At first glance, the wedding of Barkha and Ankit may look like it took place in an exotic location but in reality, it was held at the Park Chateau Estate and Gardens in New Jersey—which was still quite lovely. India-based wedding photographer Rimi Sen, working on behalf of Recall Pictures (based in Mumbai), had her work cut out for her. “The one unexpected challenge was the back-to-back events held over a span of five days,” she explains. “It was quite hectic and wouldn’t have been possible without a good support team and a great second shooter.”

All Photos © Rimi Sen for Recall Pictures

Indian weddings are usually chaotic, Sen says, and it is her job to anticipate the moments and find beauty in the chaos. “Every event is special in some way or the other. The wedding starts with welcoming the guests from all over the world with an extravagant Sangeet ceremony,” an Indian wedding tradition that involves singing, dancing and music, and traditionally occurs a few days prior to the Mehndi ceremony where henna is applied to the bride in preparation for the wedding itself. This being a Gujarati wedding meant there were several pre-wedding events that included both festive dancing and religious prayers, Sen adds. “Garbha,” an Indian folk dance, “was a quintessential part of this wedding and so there was a lot of movement and colors and culture to capture.”Bride Barkha, says Sen, is “a renowned Kathak dance artist, and every aspect of her wedding was associated with dance in some way or the other, and this is what made this wedding so unique and special. Her expressive eyes, the proud calm of her smile and her chiseled movements made her a ravishing beauty at every event. While her passion and inherent talent for the art is inexplicable, it was our dashing groom who left us awestruck with his surprise performances during the Baraat”—the groom’s wedding procession—”and during the reception. This couple would be any photographer’s dream clients—they were expressive, gracious, talented, appreciative and most importantly, deeply in love.”

GEAR OF THE DAY: Sen shot with two Nikon D750 bodies and, she says, “a combination of prime lenses with on- and off-camera flash, and LEDs for the reception.”

Submit your wedding to Rf editor-in-chief Jacqueline Tobin for a chance to get featured here.