Pooja and Dhaval’s Wedding in New Jersey by PhotosMadeEz

PhotosMadeEz had the pleasure of covering another Gujarati Wedding in New Jersey. The time it was of Pooja and Dhaval. We had done an engagement session recently at Princeton, which was highly appreciated by everybody and was also featured in Maharani Weddings. Pooja and Dhaval got ready at the Hilton Garden Inn at Rockaway. The wedding was at the Ashirwad Palace. The venue was fabulously decorated by Rangoli Weddings. On the day before the wedding, the traditional Garba was organized, where Pooja wore a gorgeous lehenga, that showed off her beauty and the intricate henna designs on her hands. We took some lovely, artistic mehndi shots. Before the Garba, it was fun to see both sets of parents, family perform! Pooja and Dhaval were of course the star of the show dancing like professionals!!!!!

For the wedding, Pooja meticulously followed all our suggestions… she had everything ready when we arrived at the Hilton Garden Inn for the Getting Ready shots. She decided to mix up her ensemble a bit, wore churas, typically worn by Punjabis, even though she is a Gujarati. After make-up, which was exquisitely done by Anita, her family members were incorporated into the the Getting Ready photos. PhotosMadeEz did her “first look” with her father, who was in tears when he saw his little princess dressed up as a bride. Following this was the “First Look” between the bride and groom. Dhaval’s enamored smile said it all, as did his look of love, when he saw his beautiful wife.

We did a few out of the box photos at the Hilton Rockaway – in the gym, in the swimming pool. A quick one on the middle of the road in front of the Rockaway Mall. All the passing cars honked at them to wish them luck. Once we reached Ashirwad Palace the groom prepared for his Barat. Dhawal looked handsome, sitting astride the lovely Barat horse, provided by Caliber Farms. DJ Rana made everyone dance, with his foot-tapping music… even the non-Indian friends of the bride and groom. Pooja was very eager to dance with the Barat, but was refused, much to her disappointment! However, she did dance while she watched them… and PhotosMadeEz went click click click without her knowledge. Photo Journalism at its best!

Rangoli Weddings had set up a magnificent Jaan Gate, where the bride and her family welcomed the groom and his family, and  After the Barat, Pooja got her chance to get on the horse, for a few fun shots! Thanks to Tony from Caliber Farms to help us do this.

From there everyone went on to the mandap where the Gujarati Hindu ceremony was conducted in front of all the guests who flew in from all around the world. Dhaval’s maternal and paternal grandmothers were there to witness their grandson’s wedding. At the Vidaai, Pooja was insistent that no one should cry, and everyone tried to honor her wish and tried their best to hide the tears.

PhotosMadeEz went back for the Second Look session, before the reception, where Pooja changed into a stunning gown and she looked absolutely spectacular. At the reception DJ Rana once again had everyone on their feet with his energetic music. Both sets of parents gave very nice and touching speeches. The siblings made fun of course. But Pooja’s eyes got visibly moist at her sister’s speech.And then there was the very emotional but entertaining father-daughter / mother-son dance.

The buffet was scrumptious, and the wedding cake provided by Creative Confections For All was lovely lip-smacking. The cake topper that matched their outfits. PhotosMadeEz would like to thank the families of Pooja and Dhaval for believing in us, and going along with our suggestions. We sure had fun taking photos on the railway track, shot in the middle of the road. Last but not the least we were lucky to be graced with an impromptu rainbow, that added that extra bit of charm and beauty to the shots. Enjoy the photos!