were thoroughly impressed with the dance moves as guests jumped around and even got down on the ground while getting their groove on. Like Meezy’s sangeet, there were Indian instruments such as the dholki, a two-sided drum, accompanying the singing and providing a beat for the dancing.
Mehndi – Meezy
On the eve of the marriage, the bride’s arms, hands and feet are adorned with elaborate patterns using henna.   Despite the heavy rain, family and friends gathered in the outdoor marquee to watch the ceremony. Meezy’s muscle control was put to the test during the 6 hour ceremony where she had to keep her arms perfectly straight to avoid disrupting the henna while it dried. Legend has it that the darker the Mehndi is, the more the mother-in-law loves the bride. It seems Sam’s mother really loves Meezy as the Mehndi was really dark!
Vatna – Sam + Meezy
Vatna (a mixture of barley flour, tumeric and mustard oil) is a fantastic way for family and friends to get pay back wish the couple well… by smearing them with paste 😉  Meezy’s brothers took full advantage of the rare opportunity to smear their sister with paste without consequences and smeared the vatna all over her face! The laughter turned to tears of joy as Meezy became rather emotional at the realisation that tomorrow she would be getting married.
Choora (Bangle Ceremony) – Meezy
The bangle ceremony is another part of Sikh wedding tradition. Taking place at the bride’s home, the bride’s maternal Uncle and Aunt adorn her wrists with white and red bangles. Kalira (ornaments made of silver and gold) are tied to the bangles as well. As part of the Gana ritual, Meezy had an auspicious red thread tied to her left wrist.  This red thread is seen as sacred, protecting her from ill omens.
All grooms look their best on the wedding day. Sam had some help when his uncle used the vatna to give Sam a facial the night before the wedding! As part of the Gana ritual, Sam had an auspicious red thread tied to his right wrist so, like Meezy, he too would be protected from ill omens.
Part II we see the gorgeous traditional outfits and witness a Sikh marriage ceremony as we move onto Day 4!