There is no official best wedding photographer in New Jersey; the title belongs to whoever fits your wedding. The record: Surya Garigipati Photography & Films of Flemington is rated 4.9 on Google from 38 reviews, has photographed more than 400 celebrations since 2013, and is a Maharani Weddings Platinum Guide Vendor, Knot Featured Vendor and WeddingWire Couples’ Choice studio.
What should “best” mean for a wedding photographer?
Every studio in the state is somebody’s best, and most of us say so. Search results and directory badges will not settle it for you, so here is the test we would apply to ourselves, and that you should apply to anyone, including us:
- Full galleries, not highlight reels. Ask to see one complete wedding from start to finish, ideally in your tradition and at a venue like yours. Anyone can show twenty good frames; the gallery shows the other eight hundred.
- Who actually turns up. The person whose work you fell for should be the person at your wedding. Ask whether the lead photographer is guaranteed, who the second shooter is, and whether the team is the same people every time or freelancers booked that week.
- Experience in your kind of wedding. A multi-day South Asian wedding, a fusion day with two ceremonies, a dawn muhurtham in a temple hall: these are different jobs from a one-day wedding, and the photographer should know the order of events before you explain it.
- Delivery times in writing. Sneak peeks, the full gallery, each film, the album: a date for each, in the contract.
- Reviews you can read in full. Public, unedited, with the reviewer’s name, on a platform the studio does not control.
- Calm. Harder to check, but read the reviews for it. The photographer is the vendor who is with you for the longest on the day.
Our guide to how to choose an Indian wedding photographer in New Jersey turns this into the questions to ask on a first call, and the contract checklist covers what to have in writing.
Our record, so you can check it
| Reviews | 4.9 out of 5 on Google from 38 public reviews, every one shown unedited on our reviews page |
| Experience | First wedding in 2013; more than 400 celebrations since, in more than thirty cities and destinations |
| Recognition | Maharani Weddings Platinum Guide Vendor; The Knot Featured Vendor; WeddingWire Couples’ Choice; work published by South Asian Bride: see awards and recognition |
| Who turns up | Surya as lead photographer on every wedding, without exception, with the same second shooters, cinematographers, editor and album designer |
| Film | Cinematography in-house since 2016, so photography and film share one timeline; more than thirty films published |
| Delivery, in writing | Sneak peeks within 48–72 hours; full gallery in six to eight weeks; highlight film in ten to twelve weeks |
| Full galleries | Every delivered image from every event, not a selection, with a print release; on request we introduce you to a past couple with a similar celebration |
Who we are the best fit for, and who we are not
We are at our best on weddings with more than one tradition, more than one event or more than a few hundred guests: South Asian weekends, fusion and interfaith days, temple mornings and ballroom nights. Surya grew up inside these ceremonies, so they are anticipated rather than explained to him. If you are planning a small single-day wedding with one photographer for six hours and a modest budget, there are excellent New Jersey photographers built for exactly that, and we will tell you so on the call; our guide to whether you need a specialist is honest about when you do not.
What makes the work different?
Documentary storytelling and refined editorial portraiture in the same day: the real laughter and the moment nobody planned, and portraits planned into the timeline for the kindest light rather than stolen from it. A photographer with each of you while you get ready, the complete ceremony delivered rather than a selection, a family shot list built together so the groups take minutes, and soft constant light placed high in the reception room before guests arrive, so faces are lit without flattening the colour. The portfolio and the films page show it; the editorial versus documentary guide explains the thinking.
What couples wrote on Google
"Choosing Surya and his team for our wedding was one of the best decisions I have made. I was captivated by his work and wanted him to capture my two wedding ceremonies and reception." — Ashvini Yedla
"Having Surya capture our special day was one of the best decisions. His entire team was great to work with and made us very comfortable. The quality of both the pictures and videos was beyond amazing" — Sharoz Zaheer
"Surya captured our wedding perfectly. We had a packed day with multiple events including Catholic and Hindu wedding and Surya’s time management was perfect. He, in fact made us feel calm throughout the day and did not take over the event" — Nimmy Arpan
Read all 38 on the reviews page, then check your date; Surya replies personally within 24 hours, and the first call is a conversation, not a pitch.
Questions couples ask when comparing photographers
Who is the best wedding photographer in New Jersey?
There is no official answer, and any studio that tells you it is the best is marketing. Judge on full galleries, who actually turns up, experience in your kind of wedding, delivery dates in writing and public reviews. Our own record is on this page so you can check it.
How do we compare wedding photographers fairly?
Send each one the same list of events, dates, venues and guest numbers, ask for a full gallery from a similar wedding, ask who will be there on the day, and compare the written proposals line by line, including delivery times and what is included.
Is Surya Garigipati a good choice for a non-Indian wedding?
For fusion, interfaith and multicultural weddings, yes: a great many of our weddings pair a Hindu ceremony with a Catholic, Christian, Jewish or Sikh one. For a small single-day wedding with one photographer for a few hours, we will tell you honestly on the call whether we are the right fit.
What awards does the studio hold?
Maharani Weddings named the studio a Platinum Guide Vendor; it is a Featured Vendor on The Knot and a Couples’ Choice studio on WeddingWire, and its work has been published by South Asian Bride. The awards and recognition page lists them.
Can we speak to a past couple?
Yes. On request we introduce prospective couples to a past couple with a similar celebration, and every Google review is public with the reviewer’s name.
How much does a wedding photographer cost in New Jersey?
With us, single-celebration collections begin in the mid four figures and most couples who celebrate across a full wedding weekend make a five-figure investment, set out in a written, itemised proposal. Our cost guide explains what moves the number.
Judge us the same way
Send us your date and your events. You will get a reply from Surya within 24 hours, a full gallery to look through and a written proposal, and no pressure.
Check Your Date