The night was filled with laughter. The air thick with love. The joyous atmosphere, palpable. Shalu and Abhi’s engagement party, held at Canada’s first Element Hotel in Vaughan was a an event to remember.
Shalu and Abhi’s families come from a Hindu background and their engagement party incorporated the traditional aspects of the religion. If you’re not familiar with Hindu beliefs, I would like to introduce you to Ganesh, the elephant deity that is possibly the most recognized symbol of Hinduism. As one of the five primary Hindu deities, Ganesh is the Lord of Success and destroys evil or obstacles when searching for wisdom and wealth.
Working as doctors in the mid-western United States, Shalu, Abhi and members of their family traveled all the way from Iowa to celebrate their engagement with their families. It was a rare and happy occasion to bring both the Toronto and Iowa-based families together. The engagement reception mirrored that of an actual wedding. Complete with a DJ and dance floor to end the night. The friends and family of the loving couple seemed ecstatic to see the happy couple engaged and committed to their future together
As a wedding photographer, this was my first time working in the Element Hotel in Vaughan. The Element is new to Canada and is a beautifully decorated, modern hotel with all the amenities you could ever wish for. The hotel staff members were very helpful and friendly. The options at Element are endless for hosting events from weddings to conferences. I was pleased with my experience.
As part of the Hindu tradition, the bride and groom were showered with gifts while sitting in a love seat, decorated beautifully to highlight the couple. The bride received gifts of jewelry, sweets, fruits and clothes from the groom’s family and the groom received similar gifts from her family.
At the end of the night, I was able to capture the reflective thoughts of the happy couple during our post event photo session. The romantic feel of these photos is proof that Shalu and Abhi have chemistry together that’s unmatchable.
“Marriage is the union of two divinities that
a third might be born on earth.
It is the union of two souls in a strong love
for the abolishment of separateness.
It is the higher unity which fuses the separate
unities within the two spirits.
It is the golden ring in a chain whose beginning
is a glance and whose ending is eternity.
It is the pure rain that falls from an
unblemished sky to fructify and bless the fields
of divine nature.” ~ Unknown
Photos taken by Dragi Andovski, published ©2014 DA Photography
Engagement Reception and Ceremony Location: Element Hotel, Vaughan, ON
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My passion and biggest asset is taking the time to make every client comfortable and relaxed before I even pick up the camera. The result? Photos of you that actually look like you at your best! I can prove to you how much you can enjoy having your picture taken. Lifestyle photography is about the experience that happens to be served up along side of some great photos.
Specialties:
Family Photography for families that like to move around and enjoy their photo time, Wedding Photography for couples looking for a mixture of photojournalistic, contemporary and traditional images and Professional Corporate headshots that are far from cheesy and stiff.