Kashi Dham Lawn Varanasi Wedding: Anchal & Manish

Earlier in the evening we split our time between the two sides. Manish was getting ready in a cream sherwani and could not stop smiling while he fixed his watch, so we photographed him from slightly below, which suits a groom on his wedding day. Anchal wore a red lehenga with gold and green jewellery. For her portraits we kept the background dark and placed one soft light to the side, so the red of the lehenga and the shine of the jewellery stand out on their own. At one point she touched her nath (nose ring) to set it right, and that small, natural movement turned into the best portrait of the set. We also took close-ups of the nath, the maang tikka and her necklaces.

In many weddings in Uttar Pradesh, the bride walks in under a phoolon ki chadar, a canopy of flowers that is usually held over her by her brothers. Anchal's brothers held up a canopy full of red, white and pink flowers, with a family member carrying the aarti thali just behind her. We walked a few steps ahead of her and stayed low, so the flowers frame the top of the photo with Anchal right in the middle. When she reached the flower-lined aisle inside the hall, we moved behind Manish. The photo from there shows what he saw, Anchal walking towards him with both families standing along the sides to watch.

The varmala, also called jaimala, is the rasm where the bride and groom exchange flower garlands and accept each other in front of everyone. When Anchal and Manish stood face to face for it, he was laughing and she was looking straight back at him, while the crowd pressed in with their phones, as it always does. We stood to one side of the stage, so the glowing golden lattice wall of the hall became the background and the guests stayed soft behind them. That angle kept both their faces in the picture. On the stage, Anchal also welcomed Manish with an aarti thali and showered a few rose petals over him, and we stayed close enough to catch the petals in the air.

After the varmala we took the couple aside for a few portraits under the hall's big chandelier and gold arch, with the flower-lined aisle behind them. They stood side by side, both smiling, finally a little relaxed after the rush of the entry. Even on such a busy night, Anchal and Manish happily gave us those few minutes and followed every small direction, which made the portraits easy. Some of the nicest candid photos of the wedding came from that short break, the two of them laughing and chatting between the posed shots as if the hall was empty. Later in the night came the wedding rituals. By then Anchal had changed into a yellow and red saree. In one of the rasms she sat with her eyes lowered, holding a small decorated pot, while Manish's hand rested on her head. These rituals are slow and very personal for the family, so we stayed back and photographed from a distance, out of the way of the priest and the elders.

Kashi Dham Banquet Hall & Lawn is a wedding lawn with an indoor banquet hall on the Ring Road in Dandupur, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 221003, and most families simply call it Kashi Dham Lawn. Because it sits on the Ring Road rather than inside the city, the baraat gets an open stretch of road to dance on. For photos, these are the three parts of the venue we used the most.

• Front of the venue. A white building with tall columns, lit up after dark, with an open lawn in front. Good for wide venue photos and big family pictures.
• The lawn pavilion. A pillared pavilion with chandeliers in the middle of the lawn, with covered seating along the sides. It works for relaxed evening photos with guests.
• The indoor hall. A draped ceiling, big chandeliers, golden lattice walls and a floral stage. The lit walls make a warm background for the varmala and couple portraits.

If your wedding is at Kashi Dham Lawn or another wedding lawn in Varanasi, and you want the baraat's energy and your family's faces during the rasms as much as the posed photos, our team would be glad to help. We stay ready for the parts that happen fast, like the second the groom is lifted in the baraat or the moment the garlands go on. Our wedding photography in Varanasi page and our wedding rituals photos show how we cover a full day. If you are still comparing lawns, have a look at The Banaras Lawn & Banquet photos, also on Ring Road, along with R R Palace Marriage Lawn, Chaudhary Lawn and our Gokul Dham Lawn engagement, or a five-star wedding at Taj Ganges. When you want to talk it through, we are just a message away.