Indian weddings in the USA
Your wedding weekend, filmed as one story.
Gujarati, Punjabi, South Indian or a blend of all three. We fly in for the whole weekend, from the first mehndi cone to the last song at the reception.
Four days, several ceremonies, one crew
Most Indian weddings in the US now run as a wedding weekend: a mehndi on Thursday, a sangeet or garba on Friday, the ceremony and reception on Saturday, sometimes a farewell brunch on Sunday.
That shape asks something specific of a videographer. The schedule moves between a hotel ballroom, a banquet hall and someone's backyard, with each side of the family often hosting its own events. Being in the right room at the right hour on day two matters as much as anything the camera does.
Our founder, Khurram Iftikhar, has been filming South Asian weddings since 2000, and the studio has covered roughly 9,700 of them. That history is why we know, without being told, when the varmala is likely to slip behind schedule or how long a baraat in a hotel driveway really takes to reach the doors.
We travel to each wedding, with a focus on New Jersey, New York, Houston, Chicago and the Bay Area. If your weekend crosses two traditions, as so many Indian-American weddings do, we plan and film it as a single wedding rather than two bookings stitched together.
The weekends we film
Each community runs its wedding differently. These are the ones US couples ask us about most, with a page for each where the detail warrants it.
- 01
Gujarati weddings
The pithi morning with turmeric and family, garba and raas that can run past midnight, then the ceremony with its mangal pheras and the playful games that follow. High energy, and best covered by more than one camera.
- 02
Punjabi weddings
Whether Sikh or Hindu, expect a loud baraat with dhol, a milni between the two families, and a reception that is the biggest party of the weekend. Our Sikh page covers the Anand Karaj in detail.
- 03
South Indian weddings
Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayali ceremonies, often timed to an early-morning muhurtham. The order of rituals and the names for them differ from the North, and we confirm yours with your priest.
- 04
Hindu ceremonies
Under the mandap: jaimala, kanyadaan, the havan, the pheras, mangalsutra and sindoor. Usually the longest stretch of the weekend and the hardest to light.
- 05
Mehndi, sangeet and haldi
The nights and mornings before the wedding. Choreographed family performances, cousins who rehearsed for weeks, turmeric everywhere. Often the most rewatched part of the film.
- 06
Indian-American fusion
A Hindu ceremony in the morning and a vows-and-first-dance reception at night, or two families from different traditions sharing one weekend. Planned as one timeline and edited as one film.
Coverage for a US wedding weekend
The right shape depends on how many events you are hosting and how often two of them happen at once. These are the patterns we see most.
Ceremony and reception
- A single wedding day, morning prep to final song
- Photographer and videographer working as one team
- Ceremony, cocktail hour and reception
Works well when the ceremony and reception share a venue.
Wedding weekend
- Two to three events, typically sangeet or garba plus the wedding day
- Additional photographer for the wedding day itself
- Bride's and groom's getting-ready rooms each get a camera
- Highlight film plus full ceremony edit
Travel and accommodation are itemized separately in your written quote.
Full multi-day
- Thursday to Sunday, across hotel, hall and home
- Enough people to run two events at the same hour
- Drone where the venue and local rules allow it
- Feature-length documentary plus a trailer-style highlight
Built for guest lists past three hundred and weekends with overlapping events.
We don't publish prices, because no two multi-day weddings are the same. Tell us your date, your city and how many events you are planning, and we will send an itemized quote with nothing to decode.
Twenty-five years in the room
What experience changes on the day
A wedding cannot be staged twice. Most of the difference between a strong film and a weak one is settled in the weeks before.
Rules confirmed before we arrive
Temples and gurdwaras each set their own policies on where cameras can stand. We contact the right person ahead of time, usually through your planner or venue coordinator, so nothing is negotiated at the door.
Both sides of the family
When the bride's and groom's events overlap, one camera only ever sees half the story. A second crew on those days is how both families end up in the film.
We read the program, not just the clock
We know which rituals tend to run long and which happen in seconds without warning, so the camera is already in place and nobody is asked to do anything again.
Since 2000, and 9,700 weddings later
Rated 4.9 out of 5 across 187 Google reviews from couples we have filmed.
Questions
Before you ask.
Do you travel to the US for the whole weekend?
Yes. We fly in for each wedding, so we plan to be on the ground for every event you book, from the first night through the reception. We focus on New Jersey, New York, Houston, Chicago and the Bay Area, and we are open to other cities.
Our families are Gujarati and Punjabi. Can you handle both?
Yes. Mixed weekends are common, and we treat them as one wedding with one plan. We will ask both families about their customs early so the garba, the milni and everything in between are covered with the same care.
Do you work with our wedding planner?
We prefer to. Your planner or venue coordinator usually holds the real timeline, and working from it directly keeps the crew in step with the day and keeps you out of the logistics.
How much does an Indian wedding weekend cost?
It depends on the number of events, how long each runs, how many crew you need and what you want delivered. Send us an inquiry with your dates and events and we will come back with an itemized quote rather than a guess.
When should we reach out to reserve a date?
Peak-season Saturdays fill early. Couples with a confirmed date and venue should contact us early; the details can follow later.
Inquire
Is your datestill free?
Tell us the date and the venue and we will come back within one business day with availability, a team size and an itemized quote.