Surya Garigipati Photography & Films is an Indian wedding videographer based in Flemington, New Jersey, filming across New Jersey, New York City and Philadelphia. Cinematography has been in-house since 2016, so the film team and the photographers work from one shot list, and every wedding is captured in 4K on multiple cameras with the vows and every speech recorded in full. Couples receive a four-to-six-minute highlight film, a twenty-to-thirty-minute feature film and, on a wedding weekend, a same-day edit screened at the reception that night.
What does an Indian wedding videographer actually film?
An Indian wedding is not one event, and a film that only shows the ceremony misses most of it. Our cinematographers film the whole arc of the weekend, and each event asks for something different:
- Haldi or pithi — the turmeric, the laughter and the mess, usually at home in the morning; we work with the window light and stay close.
- Mehndi — the hands, the artist at work and the conversations around her, with the detail that photographs cannot hold: the sound of the room.
- Sangeet or garba — the performances in full, lit properly, so the cousins' dance is watchable and not a dark blur.
- Baraat — the dhol and the dancing from inside the procession, and the milni at the door.
- Ceremony — the mandap or the darbar hall from more than one camera, the pheras, the laavan or the nikah, with the priest's words and your vows recorded cleanly.
- Reception — the entrance, the first dance, every speech from start to finish, and the dance floor until the end.
Our guide to the Indian wedding weekend, hour by hour shows how the days fit together, and the films page has real weddings to watch.
Highlight film, feature film or same-day edit — which do you need?
| Film | What it is | Length | When it arrives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highlight film | The whole celebration, scored to music — the one you share and rewatch every anniversary | Four to six minutes | Ten to twelve weeks |
| Feature film | The vows, the speeches and the ceremony in full — the version your parents sit down and watch | Twenty to thirty minutes | About three weeks after the highlight |
| Same-day edit | The morning and the ceremony, cut on site and screened at the reception that night | About three minutes | The same evening |
| Social cuts | Vertical edits for Instagram and Reels | Short | Alongside the main film |
The same-day edit is included in the Wedding Weekend collection and available as an add-on to any other. Most couples choose the highlight and the feature together: one to share, one to keep.
How big is the film team, and do you fly a drone?
The cinematographers work beside the photographers at every event, and the ceremony and reception are filmed on multiple cameras so the edit can cut between the mandap, the families and the room. The team is sized to the celebration — two to five photographers depending on scale, plus the cinematographers — and it is the same people each time, introduced to you by name before the day. A licensed drone is used wherever the venue and the law allow; much of the airspace around Manhattan and the airports is restricted, so we check your date and location in advance and tell you honestly.
How do you record the vows and the speeches?
Sound is what separates a wedding film from a slideshow. Lapel microphones go on the couple and the officiant, a feed runs from the DJ's board, and the recording runs throughout, so the vows and every speech are captured in full even if the highlight film only uses a line from each. You choose the music; where a track cannot be licensed for public use we deliver two versions, your song for private viewing and a licensed cut you can post anywhere.
How does the film team work alongside the photographers?
We brought cinematography in-house in 2016 for one reason: when photography and film come from two vendors, they stand in each other's frame at the mandap. With one team there is one shot list, one timeline and one planning call, and the photographer and the cinematographer know where the other will be at the jaimala, the pheras and the first look. Our guide to fifteen questions to ask an Indian wedding videographer covers what to check with any studio before you sign.
Where do you film Indian weddings?
Home is New Jersey, and travel within 90 miles of the state is included in every collection — which covers all of New Jersey, New York City, Long Island, Westchester and Philadelphia. Beyond that we film across the East Coast and nationwide, and continental US travel is included in the Wedding Weekend collection. Our guide to Indian wedding videography in New York City explains how we film in the city.
Which films can we watch?
Five real weddings are on the films page, and more than thirty films are published on our YouTube channel:
- Bharat & Bhuvana — Gaylord National Resort
- Kasturi & Benjamin — Hyatt Regency Waterfront, Jersey City
- Spoorthi & Richard — The Palace at Somerset Park
- Isha & Rahul — Perona Farms, New Jersey
- Alex & Vyshnavi — a same-day edit
What does an Indian wedding videographer cost?
Film is part of the Wedding Day and Wedding Weekend collections rather than a separate price list, and collections are built around your real event list, not a block of hours. Single-celebration collections begin in the mid four figures and most couples who celebrate across a full weekend make a five-figure investment, set out in a written, itemised proposal. The investment page explains what moves the number, and our guide to what an Indian wedding videographer costs in New Jersey shows how to compare quotes fairly.
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.
"Beautiful photos, great photography and videography and very professional! We had the best experience with Surya! He did our Sangeeth, Haldhi, Bridal and Groom ceremonies and of course our Wedding ceremony…" — Jyothi B
"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 and his team was amazing to work with! They were able to capture all of the beautiful moments of our wedding! Everyone made us so comfortable and were easy to work with! We can’t stop looking at all the pictures and videos!!" — Karthiyayini Mahendrakumar
Questions couples ask us about wedding films
Do you film Indian weddings in New York City and Philadelphia as well as New Jersey?
Yes. Travel within 90 miles of New Jersey is included in every collection, and that covers New York City, Long Island, Westchester and Philadelphia. Manhattan ballrooms, Queens halls and the Hudson waterfront are part of a normal season for the film team, and we plan the city timeline with a buffer on every move.
Do you record the full ceremony and the speeches?
Yes. Lapel microphones go on the couple and the officiant, a feed runs from the DJ's board, and multiple cameras film the ceremony and the reception. Your vows and every speech are captured in full and delivered in the feature film, even when the highlight film uses only a line from each.
Will the videographer get in the way of the photographer?
No, because they are the same team. Cinematography has been in-house since 2016, so photography and film work from one shot list agreed in advance, and nobody stands in front of anybody at the mandap. That is the reason we never sub-contract film.
Can we choose the music for our wedding film?
Yes, and most couples do. Send us the song that matters to you and we build the edit around it. Where a track cannot be licensed for public distribution we deliver two versions: your song for private viewing, and a licensed cut you can post anywhere.
How long until we receive our films?
The highlight film arrives in ten to twelve weeks, the feature film about three weeks after it, and the social cuts alongside the main film. A same-day edit is, by definition, screened at the reception the same night. Photographs come sooner: sneak peeks within 48–72 hours and the full gallery in six to eight weeks.
Do you use a drone at Indian weddings?
Where the venue and the law allow it, yes — a licensed drone for the baraat, the grounds and the venue from above. The airspace around Manhattan and the airports is tightly controlled, so on much of the New York waterfront it is not possible; we check your date and location in advance and tell you honestly.
Your wedding film
Tell us your dates, your venue and the events on your list — we reply within a day with availability and a collection with photography and film from one team.
Check Your Date