The Imperia on Easton Avenue in Somerset, NJ, is a Central Jersey banquet house that hosts South Asian weddings most weekends, minutes from the Bridgewater temples. Several rooms of different sizes host the ceremony and the reception under one roof. We light the mandap in advance, use the entrance for the baraat and plan thirty minutes of daylight portraits nearby.
The Imperia comes up in almost every Somerset County conversation about where to hold an Indian wedding, and for a simple reason: it is on Easton Avenue, minutes from the Sri Venkateswara and Balaji temples in Bridgewater and from the families of Somerset, Franklin and Piscataway, and it hosts South Asian weddings most weekends of the year. This is how we plan a wedding there for the photographs, from the morning to the last dance.
What is The Imperia like for an Indian wedding?
A banquet house with several rooms rather than one great hall, which makes it flexible: a ceremony in one room and the reception in another on the same day, a mid-size wedding in a single room with a flip, or a sangeet on the Friday and the wedding on the Saturday under the same roof. The house is used to the mandap, the havan, the baraat at the door and a reception that starts at nine, and the catering works with Indian menus. Rooms differ a good deal, so visit on an evening when one is set and ask for the capacity of each with a stage and a dance floor in place.
- The ballrooms. Different sizes for different guest lists; the larger rooms take a mandap at one end and a stage at the other.
- The entrance. Where the baraat arrives and the families meet; we agree the route with the venue beforehand.
- The getting-ready rooms. We ask early which rooms each side will use and photograph the details by the brightest window.
- The foyer and the grounds. For family portraits when the schedule is tight, and twenty minutes of daylight when the weather is kind.
How does the light work at The Imperia?
Like most Central Jersey banquet rooms, the ballrooms are lit warmly from above and uplit in the wedding colour, which looks wonderful to the eye and needs help on camera. We set two or three soft lights around the mandap before the family sits down, so the ceremony reads as daylight and the colours of the outfits stay true; for the reception our light goes on the floor and the stage and the room's own light does the rest. The couple portraits happen outside in the afternoon, on the grounds or at one of the parks along the Raritan a short drive away, and those thirty minutes are where the frames for the wall come from.
A photography timeline for a wedding day here
| When | What | Our note |
|---|---|---|
| Friday evening | Sangeet or garba in a ballroom | Two photographers; stage lit from the front |
| Saturday, 8:00 | Getting ready | One photographer with each side |
| Saturday, 10:00 | Baraat at the entrance, milni at the door | Sun behind the groom; families in a half-circle |
| Saturday, 11:00 | Ceremony | Mandap lit before the family arrives; wide frames from the back |
| Saturday, 13:30 | Family portraits, lunch | Twelve groups from a list |
| Saturday, 16:00 | Couple portraits outside | Thirty minutes on the grounds or by the river |
| Saturday, 19:00 | Reception | Entrance, speeches, first dance; our light on the floor |
If the ceremony is at a Bridgewater temple in the morning and the reception here in the evening, the timeline runs the same way with a drive in the middle; our Somerset County page covers the temples, and the ceremony timeline guide shows the morning hour by hour.
The baraat at the door
The baraat gathers at the far end of the approach and arrives at the entrance, with the bride's family waiting at the door for the milni. Agree the route, the start and the end with the venue, ask in writing about a horse, and time it so the sun is behind the groom. Our guide on how long a baraat takes has the rest.
A venue in the heart of Somerset County
The Imperia's real advantage is where it is: minutes from the temples of Bridgewater, the families of Somerset and Franklin, and the hotels along Route 287 where out-of-town guests stay. Our guide to the best Indian wedding venues in New Jersey puts it beside the Central Jersey halls it is most often compared with, The Palace at Somerset Park and Royal Albert's Palace, and the banquet halls guide lists what to ask each of them.
Practical notes
- See the room set. Rooms differ; visit on a weekend evening and ask for the capacity with a stage, a dance floor and a buffet.
- The havan, confirmed in writing as a contained flame.
- Two rooms or a flip? If the ceremony and the reception share a room, the turnover is our portrait hour; plan lunch for the guests in it.
- Portraits outside. Thirty minutes in the afternoon, with a park along the river as the backup.
- The overtime rate, before the night rather than during it.
The Imperia is the practical Somerset County choice: close to the temples, used to the rituals, flexible about rooms. We bring the light, and the album comes from the hour outside.
Frequently asked
Is The Imperia a good venue for an Indian wedding?
Yes. It is a Central Jersey banquet house on Easton Avenue in Somerset that hosts South Asian weddings most weekends, with several rooms for a ceremony and a reception under one roof, a house used to the mandap and the baraat, and catering that works with Indian menus. Ask for each room’s capacity with a stage and a dance floor in place.
Can the ceremony and the reception both be at The Imperia?
Yes, in two rooms on the same day or in one room with a turnover during the portraits and lunch. Many families also hold the ceremony at a Bridgewater temple in the morning and the reception here in the evening; we cover both with the same team.
Where do the couple portraits happen at The Imperia?
Outside in the afternoon, on the grounds when the weather is kind or at one of the parks along the Raritan a short drive away. We plan thirty minutes of daylight because no ballroom gives what late daylight does.
Have you photographed at The Imperia before?
We photograph across Somerset County and the whole of New Jersey every season. If we have not been to your venue recently, we walk it before the day, the ceremony room, the baraat route and where the light falls at your hour.
Getting married at The Imperia?
Tell us your date and that you are at this venue. We know the rooms, the light and the timings, and we reply within a day with availability and a collection built for your weekend.
Check Your Date