Simran & Shahrooz
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Simran and Shahrooz were married in a dual-ceremony wedding at the
LAX Hilton. (Leave it to me to post a sneak peek more than a week after all the wedding images were delivered to the couple.) The day started off with a Sikh ceremony, then, after a quick clothing change, everyone moved on to a heartfelt Persian Muslim ceremony. Put Punjabis and Persians in a room and you can't help but get a truly amazing reception. This was definitely a crowd that knew how to party. This couple is just the sweetest, and Shahrooz adores Simran so much. It's truly a joy to watch these two together. Coordinated by the lovely
Sonia Sharma, with floral artistry by Beverly Blossoms, makeup by Chisu Kim, hair by Peggy Barks, and DJ services by Ajay at
Kumba. (Apologies: I believe there was a Persian DJ there, too, but I will have to add his name to the blog posting later, as I don't have it right now.) With second shooting by the fabulous
Yoshi Morimoto.
Labels: IndianWeddings, Weddings
Posted by Dina Douglass [+]
Theresa & Robert
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Theresa and Robert were married at the
Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel. Theresa is the sweetest, and is always sending me cute, happy notes. She was so excited before her wedding, and it was fun to share in her enthusiasm and joy. Robert was of course delighted to be marrying the wonderful Theresa, but he didn't send me any cute notes. LOL. Coordinated by the lovely Dawn Eastman and Christy Vosges at
A Blissful Event in San Diego, with flowers by
Elegant Touch Floral Design, video by Aron and Robert at
Reel Life Pictures, DJ services by
DJ Mohsen, makeup by
Jesse Professional Makeup Services, and cake artistry by
Let Them Eat Cake. With second shooting by the always fabulous
Yoshi Morimoto.
Labels: Weddings
Posted by Dina Douglass [+]
Sabrina & Alex - Belgrade, Serbia
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Sabrina and Alex live in London, but when the time came to say their vows, both had their hearts set on Serbia (Alex's birthplace). More than 200 guests flew in from all over the world to attend this lovely couple's wedding, and if memory serves, more than 24 countries were represented. The ceremony took place at the breathtaking
Serbian Orthodox Saborna Church in Belgrade, which was built in 1840 and is considered one of the most beautiful churches in Serbia. After the ceremony, guests made their way to the dramatic fortress of
Kalemegdan, which was rebuilt in the year 535.
Sabrina's spectacular custom
Vera Wang dress was hand-flown (by the groom) from New York to London, and then from London to Serbia. It would be an understatement to say that this gorgeous dress required its own seat on the plane. Sabrina was truly a princess for her wedding to her prince.
Sabrina and Alex had planned a lavish antique fairytale theme for their wedding, complete with magical decor (think European fairytales of yore, not Snow White). But this wonderful couple's grand decor plans were thwarted by over-zealous border agents and customs personnel. A huge truck full of decor made its way down from London, only to be stopped at the border and refused entry. The truck driver also was put into a holding tank for no good reason, and was eventually let out on Sunday (after the wedding). As we all sat at the airport on Monday waiting for our flight home, so, too, did all the beautiful peonies and other flowers that had been flown in from Holland . . . only to be refused entry by airport customs.
Truly, I have never seen anyone work as hard as world-class floral designer Andrew Devonport and the team from London's
Wild About, and coordinator Susan Smith from
Smith and Niemierko, also based in London. I don't think any of these people slept for the first three days, as their sole mission in life became getting the truck / flowers into the country. After days of frustration, the team ultimately went on a massive scavenger hunt throughout Belgrade to try to put something together. They came through in a big way, but those of us in the know were still very sad that the original flowers and decor were refused entry. In all my years of working with weddings, I've never seen people work harder under worse circumstances.
The wedding was glorious despite the decor snafu, and I was so happy to be a part of such a wonderful celebration. Sabrina and Alex, thanks so much for finding me, and for including me (and my talented colleague
Rebecca Bouck) in your wedding. I hope your honeymoon was amazing.
Labels: Destinations, Weddings
Posted by Dina Douglass [+]
Andrea & Andres - Cartegena, Colombia
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Andrea and Andres were married in the magical city of Cartegena, Colombia. We didn't get a chance to meet until we all arrived in Colombia, but I of course adored them both. The heat and humidity were incredible, but the lavish black-tie event helped everyone forget the weather. The ceremony took place at Santo Domingo Church, which was the most beautiful church I've ever seen. The reception took place in Teatro Heredia, which was astonishing in its grandeur. Colombians (and New Yorkers) know how to party into the wee small hours, so it's no surprise that their reception didn't end until about 6 a.m. More details (and vendor links) on this fabulous wedding in a week's time, as I'm just setting off for Serbia and don't have all the information. Just wanted to get this blog posting up before I hopped on a plane. Andrea and Andres, thanks for including us in such a wonderful part of your lives. We had a fabulous time at the wedding and at the day-after session, and the post-day-after-session mojitos and conversation were a true highlight. I hope you had a great honeymoon.
Labels: Destinations, Weddings
Posted by Dina Douglass [+]
Tara & Raj - Udaipur, India (Part 2)
Friday, March 14, 2008
Now that I've gotten through all the images from Tara & Raj's wedding, it's clear that I'll need three posts to properly share this spectacular set of events. Behold Part 2 -- The Wedding & Reception.
Tara and Raj began their wedding day preparations at the world-famous
Lake Palace Hotel -- a floating palace on beautiful Lake Pichola in Udaipur, India. Considered by many to be the most romantic hotel in the world, this exclusive property is only accessible by private boat, and you cannot even visit this hotel if you are not staying there. Thankfully, Tara was able to get special permission for my team and I to visit the hotel and shoot on its grounds. (We actually arrived just as the President of the Maldives was preparing to leave by boat.)
The baraat -- featuring camels and an elephant -- took place on the Promenade just oustide the City Palace, and Raj and his family then took boats over to stunning Jag Mandir Palace Island, where the wedding took place. Built sometime around 1622, with structures made of sandstone, Jag Mandir has served as a home for royalty as well as a place of refuge for those in exile. Raj's entrance was welcomed by fire blowers and an extensive fireworks display, much to the delight of the guests. Despite the unseasonably freezing weather, everyone loved the beautiful and heartfelt ceremony, which concluded with champagne for everyone and yet another dazzling fireworks display. Tara was carried out in a doli, and then she and Raj took some time alone on a boat out on the dark, quiet water.
The reception was fabulous, and everyone braved the cold to dance into the evening. Tara's outfit was stunning,
DJ Amlan rocked the house, Rajasthani dancers entertained the crowd, and a light-up dance floor added a fun shock of color to the peacock-themed reception. (For a complete list of vendors, see my first post upon return from India.)
Be sure to check back soon for the third and final installment: Portraits at the Udaivilas, the No. 1 hotel in the world.
Labels: Destinations, IndianWeddings, Weddings
Posted by Dina Douglass [+]
Tara & Raj - Udaipur, India (Part I)
Monday, March 10, 2008
The wedding of Tara and Raj was breathtaking, with four events spread over three very cold days in beautiful Udaipur, located in the state of Rajasthan, India. Known for its Rajput-era palaces and nicknamed "The City of Lakes," Udaipur was made famous in the James Bond film "Octopussy." It also boasts some of the most lavish hotels and event venues in the world.
The talented
Christine Marie photographed the events with me, and I will forever be grateful for her willingness to travel halfway around the world to contribute her artistry to this stylish couple's wedding. She's one of the most talented photographers I know, and a good friend. So to Christine, Thank You, from the bottom of my heart.
I can't seem to find a way to blog this unique wedding with just one post, so I'll start with the Menhdi and Sangeet. The Menhdi took place at Shiv Niwas, and featured a traditional Indian bazaar theme, complete with hundreds of puppets hanging from silk fabric panels. As the women got their menhdi done (and Tara's menhdi was the best I've ever seen -- courtesty Sangeeta Shah out of Mumbai), I couldn't help but laugh as Raj spent nearly an hour attempting to fly a small kite just outside the gates of the Maharana of Udaipur's palace. A snake charmer -- complete with two cobras -- added to the event's charm.
The evening's Sangeet was a masquerade ball featuring an amazing performance by
Prem Joshua, the top-selling world musician in India. Born in Germany, this talented multi-instrumentalist and vocalist has released 14 albums, and everyone found themselves in awe while he and his band played. The party took place at the Zanana Mehal in the City Palace Complex, where Tara and Raj were greeted by torches, a 20-piece band (complete with bagpipes), girls throwing rose petals, and horn blowers on horseback. The banquet featured so many different dishes that people had to make four trips just to sample everything. Once Prem Joshua finished his set,
DJ Amlan spun the crowd into a dancing frenzy.
Next up: The Wedding. Be sure to check back in a day or two.
Labels: Destinations, IndianWeddings, Weddings
Posted by Dina Douglass [+]
Home At Last
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Hi, everyone! I'd hoped to blog a bit while traveling through India, but shooting, an aggressive travel schedule and illness kept me from doing so.
April,
Christine and I had a great time at Tara & Raj's spectacular wedding in Udaipur, which I promise to blog soon. We also loved meeting (and working with) Mili and Sid from
Memories in Motion, the wonderful Sushmita (who does amazing hair and makeup, but whose site I will have to provide later), the super-cool
DJ Amlan, and Joyti from
Jyoti Soni event coordination.
All three of us really enjoyed traveling to many cities in India after the wedding. Alas -- April ended up in the hospital in Kolkata, due to a horrible case of food poisoning. It's no fun to go to a hospital in the middle of the night when the nurses only speak Bengali, and you only speak English. Thankfully, the talented coordinator Smita Mohindra at
Ethnic Essence had put me in touch with her mother Versha -- lead designer at
Ritu Kumar -- in Kolkata, and she was so helpful to us while April was in the hospital. She translated for us and even found hotel accommodations for Christine and I after our own hotel became unavailable for the extra days we needed to stay in Kolkata. A heartfelt thanks from all of us to both Smita and Versha.
After April got out, we flew from Kolkata to Delhi to Varanasi, and by the time we got there, I had come down with the exact same thing that April had. I refused to go to the hospital, but did have a doctor come to my hotel room to give me a shot and several different kinds of pills. I ended up missing out on Varanasi and Agra completely (thankfully, I'd already seen the Taj Mahal on another trip), and meeting back up with Christine and April in Delhi. Our trip also included stays in Amritsar and Mumbai. All in all, a great adventure.
I'm still fighting off this food-borne illness a bit (it went away but then kind of came back), but I think I'm finally somewhat on the mend. My mom, however, is on the mend for a different reason. Leave it to your mom to *not* tell you that she's fallen and shattered her ankle -- and had surgery! -- while you were traveling . . . just because she didn't want to ruin your holiday. Imagine my shock when I called her from LAX yesterday and she told me what had happened. My adorable mom walks approximately 900 miles a year with my dad, always in Malibu State Creek Park (near where they filmed M*A*S*H). The rains apparently created some slippery crevices and down she went. I feel so badly for her.
That's the news from here. Thanks to everyone for their patience while I was gone. I'm getting through all my emails as quickly as I can, but feel free to ping me if you haven't heard back from me by tomorrow. :)
Labels: IndianWeddings, Random, Weddings
Posted by Dina Douglass [+]
A Soggy Big Apple
Thursday, September 27, 2007
I haven't blogged for a while because I've been busy shooting in New York. Harshna and Mihir were kind enough to fly me out to shoot their wedding, and I found out that they were great sports when an unexpected thunderstorm pounded down on us while we were doing pre-ceremony group shots. It was raining so hard that we got caught outside for a good long while before we could figure out how to get back in. I ended up using my Westcott strobe umbrella as shelter for my gear and Harshna. Tracy Toler from
Maia Studio, who second shot the wedding for me, ran outside to help me cover my gear and got this great shot of us trapped under the umbrella. The entire wedding eventually got moved inside, though the decor had to stay outside. I'll blog the wedding soon, but for now, I thought everyone might like to see the before-rain and a-few-minutes-later shots.
Harshna and Mihir got dressed up again on Monday so we could take some fun portraits without rain, and I was amused beyond repair when
Michael McGlone -- star of the Ed Burns films "The Brothers McMullen" and "She's the One" -- walked by us in Central Park, and agreed to pose for a photo. How did I coax him into it? By using the tried and true, "Hey, guy from Brothers McMullen! Would you take a photo with my bride and groom? Their wedding got rained out on Saturday." I felt silly afterwards, but he was really nice about it.
I also did a great engagement shoot in TriBeCa with Tara and Raj, who will be getting married in Udaipur, India, in February. It was great to finally meet them, and they were amazing to work with. A big thanks to my friends and colleagues
David Mielcarek and
Thomas Geist for tagging along on the engagement shoot (which I'll blog soon). And a big thanks to my good friends
Cliff Mautner and
Susan Stripling for trekking to Manhattan to hang out with Digital Wedding Forum Founder
Jeff Caplan, So Cal photog
Britney Alves and a host of other fab photogs.
And a special thank you to the talented
Monika Broz, who kindly hosted me for two days while I was in town. Monika is super creative and has a marvelous eye, and is also a good mom to Munk, the adorable Boston Terrier that she rescued.
Under gray and cloudy skies:
A few minutes later, under my Westcott strobe umbrella:
With the actor Michael McGlone in Central Park:
Labels: IndianWeddings, Weddings
Posted by Dina Douglass [+]
An Exquisite Event Bridal Show
Monday, September 03, 2007
Andrena Photography will be exhibiting at the "An Exquisite Event: Your Wedding From Beginning to End" bridal show at the Hotel Roosevelt on Sunday, September 9th. The brainchild of well-known wedding and event coordinator
Nikki Khan, this event will boast some of the best vendors in the wedding industry, as well as a fashion show. Tickets are $20 online at the
An Exquisite Event web site or $25 at the door. Hours will be 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. World-renowned event planner
Preston Bailey will present and host a Q&A after the bridal show ends. Advance tickets for this unique public appearance are $75 per; tickets will not be sold at the door. For more information, or to buy tickets, be sure to visit the
An Exquisite Event web site.
Labels: Random, Weddings
Posted by Dina Douglass [+]
