Mehnaz and I were friends in fourth grade. To be honest, I remember very little about how we were as kids, but I do remember the friendship we had. Photographing her wedding was a great opprtunity for me to learn Mehnaz & Manny as a couple…I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. Mehnaz looked that incredibly gorgeous on her wedding day! And Manny, not to forget, were gorgeously handsom in his traditional groom’s attire. The couple took the stage and graced the evening with their looks, charm and modesty. It was a beautiful evening, created by and for a beautiful couple.

The reception took place in a brand new location in Phoenix, San Tan Elegant ball room. Manny’s entrace was an epic moment for me for many reasons…1) the groom was riding a horse and was escorted by his family and friends and a group of Bhangra dancers from Los Angeles 2) hundred some people from bride’s side was holding the gate for the groom for money (this is a tradition in every Bengali wedding) … 3) I was squeezing in to the crowd to capture groom’s cash-giving moments and my 24-70L lens feel off the camera, right in front the groom!!! It was quite embarassing when the groom had to pick up the lens, but the good news is no one was hurt!
The night was perfect. The music, the dance scores, food, decores, the people were amazing! The party ended with the departure of Mehnaz and Manny in a vintage Rolls Royce. This was an emotional moment for the parents’ to let go of their daughter. The entire community blessed the couple and waved them good bye.

Mehnaz & Manny — I’m so glad I was there to witness and capture your most special moments. I don’t think I can explain how I feel! Best wishes and lots of love…xoxo.

This brand new location was beautiful inside and out. The main hall was beautifully decoated by the friends and families, especially the stage for bride and groom was incredible! It’s really hard to find the traditional decores in the west. Most of the items were brought in from South Asia or Middle East at different times by different people. Putting it all together and making it look so gorgeous is a true work of art. Friends and families rocked the evening with awesome music and dance performances. They were all there to show Mehnaz & Manny their love and support.

Enjoy some highights from Mehnaz & Manny’s Bangladeshi Holud Ceremony, where friends and family bless the couple before the big event. This is when the festivities begins. Yellow is the main color of the day. Usually people wear bright, festive colors to add more to the already-colorful day. This is my most favorite of all the Bangladeshi events. I have had the joy of witnessing and capturing the moments from this day that I hope will bring the memories back to Mehnaz & Manny for many, many…years to come.

It’s the holiday season again. Looks like this year’s turkey day is going to be a quiet one, although I still plan on cooking something special. I’m sorta bummed that I won’t get to go on my dream vacation in December due to lack of planning and overpriced air tickets. But I still wanna take a trip somewhere, possibly tropical, to escape from miserable Sac weather.

I have one more wedding coming up right after the Thanksgiving, so excited about this one! After that I’ll say bye bye to the wedding season this year. I also realized that I never shared the part II of the wedding I shot in Boston. Here’s a few …