A Sikh wedding asks two opposite things of a photographer. In the gurdwara it asks for stillness — head covered, shoes off, no flash, kneeling to the side while the raagis sing and the couple walk the four laavan around the Guru Granth Sahib. At the jaggo the night before and the reception the night after, it asks for the opposite: dhol, gatka, the bhangra floor at full tilt. Surya has photographed both sides of that day at gurdwaras and banquet halls across New Jersey for more than a decade.
The Anand Karaj, photographed properly
The ceremony has a rhythm you cannot improvise. The milni outside, family by family. The ardaas. The palla being placed in the bride's hands. Then the laavan — four verses, four walks around the Guru Granth Sahib — and the fourth is the moment the whole morning is built towards. We shoot from the side and the back, low and quiet, one photographer at the front corner and one behind the sangat, so the sardar's expression and the family's faces are both kept without a single flash, a single "look here", or a single step into the space that is not ours.
Then langar, and the portraits — the late-morning light outside a gurdwara is some of the best we get all year, and we plan twenty minutes for it before the doli.
Before and after the gurdwara
- Roka and chunni — small, at home, and often the most emotional photographs of the whole week.
- Jaggo and sangeet — the decorated pots, the dhol, the aunties who have been waiting all year for this; a dance floor lit so the photographs look like the night felt.
- Sehrabandi and baraat — the groom's morning, the sehra tied by his sisters, the ghodi, the dhol at the gurdwara gate.
- Doli and reception — the vidaai that leaves nobody dry-eyed, then a reception where the bhangra and the speeches both get their due.
Where we photograph Sikh weddings
We are based in Flemington, New Jersey; travel across New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania is included in every collection. Recent Anand Karaj ceremonies have taken us to gurdwaras in Bridgewater, Lawrenceville, Glen Rock and Carteret, and receptions to The Palace at Somerset Park, the Grand Marquis, Royal Albert's Palace, The Venetian and the Legacy Castle. For the light and logistics of each, see our guide to the best Indian wedding venues in New Jersey.
Films, not just photographs
Our cinematography team works alongside the photographers — never in their frame, never in the sangat's way — and delivers a highlight film cut to the music that actually played, plus a full ceremony edit so the laavan and the kirtan exist in full for the family. Explore the wedding films.
How a Sikh wedding weekend usually runs with us
| Day | Events | What we bring |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday | Chunni, maiyan or haldi at home | One photographer, natural light |
| Friday | Jaggo & sangeet | Photographer + cinematographer, the dance floor lit properly |
| Saturday | Sehrabandi, milni, Anand Karaj, langar, portraits, doli, reception | Lead + second photographer, cinematographer, no flash in the darbar hall |
| After | Delivery | Sneak peek within days, full gallery in weeks, film to follow |
Every collection is built around your real event list — see the investment page for how collections are structured, or read how to choose an Indian wedding photographer.
"The gurdwara committee said afterwards they did not notice the photographers once. The photographs say otherwise."
Questions Sikh couples ask us
Do you know how to photograph an Anand Karaj?
Yes. The ceremony has its own rules and its own rhythm — heads covered, shoes off, no flash in the darbar hall, and the four laavan walked around the Guru Granth Sahib while the raagis sing. We shoot from the side and the back, low and quiet, and we know the fourth laav is the moment. We have photographed Anand Karaj ceremonies at gurdwaras across New Jersey and New York.
Can you cover the gurdwara in the morning and the reception at night?
That is the normal Sikh wedding day for us: the milni and the ceremony in the morning, langar, portraits in the afternoon light, then a reception at a banquet hall with the bhangra floor lit properly. Two photographers and a cinematographer cover it without anyone being rushed.
Which gurdwaras and venues in New Jersey have you photographed at?
Gurdwaras in Bridgewater, Lawrenceville, Glen Rock and Carteret among others, and receptions at The Palace at Somerset Park, the Grand Marquis, Royal Albert’s Palace, The Venetian and the Legacy Castle. If yours is not on the list we visit it before the day.
How many events should we plan to have photographed?
Most Sikh weddings we photograph run three days — the chunni or roka and the jaggo or sangeet, the Anand Karaj, and the reception. Collections are built around your actual event list rather than a set number of hours.
Your Sikh wedding
Tell us your dates, your gurdwara and your venue — we reply within a day with availability and a collection built for your weekend.
Check Your Date