Hindu and Sikh. Gujarati and Punjabi. Kenya and Canada. Held together with love, seamlessly.
Of Rain, Snow, Mountains – A Winter Wonderland
Snow underfoot at Mount Seymour. Quiet corridors at Khalsa Diwan Society Vancouver. Glass, light, and reflection at Fairmont Pacific Rim. And in between it all, people we have now known for over 10 years.
Vancouver in December has a reputation. Rain that lingers, skies that hesitate. But this wedding moved differently. Every time we stepped out, the clouds eased. The light arrived. The Photography Gods smiled upon us.
Mt Seymour, a Winter Wonderland
At Mt Seymour, Aashmali and Manraj braved blistering cold conditions, red noses, freezing temperatures, coffee breaks in the canteen, and even a wardrobe adjustment with thermals to keep going.
The browns and creams we chose sat gently against a snow-draped landscape, with spruce trees heavy with fresh powder.
A Story Years in the Making
We first met Aashmali at her sister’s wedding in 2023. Mali being the protective younger sister that she is told us we were taking too long with portraits. We remember smiling, finishing the shoot, and later watching her fall in love with those very images.
From Kunali and Shrikant’s wedding in 2016 to Mali and Manraj’s wedding in 2026, our journey with the Patels has been more about relationships than weddings.
It was absolutely wonderful to catch up with Priyal, Shruti, Akith, Shamal, Kunali, Rohan, Tia, Ashini, Jaimini Aunty, Amit Uncle, Harish Uncle, Munna, Shivali, and everyone else. Of course, we really missed Meha and Shrikant.
Aashmali & Manraj
Mali and Munz are like jigsaw pieces that fit together.
Mali notices everything. Details, timings, the way things should move.
Manraj lets things unfold. Calm, steady, never rushed.
Together, it works. A natural balance.
The Lambo Light
Manraj’s solo portrait almost didn’t happen the way we imagined. Devin parked the Lamborghini at the perfect spot and even got Manraj to come out for the photo. Everything was ready now. The Lamborghini, the frame, the composition. But the shot was tough because it was in a crowded parking lot with guests waiting, other cars needing to go through and we could hear voices “Where is Manraj?”. While doing a base angle, after getting the entire pose perfect, there was still one factor missing – good light on Manraj’s face. But God has always blessed us with good light and great weather. As soon as we were ready to take the shot, the clouds parted just a little bit and a ray of golden light hit Manraj’s face. We took one shot, and then the light was gone. Perfect lighting! Divine intervention!
The Anand Karaj, Quiet and Personal
For the Sikh ceremony at the Khalsa Diwan Society Gurdwara, everything slowed. An Anand Karaj has a rhythm that gently pulls you in. And within that stillness, something deeply personal unfolds.
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The Hindu Ceremony
At Fairmont Pacific Rim, the Hindu wedding brought movement and rituals layered with meaning.
Two ceremonies. Two distinct textures.
Hindu and Sikh. Gujarati and Punjabi. Kenya and Canada. Seamlessly, held together with love.
The People Who Made It Whole
Harprit and the team at Always & Forever Weddings held the entire experience with care and intention. Thorough professionals and paying attention to every detail – it was an absolute pleasure to work alongside them.
Sach, Manraj’s brother-in-law, was very kind and generous with his words, time and actions. He would always understand a challenge without the need to explain it because of his empathy. Very sweet to book us an Uber when our app was malfunctioning and he wouldn’t settle for anything less than an Uber Black. His family very generously opened their home for us to do Manraj and Mali’s couple shoot after the Anand Karaj. We spoke very briefly to his sister, Rose, as well, and everything about them reflected a strong character and wonderful upbringing.
Devin, Manraj’s brother – what a guy! Hilarious without even trying! Can easily give any standup comic a run for their money – or perhaps the topic was great – Manraj. But also ensured Manraj’s solo portraits with the Lamborghini happened. And was a sweetheart to carry our light equipment in his pickup truck for the Jaggo function.
Marcela, Devin’s wife, filled every space with warmth. She helped arrange the room for the family video interviews. And her Gidda dance moves – on point!
Christine, Manraj’s sister, is as graceful as she is funny – another comedian in the family. The way she mimicked Abhimanyu’s actions were genuinely hilarious and accurate. “…we got 10 seconds! Go! Go! Go!”
Manraj’s father carried stories of another time and style that hasn’t faded. We got to see some photos on his youth in flairs/bell bottoms and long locks of hair with his first sports car. He’s definitely a supermodel for men’s suits in a parallel universe.
Manraj’s mother, strong and gracious, moved through everything with a laugh and a smile in spite of having been in a vehicle collision a few days back. She always wanted to feed us and we always wanted to hug her.
Manraj has a great set of friends. All of them roll in style. At the Jaggo we also found out that Santa Claus is actually Punjabi and he is killer at the Pataka (for the uninitiated, that’s a Bhangra dance move).
Sharp and dapper, Ishan was with Manraj like his shadow. At the events, in the bus, on the dance floor and even in the bedroom after the reception! And he delivered an absolutely fantastic speech at the reception.
Priyal has a special place in our heart.
Inspirational how she held everything together. She was looking stunning at all functions and celebrated with her whole heart. She was so happy for Mali, she might have even partied harder than Rohan and Tia (which is no small feat!).
We love you P!
Rohan & Tia, Mali’s cousins, gave a beautiful speech at the reception with Priyal. Rohan also helped retrieve Abhimanyu’s phone from Manraj’s room. And yes Manraj, we know you may not remember any of this ;)
Munna – no we are not going to talk about his speech! His toasts are always epic. Some folks laugh their guts out, while others hide their face in embarrassment. But two things are for certain – first, every speech of his becomes legendary (to remember it or to forget it depends upon which side you were on!) and second, his speeches cannot be ChatGPT-ed!
Words can’t describe how it felt to meeti Akith and Shruti again. Shruti is such a warm, thoughtful and genuinely nice human being with such positive energy. The first wedding we shot in the Patel family (Kunali & Shrikant) was because of Shruti. And Akith, as always, makes sure to give us business advice (which we have successfully applied as well!) haha. He is a great combination of humour and intellect – no doubt he has received this from Jaimini Aunty and Amit Uncle.
Kunali and Shamal were of course just being party animals ;) Shrikant and Meha taking care of the kids back home. Can’t wait to see you guys sometime, somewhere!
The one person who was really missed at the wedding, and who was loved by everyone, was the one and only Khaled. Larger than life and charismatic, with a personality that commanded exceptional attention. He was as magnificent as he was grounded. We were fortunate to become so close to him and hear so many of his thoughts and emotions. And while his swag would beat Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt put together, he was very thoughtful and kind in his ways. And he was always the life of the party. Khaled and his infectious laughter lives on in our memory as we are blessed to have been in his presence once.
What Stayed With Us
It wasn’t just the snow, or the ceremonies, or even the light.
It was the feeling of returning.
Of being part of something that has grown over years. Of being trusted again. Of witnessing not just a wedding, but a continuation.
Planning a Wedding in Vancouver, Canada?
Vancouver doesn’t promise predictability. The rain will come. Plans will shift.
But when there’s trust, in your photographers and in your team, something beautiful happens.
The day finds its rhythm.
Planning a wedding in Vancouver, British Columbia? We love working with that rhythm, turning changing light, weather, and emotion into something honest, something lasting.
