Indian Wedding

A Look Back: Shanu and Aman

Shanu was one of our brides from 2011 http://www.vincentandtheo.ca/amanjot-shanu. She and her husband, Aman, celebrated their union with an incredible Indian wedding. Recently, we caught up with them and they were kind enough to share their thoughts. You can read the full blog post at http://www.vincentandtheo.ca/a-look-back-shanu-and-aman.

One of the things that we strive to do is help our brides make informed decisions, from how to choose a videographer to how to make the most of your wedding video (and if there's anything else you'd like us to write about, please let us know). Sometimes it's nice to hear someone speak from a different perspective. Someone who's just been in your situation that you can relate to. Shanu was one of our brides from 2011 (Shanu + Amanjot). She and her husband, Aman, celebrated their union with an incredible Indian wedding. Recently, we caught up with them and they were kind enough to share their thoughts.

About the celebration and the emotion of their day...

Our wedding was epic - a tremendous Indian wedding that you plan for an entire year, celebrate in a short week, and move on from in just a day. So much goes in to it all... the arrangements, the people, the chaos that in the end becomes harmony. All of this, we move on from when the jubilee is over and normal life continues. But, the emotions that we and everybody close to us felt... we are able to remember and re-live, because it was all captured.

As the bride and groom, there is so much that we miss out on in our own wedding functions, believe it or not. It really is impossible to appreciate everything that is going on around us...the laughing faces of our family and closest friends, the whimsical dance moves by our grandfathers and uncles, and the tears of bliss and grief in our parents eyes as they watch their child enter a new era of their life.

When we watch and share our video, we remember the pureness of what we all felt during our wedding celebrations, and it all comes back. We are able to reminisce, re-live and treasure those moments and play back those memories forever.

Ideally, we would have a video of every milestone in our lives together.

About the impact their video has had on them...

*** In the following video, Shanu mentions both a 'short video' and a 'long video'. The 'short video' refers to the highlights video put together by our studio. The 'long video' refers to a real-time, minute-by-minute video produced by another studio. Shanu and Aman talk a bit more about their 'long video' here.

About the differences between their highlights video and their longer minute-by-minute real-time video from another studio...

We happen to be one of the lucky ones who had the best of both worlds - a traditional 8 disc DVD collection with hours and hours of stationary camera footage, and a unique short video of subtle yet such considerable moments.

Once we became settled in our lives together, we began to watch our traditional DVD collection to take a look back at our magical wedding weekend. Sadly it was monotonous, unnecessarily detailed and...well...boring.

It was appropriate to play at our first dinner party after our wedding, as background noise. Our friends and family members tuned in and out throughout the evening. It might also be entertaining to watch pieces of the collection 30 years down the road...how funny is it to watch videography styles from the 1980's today? In our personal experience through all of the many traditional DVD collections that exist in both of our families, it can be exhausting to watch more than once, and even that, never completely.

Our wedding was a weekend of moments in time that mark the beginning of a promenade between two people; between two families...together. It was a time that will be cherished so close to so many hearts, always.

Through our short video, we experience the magic as if it is a fresh feeling every time we watch it. It is always stimulating. It is always emotional.

In a single word, it is 'timeless'.

Of all of the generous gifts that were given to us as a new couple, and of all of the money that was spent on our festivities, our short video is, incomparably, the greatest representation of our wedding. It allows us to embrace our special time forever.

Sonia + Rav's Wedding Video, South Hall, Vancouver

For more information on this wedding, please visit www.vincentandtheo.ca/south-hall-wedding-video-vancouver-bc-2011-09-11. Music licensed through www.songfreedom.com.

Sonia & Rav's wedding was a fantastic celebration, capped off with a beautiful reception at South Hall Banquet & Wedding Palace in Vancouver, BC.

Sonia is honest. She tells it like it is. And though I personally like that, I can see how sometimes it might rub someone the wrong way. The funny thing is, it's the type of thing that might prevent someone from getting to know her. And that's a shame because beneath that outer layer of in-your-face honesty is this heart of gold.

Unfortunately I didn't get to spend as much time with Rav (or 'Rip' depending on how you know him) or his family because I was tied up filming Sonia's family. But you couldn't meet a nicer guy. Now I don't mean that in an "I don't really have a word to describe this guy so I'll go with 'nice'" kind of way. What I mean is that he's got a great heart. And when he speaks, he means what he says.

I guess that could be why they make such a great couple.

I'm so thankful to have been a part of their wedding, their families, and their lives.

Congratulations to you both.

Key Vendors:

Wedding Videography: Vincent + Theo Studios

Photography: Deo Studios

Bridal Attire

    Ladies' Party: Rani Fashions and Fabrics

    Wedding: Sunny's Bridal Gallery

    Reception: Almari Fashion Gallery

Hair & Makeup Artists Studio 26 by Racquel Lacson

    Ladies' Party: Leah Wendland of Studio 26 by Racquel Lacson

    Wedding: Navi Sandhu of Studio 26 by Racquel Lacson

    Reception: Thuy Denise Dinh of Studio 26 by Racquel Lacson

Decor: White Lotus Decor

Venues

    Ladies' Party: Fraserview Banquet Hall

    Wedding: Gurdwara Nanak Niwas

    Reception: South Hall Banquet & Wedding Palace

Amanjot + Shanu, Bollywood Banquet Hall Wedding Video

Two people who couldn't be more deserving of such a fantastic Indian Wedding celebration...Amanjot + Shanu. Filmed in Vancouver, BC.

I finally understood. I've heard an Indian bride's family speak about the roller coaster of emotions that they experience during a wedding. I've even attended other Indian weddings where I've known the couple getting married. But I've never understood it.

I'm used to the more traditional North American style weddings. The "happiest day of our lives" kind of event. So I never understood why it wasn't simply a joyous occasion for Indian families.

This time, though, I experienced it on a much more personal level. Shanu is like family to me. And for the first time, I could relate. I could feel the joy and celebration of her new life with Amanjot and his family. And I could relate to the heartache as the family she grew up with let her go to begin a new chapter of her life.

And it was a beautiful thing.

As with many Indian weddings, Amanjot and Shanu's festivities occurred over the course of a week. Events were held at Crown Palace Banquet Hall, Khalsa Diwan Society Ross Gurdwara, and Bollywood Banquet Hall. They also hosted several events at their personal residences. Kudos to Sunny at Sunam Event Services who did a fantastic job transforming the venues with lavish decor.

UPDATE March 5, 2012:

After almost nine months, we caught up with Shanu and Aman. And they were more than willing to share their thoughts on their wedding video. They talked about the moments their video helped them re-live and enjoy. And they touched on how their wedding video compared with the full documentary video they had another studio produce.

Find out what they said here.

Key Vendors:

Wedding Videography: Vincent + Theo Studios

Photography: Deo Studios

Bridal Attire: Nawaz Creations

Hair & Makeup Artist: Vi Sekhon

Decor: Sunam Event Services

Venues

    Mendhi: Crown Palace Banquet Hall     Wedding: Khalsa Diwan Society Ross Gurdwara

    Reception: Bollywood Banquet Hall