Hindu Wedding & Reception | Lakeside Suite | Leicester

A wedding with everything – laughter, fun and fireworks!

As with all my couples, I make it my aim to catch up with them before their wedding to discuss their plans in details. After my call with Shyam & Zeena, I knew their day at The Lakeside Suite in Leicester would be amazing and I wasn’t wrong.

I had photographed their civil ceremony a few weeks before at Glenfield Registry Office in Leicester, so I had got to know them and their families too.

The calm before the excitement

It was a foggy start as I arrived at the venue early. Zeena’s getting ready prep was well underway, with Aamir Naveed on the hair and Suraiya on the make up. She was as calm as any bride I’ve seen and mentally preparing for an epic day.

Meanwhile over at Shyam’s house, my good friend Mickey, was capturing all that was going on there. The groom was getting his pagh (turban) tied, amongst other ceremonies and traditions that happen before the Groom leaves his house.

His journey from home to The Lakeside Suite in Leicester was short, and he arrived in style in a Rolls Royce. While he was waiting in the car, Zeena was having the finishing touches to her make up and outfit. Her parents carefully applying the chunni to her wedding dress which also gave me a great opportunity for some candid shots and a few bridal portraits.

A wild grooms entrance

Meanwhile, guests were quickly gathering outside the main hall, ready for the Jaan to be welcomed by Zeena’s family. And boy was it a welcome! The smoke grenades were going off and the Dhol Players & Baja Band were providing the live musical entertainment. Shyam’s family made their way over to Zeena’s family for the start of the wedding.

Cue the wild dancing and absolute joy as the two families met and embraced. The celebrations were truly underway, and it set a precedence for the rest of the day.

Once Shyam was settled in his seat under the mandap, it was the turn for Zeena to make her entrance. It was a beautiful ceremony with plenty of smiles, laughs and tears of joy. And when it came to the koda kodi (traditional wedding games), I’ve never seen a bride more determined to win, and she did!

The Lakeside Suite offers plenty of beautiful outdoor locations for portraits, and we certainly made the most of it. We had to dodge a few geese to get to these spots, but it was worth it! Thankfully the fog from earlier in the day had dissipated, providing beautiful warm weather and light for some natural couples portraits.

Focus now turned to the reception. Guests made their way back to their hotels, the newlyweds to their rooms and the main hall was being turned around. During this time, I had a chance to take a short break. I also did some quick same day edits from the morning wedding to be shown on the big screen during the reception.

Bringing the fireworks to end an epic day

Time, as it always does at weddings, went by in a flash. Before we knew it, the main room was set up and guests were arriving for the drinks reception. The sun was setting, casting beautiful golden light on the venue. So it was only right that we took advantage of this and took some more couples portraits n another part of the grounds.

Once the guests were seated and ready in the venue, Shyam & Zeena made their grand entrance to a raucous reception. With the Ace of Spades champagne popped and the cake cut, it was a full on party for the rest of the night.

An amazing fireworks display provided further entertainment for the guests as they took in the colour and noise. It was a perfect way to end the night, and their amazing wedding day in general.

An an Asian Wedding Photographer in Leicester, I had an incredible time at Shyam & Zeena’s wedding. There was so much genuine joy through their day, and so many epic moments captured. I had a lot of fun, but most importantly, so did the happy couple.

Here are a few brilliant moments for their day – Enjoy!