Dual Eastern and Western Wedding at Charles Krug Winery | Saint Helena, California

If you randomly saw an elephant strolling down the street, you’re probably like me: you’d wonder if the local zoo knew one of their prized animals had escaped, right? Well, if it happened to be a weekend, and you had ever say, attended an Eastern wedding, maybe this sight wouldn’t be so surprising to you! I learned SO much while photographing this dual Eastern and Western wedding at Charles Krug Winery!

This wedding included an amazing horse, a bagpiper, and a dhol drummer for with baraat! This was the first Indian wedding I had ever attended, so the festivities were so incredible and eye opening! I couldn’t get enough of the dancing, and music, and the joyous look on everyone’s faces! Then, the grooms family is met by the brides family, where they exchange garlands as a way of welcoming each other. You guys, this was so hilarious! It might have been my most favorite part of the day, even! Each pairing was introduced, and then were instructed to play a game to see who could gift the other their garland first. The “loser” then had to pick up the “winner”! I couldn’t stop laughing, everyone played along so well! It was a great way to introduce the family, and led right into the mandap.

Another first for me was a wedding with a purple color palate! So gorgeous and fitting with the natural greenery outside, and with the colorful clothing! The florals blew me away!

It was so incredible to watch both Indian and American traditions be observed. And I was also so impressed at how fast the bride was able to change from one dress to the other! This wedding was also the first time I did two separate first looks, and both were so sweet and special!

I also loved all the henna! The bride personalized hers- the Golden Gate Bridge on her right palm and a claddagh on her left to signify her Irish heritage. So beautifully done!

A huge thank you to the incredible team of vendors I had the honor to work with that made this whole day possible, especially Samantha from So Eventful...she kept the day running so smoothly even when timeline had to be shifted slightly. And Park Avenue, the food was amazing as usual!