Garima Singh Blog

Venue – Woodbine Banquet Hall

Hair & Make Up – Angell’s Beauty Salon

As promised last week, here is a glimpse of Ambi & Rajish’s Reception day…Enjoy!

Happy Monday!!

The reception theme was winter wonderland with colors to match Ambi’s reception attire. There were SO many details to capture, needless to say I was in Heaven!!

The wedding cake not only looked good but it smelled SOOO good. Having photographed so many weddings I have seen and tasted a lot of wedding cakes, & ladies so just a side note, if you can smell the icing of the cake  from 2 feet away, it’s going to be a yummy cake!! And it was… -

Reception speeches were very funny at times…

Ambi’s father passed away a few years ago so her speech to her mom was quite emotional..

Make Up & Hair Stylist – Angell’s Beauty Salon

Venue: Crystal Fountain, Markham, ON

Ambi & Rajish’s wedding was our very FIRST Sri Lankan wedding that we have ever shot. I was elated when Ambi called to let me know that she wanted us to document her wedding day. The day of the wedding I remember reaching Ambi’s parent’s place and being greeted by her mom & all her aunts so warmly. Later they all told me that they have been checking out my blog & were all so excited to have us as their photographers. We felt so welcomed & I was touched by their hospitality. Needless to say we are looking forward to all our Sri Lankan weddings this year…

Here are some of my favorite moments from their day…

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I LOVE all things weddings!! I spend at least an hour each day just visiting  my favorite inspiration bridal blogs & reading about new wedding industry trends, products, vendors etc..SO recently while I was doing my regular thing  of “checking out fab bridal blogs” I came across Raana Chaudhry from SAPNA WEDDINGS‘ blog post, “Think outside the Mandap“… After reading the post I was very impressed by it & emailed Raana to see if she would like to share some info with my blog readers & to elaborate a little more. And Raana being the awesome wedding planner extraordinaire that she is, submitted the following.

So without further ado… Let’s think outside the Mandap by Raana Chaudhry

So now that we are working diligently on our 2010 weddings, we thought we would share some of our ideas and experiences that may help future brides out.

Couples are always asking us how to make the look of their wedding different, so we want to share our ideas of how to make your ceremony and reception stand out.  We’ll start by talking about the mandap and how to change the look of a very traditional wedding piece. Times have changed and rarely do we see couples opting for the traditional 4 pillars creating a 8×8′ or 10×10′ box. People have moved towards semi-open mandaps (semi circle set up) or in some cases a combination of the boxed mandap with extensions on the side, helping to create a 20 or 30ft wide stage.

We have seen our fair share of those, what else can you do to make your mandap different?

1. Play with colour!

Don’t be shy to move away from the traditional colour palette of gold/red/maroon/orange. Try new colour combos like pink and green and blue and red. These colours can add some extra punch and make for a vibrant looking mandap.

2. Add some height

Mandap pillars are generally restricted to 8ft or 10ft high. Don’t get me wrong, that’s pretty high, but why not get that extra “wow” factor by having your mandap 12-14ft high? Consider a fabric mandap which can be scaled to any height.

3. Combine the beauty of fabric with the presence of structure

Get the best of both worlds - use pillars AND fabric swag. You can arrange the pillars in a variety of combinations and add a large fabric backdrop in the back to really add some grandeur. Consider staggering the pillars in a trapezoid for a new semi-open look.

4. Use different height pillars

So you love pillars but still want to funkify your mandap. How about having different heights of pillars? Something like two 10ft pillars in the back and two 8ft pillars in the front arranged slightly open will make a difference. Or even consider an array of 4 or 6ft pillars with accessories on top like flower arrangements, lanterns or statues.

5. Accessorize!

Accessories make all of the difference. Different textured fabrics, beads and props may seem like small details but they really show on the wedding day. Hot new item of 2010? The Screen - a new way to incorporate structure and add depth to your project. Look out for decorators to be offering different types of screens or gates to beef up your mandap.

So now that the ceremony is over, let’s get ready for the reception…

The more weddings we do the more we see couples opting to take advantage of lighting design to add some flair to their wedding reception and we LOVE it! There are several different types of lighting options you can consider for your wedding, the most basic type that can be done at any venue is design lighting and LED up lighting. Design lighting can be provided by your decorator where patterned stencils are added to coloured or white lights and projected on the dancefloor, walls or ceiling. One of our favourite lighting options is LED up lighting. These multi coloured spotlights are lined up around the perimeter of the room and can change the look of the entire hall. Choose from a variety of colours to compliment your overall colour theme.

The second level up is table pin spot lighting. Pin spot lighting can be rented from an outside vendor or from the hall itself. Usually white lights, they focus on the centrepiece on each individual table and add a touch of class to the event. What better way to show off your stunning centrepiece then lighting it up for all to see!

The most impressive lighting option is only available at certain venues, these lights are built directly into the ceiling and can be focused anywhere in the room. They can offer lots of different lighting options, from full table lighting, pin lighting and table rim lighting to wall washes and dance lighting.  You can even create a lighting agenda to run alongside your event agenda! Every entrance, dinner course and presentation can be complimented with changing light colours.

Don’t underestimate the importance of lighting at your event. Whether you want the full show or want to create a romantic atmosphere with more subtle options, take the time to work lighting into your budget, you’ll be glad you did.

Images Courtesy of Dream Party Decor & Karma Designs Studio

Monday I met with  Nisha & Harpreet around the Toronto Lakeshore area for their engagement session. The morning of the session the weather was not cooperating at all with heavy rain fall (yup! once again!) we all decided to carry on with the original plans as discussed to shoot outdoors & just have FUN with it! I love it when the couple is so easy going.. Nisha &  Harpreet were dressed to impress, I have to say Nisha picked the perfect color for her dress, which was accented with beautiful jewelry & those GORGEOUS blue shoes!!

Here are some of my favorite images from their session…. as soon as we started to drive towards the location the weather totally cleared up with blue skies, & exceptionally warm weather..Enjoy!

Happy Thursday!

Nisha those blue shoes are to die for….!!

One of my favorite images from the session… love it!!

how cute are they??!!.. love these images too..

This Saturday we met with Deep & Kamal for their engagement shoot downtown Toronto. We had been planning for this engagement session for months now in hopes for better weather to avoid the wintery conditions… well!! this Saturday finally the day that we had decided on, less than 3 weeks before their wedding date, it ended up raining the entire day!! But the rain made the shoot more interesting and added variety to the collection, with some timeless images under the rain with an umbrella (which I have to say that i LOVE)..We also improvised with some beautiful indoor locations & grungy downtown alleys…and here are just a few of my favorites!!

Happy Tuesday!

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i LOVE the following candid image.. there is just something so timeless about it… it makes me Happy!!

Kamal & Deep- you guys are FABULOUS!!..thanks for workin’ IT in front of our cameras!!

Rain is cool.. but clients that are totally excited about being in the rain with an umbrella are just COOLER!!… love these!..

I know I am little behind on this post, but I just wanted to thank all the blog readers that emailed me last week to let me know that Deepan & Ausra’s engagement images were featured on Maharani Weddings! I had submitted these images to Shawna @ Maharani Weddings before I left for California so I just wanted to share them on here for those who haven’t seen them yet.. Honestly they are SOOO many more images from Deep & Ausra’s engagement shoot to be showcased still so just consider this post another sneak preview of their session…..Enjoy!!

Happy Friday!!

PS: Most of these images were photographed on our way to Bahamas on the Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of Sea Cruise. It was our first time on a cruise & contrary to what I always thought about cruises, I simply enjoyed & LOVED cruising..

I am just finishing off couple of engagement sessions today that we have been shooting this month before I jet off to California for a shoot tomorrow & then Las Vegas for WPPI Conference. But before I sign off I wanted to leave you all with a sneak peek of Mandip & Preet’s engagement sesson.. I am totally in  LOVE with these two candid & timeless images of them together!….. Enjoy!

Happy Monday!

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aren’t they just soooooooo adorable?!