A key component of any Indian wedding photoshoot is the First Look. That anticipatory moment when you see each other for the first time on your wedding day – both dressed in your best – in iconic Indian wedding attire.
Your wedding venue plays a crucial role in the First Look – where, at the venue, do you want your First Look to be? What background? Will there be other people around? In all of the photos below, the photographer carefully scoped out the venue and planned where to capture this memorable moment so that each couple can relive it every time they see their photos.
{Palak and Vaibhav}
Palak and Vaibhav got married at the Hotel Maya in Long Beach, California. Hotel Maya is a waterfront hotel with a few venues overlooking the water, so there are several great places around the property for couples to select for First Look photos. Palak and Vaibhav are on the baraat path, right next to the water. Click for their full wedding feature.
Their First Look was so sweet. Below you can see Vaibhav waiting for his bride and Palak’s big smile. Photos: Lin and Jirsa
{Sucheta and Rohan}
Sucheta and Rohan booked their wedding venue, the Sheraton Park Anaheim Resort, with ShaadiShop. They chose the Sheraton’s Tiffany Terrace for their First Look photos. It’s a wide, spacious area as you can see below. See their full wedding feature here. Photos: Aaron Eye Photography
{Personalize The First Look: Poonam and Jayson}
At this wedding the bride shared, “Instead of me walking towards Jayson, our photographer, Braja Mandala of Braja Mandala Photography, suggested that I wait at the end of the aisle (a runway) and have him walk up to me. Even though there were so many people around witnessing that moment, I still felt that moment was ours. He looked amazing and I couldn’t wait to hug him!”
Poonam and Jayson got married at the Hilton Anaheim. They chose that venue for the multi-levels that the hotel offered so every event felt special and unique.
{Payal and Ankit}
This walkway at the Marriott Newport Beach Hotel & Spa is the most popular area at that property for First Look photos. Click here to see their full wedding feature. Photos: Greycard Photography
{Bina and Neel}
In contrast to Payal and Ankit (above), Bina and Neel decided to have their First Look in the Marriott Newport Beach Hotel & Spa’s Atrium Court. It’s pretty romantic to descend down the stairs as your groom awaits your arrival. The Atrium Court is also where most Indian weddings have their cocktail hour. Photos: Aaron Eye Photography
{Nina and Gautam}
Nina and Gautam got married at a small boutique venue in Costa Mesa, California. It’s surrounded by greenery which provided the perfect background for their First Look. I love this photo – Nina’s smile with her hand on Gautam’s shoulder. See their full wedding feature here. Photos: Wedding Documentary Photo + Cinema
{Rakhee and Amrish }
Amrish and Rakhee got married in Malibu, California. See their full wedding feature here. Photos: Greycard Photography
{Anita and Rohan}
Anita and Rohan got married in Bakersfield, California. In the photo below, I love how the photographer captured the moment with Anita’s arms open wide ready for an embrace with her husband-to-be. The house in the background and Anita walking down the red bridge wearing her Indian bridal maroon sari make all the difference in these photos. See their full wedding feature here. Photos: Callaway Gable
{Riddhi and Amish}
The floor-to-ceiling windows add drama to this photo of Riddhi walking towards Amish for their First Look. See their full wedding feature here. Photo: Lin and Jirsa
{Shari and Prashanth}
They got married at the Marriott Newport Beach Hotel & Spa as well. What’s so great about this photo is that this is from their garba night. They did a First Look on their garba night too! Great idea guys! Photo: Lin and Jirsa
{Tejal and Yousouf}
Tejal and Yousouf’s oceanfront wedding in Huntington Beach, California was at the newly expanded Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort. You can see the beach in the background as well being surrounded by beautiful palm trees for their First Look.
{Take Aways}
- Be thoughtful about where, at your wedding venue, you select for First Look photos.
- Personalize the First Look photos and make them memorable for you.
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Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! 🙂
{Testimonials}
“Shaadishop helped me not only find venues but also understand how they work, the fees, and tips that I wouldn’t have otherwise known. Definitely a need service in the desi community. “ Hinna S., Bride
“Cannot say enough good things about the service from Samta and ShaadiShop who helped us research venues for our wedding this year. We wanted a non-hotel venue, and to get married within 6 months. ShaadiShop immediately found us venues, contacted them and educated us about all the things we needed to think about while selecting a venue. They put all the info together in a fabulous, super impressive, spreadsheet that helped us compare venues – seriously amazing and such a great help. Working with them made the whole stressful process MUCH easier and I can’t believe it was all free! ShaadiShop’s website is fantastic and such a great service for South Asians – so glad I found them!” Anjli S., Bride
“We’re so glad we used ShaadiShop to book our venue. The info on the website is amazing and then they gave us such personalized attention! They were such a valuable resource for selecting venues, helping us understand policies and logistics. Their suggestions saved us a lot money too! They really understood us, what we wanted and helped us get it. AND it’s free! So glad there’s a service like this for South Asians. Awesome that there’s something like this for South Asians!” Janki K., Bride
“I worked with ShaadiShop to find a venue for my daughter’s wedding. The website is easy to use and has so much useful information. ShaadiShop made everything easy for me – getting quotes, suggesting venues, explaining fees and policies. Most importantly, my daughter and son-in-law are happy with the venue. ShaadiShop is a great and service for our community. I’m so glad I found them!” Charu S. Bride’s Mother
Cover image: Wedding Documentary Photo + Cinema