“Hindu Wedding Lite!”

How do you and your fiancé make time and get your first-look pictures when you have limited time during your Hindu wedding ceremony day, but you’re not having a full Hindu wedding coverage during the wedding day; no Getting-ready or wedding party pictures before ceremony (because you want to have a smaller event only at Hindu Temple)?

I recently photographed a Hindu bride who I had the honor of photographing her engagement session, in-home wedding ceremony (destination wedding in Cabo reduced because of COVID), and now her traditional Hindu ceremony at The Woodlands Hindu Temple. One of her concerns for her wedding day was how the first-look would fit into her wedding timeline because of particular events occurring before this event would take place that would complicate this short 5 minute event.

One of my natural strengths is planning, logistics, and organizing things in ways for greatest efficiency and effectiveness while using the least input with greatest output. I naturally can weigh pro’s and con’s quickly and in an analytical methodology, all the while, clearly, succinctly, and simply break-down a complex problem into simple and easy to understand conveyance.

When you choose David Baker Studios. You are investing in more than a “wedding photography company”. You are benefitting from a hard-working and caring company who has designed their services with the wedding couple in mind (you!), so they will be served in a personable customer service approach. We take our picture creation to the next level when we also include wedding planning and timeline creation to your wedding photography package at no additional cost to you - we include this service for you because we want you to have peace of mind on your wedding day and enjoy celebrating with your friends and family, while we make time for all of your important family, group, and couple pictures. Leave your wedding photography to us and allow us to guide you through your wedding day.

So, when she mentioned this concern in a short phrase in one of her emails to me. I knew a first-look is important to her, and she was asking for help but didn’t know if it would be possible... So, I conversationally explicated how this could be possible with the below conversation.

Below is an email we sent to this Hindu Bride in Houston:

I’m thinking about you and David’s first look.

In the past when I have done first looks for Hindu weddings it has taken place after Getting-Ready and Wedding Party pictures and before official Pre-ceremony events inside ceremony space inside of hotel banquet room or other locations near the ceremony location, similar to those example pictures sent to you from a First-look I photographed in front of their house.

What to expect during first-look process?

First look would be the 3 of us inside the empty ceremony space. 

Before I position David in the ceremony space facing the Mandap. You would hide in a spot (around a corner) or room where you two wouldn’t see each other as he enters Temple and gets in position. After he is in position, I would invite you into ceremony space. You would walk to him and tap him on the shoulder. He would turn around and you two would share a moment. 

As your first-look happens. I will take pictures from multiple angles (similar to first-look you saw). I will also let you know which shoulder to tap because I will get a better angle of his expression when he faces you.

Here are three options that would work for your first look. Your thoughts and preference is invited. Those three options are below:

Option 1)

After David’s welcoming ceremony outside and before you and him see each other. 

After first-look, we could go back to normal ceremony protocol - you and David would get in position for entrances to start wedding ceremony.

Option 2)

After bridal and before David’s official welcome ceremony outside when he arrives. 

We would tell everyone not to do welcome entrance, yet, and stay in position at entrance location. 

First look would take place in Ceremony space. After first-look, he would walk out of ceremony space and we would get ready for his welcome ceremony.

Option 3)

First look staged outside and during couple photo session after your ceremony and family and group pictures inside.

After your ceremony, I assume the inside ceremony space would be full of people, and it’s usually difficult to move people from one area to another after the event has started.

9:00:                  David arrives, photographs space, prepares for Bridal

9:50:                  Sabita arrives to temple

10:00 - 10:45:   Bridal 

10:45:                 End of Bridal

11am:                  David arrival 

11:10-11:15:         First-look

11:15:                  Ceremony

I have all of your inspo pictures organized based on your positioning. So I can create them as quickly as possible.

Again…like we try to educate couples - we do a lot more than create pretty pictures or only press a button like some pessimists have told me.

Not only do we arrive an hour before your event. Your event - when you see us working. That is only the first half of the work you do see. The rest of the work takes place behind the scenes at our office when we securely backup your files, choose the best moments from your event, edit those, send your sneak-peek gallery, prepare your basic edited digital files from your entire event to deliver to you, then we begin to help you design your album and retouch those pictures that will be printed inside your album and enlargements you order.

I know…I know… “professional wedding photography is soooo expensive…“ I understand this is an important financial investment for you and your family. One thing holds true: we budget for what we value. For example, that $2,000 Louis Vuitton purse was desired and purchased when cheaper alternative purse options were available. Why did you choose that purse? The style, the look, being proud to carry one and accompany your outfits. After all, it fits you because you are stylish, modern, and take pride in looking good because you realize you have worked hard for what you have, where you have come to in life, and c’mon…they’re very elegant.

When you choose David Baker Studios, LLC, you are investing in more than only pictures and a guy who knows how to take good pictures. You are investing in a professional wedding photographer who have invested 10 plus years mastering their craft through self-training and development, mentors, workshops, reading 100’s of books, creating their own outlines to study particular topics in posing, photographing, and lighting. When we come to your Indian Hindu wedding in Houston at The Woodlands Hindu Temple. When you see my team that is only the second phase of three phases of work we perform for you (the first phase was Meet and Greet and General Wedding Overview Meeting and Planning and Timeline Creation) and the third is when your event finishes and we prepare your pictures for delivery. After we leave your Indian Hindu wedding in The Woodlands, we are still working for you - you just don’t see us working.

The price we quote is far less than what it should be. We believe in fairness and helping couples preserve their first family heirlooms at reasonable prices in the forms of albums and print enlargements they can hang on their walls and share their fun memories with their friends, family, and children.

For more information, Contact Us to learn more…