Surya Garigipati Photography & Films photographs desi weddings — Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Nepali and Sri Lankan celebrations — from a studio in Flemington, New Jersey, across New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania and further afield. Since 2013 Surya has photographed more than 400 South Asian celebrations, the studio is rated 4.9 on Google by 38 families, and photography and film come from one team that works from one shot list.
What does a desi wedding photographer do differently?
"Desi" is the word the diaspora uses for itself — people whose families came from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal or Sri Lanka — and a desi wedding is rarely one event. It is a mehndi with its own light, a dholki or sangeet that runs late, a baraat that arrives with a dhol, a ceremony with its own rules, and a reception or walima that has to feel like a different night entirely. A photographer who has to be told what comes next is always a second behind. Surya grew up inside these traditions, so the moment is anticipated rather than chased, and you never have to explain your own ceremony to the person photographing it.
The work sits between documentary storytelling — the aunties running the show from the second row, the groom's shoes disappearing — and editorial portraiture that belongs on a wall. Our guide to editorial and documentary wedding photography explains how the two sit together in one gallery.
Which desi wedding events do you photograph?
We photograph the whole weekend, and each event gets its own plan:
| Event | What we are there for | Typical coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Mehndi, mayun, haldi or pithi | The hands, the turmeric, the family at home | One photographer, window light; a cinematographer if film is booked |
| Dholki, sangeet or garba | The performances and the dance floor | Photographer and cinematographer, our own light on the floor |
| Baraat and milni | The groom's arrival, the dhol, the two families meeting | Two photographers — one ahead facing back, one inside the procession |
| Nikah | The ijab-e-qubool, the signing, the families' duas | Lead and second photographer, quiet and unobtrusive |
| Hindu ceremony or Anand Karaj | The pheras and the saptapadi, or the four laavan at the gurdwara | Lead and second photographer, cinematographer; no flash where the temple or gurdwara asks |
| Rukhsati, vidaai or doli | The bride leaving her family's home | One photographer close to the bride, one with the parents |
| Walima or reception | The entrance, the speeches, the dance floor | Two photographers and film, the speeches recorded in full |
Our Hindu wedding and Sikh wedding pages go through those ceremonies in detail, our guide to planning your baraat for photographs covers the arrival, and our mehndi and haldi guide shows how to set a room up for the camera.
Can you photograph two ceremonies — a nikah and a Hindu ceremony — in one weekend?
Yes. Fusion weddings are one of the most common shapes of celebration we cover: most often a Hindu ceremony with a Catholic or Christian one, sometimes Hindu and Jewish, Hindu and Sikh, or a nikah alongside a Hindu ceremony. Each ceremony is given the respect of its own timeline, and one team carries both so the gallery reads as one story. Our guide to fusion and interfaith wedding photography walks through a two-ceremony day.
How does a multi-day desi wedding work with one team?
- Every event, one story. Mehndi, sangeet or dholki, baraat, ceremony and reception covered by a team that knows both families by the final day.
- The right team. Two to five photographers depending on scale, plus cinematographers, so both families' mornings are covered and someone is always at the door when the baraat arrives.
- Planned properly. A timeline call, a family shot list built together, and the venue's and the temple's or mosque's rules confirmed before the day.
- Delivered with care. Sneak peeks within 48–72 hours, the full gallery in six to eight weeks, a private gallery with every image, a print release, and heirloom albums designed with you.
Collections are built around your real event list rather than a block of hours; the investment page explains how, and our guide to Indian wedding photography packages shows what a multi-day package should include.
Do you film desi weddings as well?
Yes. Cinematography has been in-house since 2016, so the film team and the photographers work from one shot list and nobody stands in anybody's frame. Couples receive a four-to-six-minute highlight film, a twenty-to-thirty-minute feature film with the vows and speeches in full, vertical social cuts, and on a wedding weekend a same-day edit screened at the reception. Our Indian wedding videographer page explains each one, and the films page has real weddings to watch.
Where do you photograph desi weddings?
Home is New Jersey — the halls of Edison, Fords and Somerset, the temples and gurdwaras of Bridgewater, Robbinsville and Carteret, and the waterfront of Jersey City. Travel within 90 miles of the state is included in every collection, which covers New York City, Long Island and Philadelphia. Beyond that we photograph in Virginia and the DMV, across the East Coast and nationwide, and destination weddings are quoted per event with flights and stay written into the proposal.
What does a desi wedding photographer cost?
No two of our weddings have cost the same, because a two-hundred-guest nikah and a six-hundred-guest, four-day weekend need different teams. Single-celebration collections begin in the mid four figures, and most couples who celebrate across a full wedding weekend make a five-figure investment. The number moves with the days and events, the size of the team, film, guest scale, albums and travel, and every couple receives a written, itemised proposal before deciding anything. Our guide to what an Indian wedding photographer costs in New Jersey shows the wider market.
What couples wrote on Google
Every review below is a public Google review, published under the family's own account. The rest are on the reviews page.
"What an amazing experience with Suriya Ji photography and Videography. Big THANK YOU. He and his team is simply amazing. We had a very unique request as we went to NJ…" — ZAKI KHANZADA
"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
"It was wonderful experience working with Surya - very creative, punctual and suggests and listens to our ideas. He puts utmost effort in providing a stunning memories in photos and video…" — Latha Ramraj
Questions desi couples ask us
Do you photograph Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Nepali and Sri Lankan weddings as well as Indian ones?
Yes — we photograph desi weddings of every faith and country of origin: the mehndi and dholki, the baraat, the nikah, the rukhsati and the walima, as well as Hindu pheras and the Sikh Anand Karaj. Surya grew up inside South Asian wedding traditions, and the rituals of each are planned for before the day, never explained to us during it.
Can you cover a nikah and a Hindu ceremony on the same weekend?
Yes. A nikah alongside a Hindu ceremony is one of the fusion weddings we cover regularly, with a Catholic, Jewish or Sikh ceremony the other common pairings. Each ceremony keeps its own timeline and its own rules, and one team carries both so the gallery reads as one story.
How many photographers come to a desi wedding?
Two to five depending on scale, plus cinematographers. Surya is the lead photographer on every wedding, with a second photographer at minimum, so both families' mornings are covered and someone is always at the door when the baraat arrives. The team is the same people each time, introduced to you by name.
Do you cover the mehndi and the dholki as well as the wedding day?
Yes. The Wedding Weekend collection covers every event — mehndi or mayun, haldi, dholki or sangeet, baraat, ceremony and reception or walima — as one continuous story, and single events can be added to any collection. Coverage is priced by event, not by the hour.
Do you travel outside New Jersey for desi weddings?
Yes. Travel within 90 miles of New Jersey — all of the state, New York City, Long Island and Philadelphia — is included in every collection. Continental US travel is included in the Wedding Weekend collection, and international destinations are quoted per event with flights and stay written openly into the proposal.
How much does a desi wedding photographer cost?
With us, a single celebration — a nikah, a reception or a sangeet on its own — begins in the mid four figures, and a full multi-day weekend is usually a five-figure investment. The number moves with the events, the team, film, guest scale, albums and travel, and you receive a written proposal itemised to the dollar before deciding anything.
Your desi wedding
Tell us your dates, your venue and the events on your list — we reply within a day with availability and a collection built for your weekend.
Check Your Date