Hindu Wedding & Reception | Ditton Manor | Berkshire

My last wedding of 2022, and what a way to finish off the season with an beautiful day of celebrations at Ditton Manor.

I always get a bit of a buzz when an enquiry lands in my inbox. It’s that initial feeling of what’s behind the preview: Who are the couple? Where are they getting married? What are their initial plans? AM I AVAILABLE???

So when Mehul & Sarju’s email came through, it was to my relief that I was available, and that their wedding plans sounded incredible.

However it didn’t just sound incredible, it was incredible!

A beautiful setting

The setting for their Hindu Wedding & Reception was Ditton Manor Park in leafy Berkshire. A grand house set back in beautifully attended grounds. The marquee behind the house would be the setting for their Hindu Wedding, and that’s where I headed when I arrived.

The mandap and decor was taking shape nicely and was almost complete. As one of the first suppliers there, the grounds were almost empty. This gave me the chance to have a wonder around and take in the new settings and scout out locations for portraits later in the day.

It wasn’t long before Mehul arrived with his family, greeting me with his beaming smile and excited for the day ahead. While up in his room, we took some final getting ready shots and portraits.

Across the hallway, Sarju was pretty much ready. Again, she was in a nervously excited mood. With floods of natural light coming through the bay windows, this offered us perfect conditions for some classic portraits.

A raucous start

While guests were arriving in numbers, Sarju’s side stayed near the house, while Mehul and his friends and family congregated by the bridge entering the grounds. The Jaan arrival began with plenty of dancing, colour and beats provided by dhol players.

The meeting of the two families was a joyous one, which set the precedence for the rest of the day.

Mehul and his guests made their way to the marquee. Following his entrance into the mandap and a short ceremony, it was time for Sarju to make her way down to greet her husband-to-be.

The ceremony was beautifully conducted by Kamal Pandey with lovely background music provided by Shiv Gopal. It was also a really fun ceremony to be a part of. There were plenty of laughs, tears and in-between moments that you would only notice in a blink of an eye. That’s what makes Indian Weddings like no other – the emotional rollercoaster means you have to be concentrating 100% all of the time.

Once the ceremony had concluded, it was time to put my earlier scouting session to the test with some portraits. We were blessed with lovely, warm, early Autumn weather. The colours in the grounds definitely gave away the season we were in, and none more so than a pumpkin patch is their on-site allotment. Of course, we had to integrate that in somewhere!

However, there were so many spots for portraits which we couldn’t all use, but we certainly got some amazing ones nonetheless.

Celebrations into the early hours

Following the portraits session, Mehul & Sarju departed to their rooms to relax and get ready for the evenings reception. With a break of our own, it wasn’t long before the orangery in house was set up – and it looked stunning.

I always make it my aim to take venue shots before guests come in. Luckily, we had enough time to do so while guests were enjoying their welcome drinks and canapés.

Meanwhile upstairs, Mehul & Sarju looked amazing in their reception outfits. With a few portraits of them in the bridal suite, they made their entrance during the drinks reception to mingle with their friends and family.

Shortly after, with guests seated in the orangery, they both made their way in to huge cheers for their first dance. Speeches, dancing and good times continued into the early hours with the DJs, Evallance, keeping the dance floor rammed.

So from that first buzz of their email through to their epic wedding, working with Mehul & Sarju was an absolute joy. They both make an amazing couple and were also so easy to work with. They trusted my process and vision, and I think it shows in their final images.

Their wedding at Ditton Manor in Berkshire was a lot of fun from start to finish, and was an absolute pleasure being there to document every part of it. Here are some highlights of their day. Enjoy!