Sailee & Yajuvendra's wedding
Cincinnati Marriott North, West Chester

Congratulations Sailee and Yajuvendra!

I started on Thursday night at Sailee's parent's home, where they hosted the mehndi. Ladies had the henna applied during a celebration with songs and dancing. Everyone was encouraged to sing!

Their Indian wedding celebration was at the Cincinnati Marriott North in West Chester. Yaju, his family, and friends did the barat marriage procession around the hotel to the front entrance. They danced and celebrated following DJ Mavi's van pumping out music. What fun!

Once inside, the Yaju's side cooled down before being welcomed by Sailee's family at the ballroom. The famiys greeted and met each other, then entered the ballroom to begin the ceremony.  There was a short section on the Mandap with Yaju, while Sailee performed Gowri Puja (praying for a successful marriage) in the bridal suite.

Sailee's Uncle then escorted her to the Mandap, where a curtain was held between the bride and groom so they could not see eachother. Once the curtain was lowered and they stood face to face, Sailee and Yaju placed garlands around each other's necks.

The rest of the beautiful ceremony consisted of prayers, echanging rings, securing a wedding neclace on Sailee, and ligting a sacred fire. The priest explained the significance of each stage.

After the ceremony we did some portratis on the Mandap while Sailee and Yaju wore their traditional wedding garb. After those portraits, they changed into something more modern, and we did some wedding portraits at Beckett Park, nearby.

The reception was fairly "American" traditional with introductions, first dance, toasts and cake cutting. But when the dancing began, watch out. The dancing was intense and never lets up.

Congratulations Yaju and Sailee. It was a pleasure and an honor to document your day with you. Thank you so much for including me.

Also a special thanks to Jeff Hill Video, DJ Mavi, and Jillian at The Marriott.