There is more to the metaphor of ‘love as an ember’, of a kindling fire that ignites the most ‘human’ of emotions in all of us, to experience the deepest of desires and most pertinent of passions. Such was what we here at SDE Weddings, Toronto’s premier wedding videography and cinematography group, felt in full through our work with Shambavi & Ananthan in filming and documenting the couples’ most personal of memories during their wedding day. The couples’ consummate celebration took place just this past November 29th, 2014 in a traditional Hindu ceremony held at Toronto’s ‘The Warehouse’ wedding venue, with a gorgeous after-ceremony affair to close the evening right in the heart of downtown Toronto’s famous ‘Distillery District’ in an intimate reception care of the ‘Archeo Trattoria‘ restaurant. Shambavi & Ananthan held a very humble traditional Hindu wedding, a “Vivaah Sanskar”, in a ‘divine ceremony sanctified by fire’, and as you shall see below, our videographers and cinematographers couldn’t help but be captivated in capturing the menagerie of lights and colours, sights and sounds that constituted the vibrant atmosphere of the couples’ wedding day. Scroll further to learn more about our wonderful time working with Shambavi & Ananthan, and to view a very special ‘Same-Day-Edit‘ our videographers and cinematographers had crafted for the couple as a special gift for their wedding day’s reception.

Our work with Shambavi & Ananthan could possibly rank as among our top favourites when it comes to filming Hindu weddings. A very friendly and humble couple in all respects, Shambavi & Ananthan welcomed our videographers and cinematographers warmly for the morning of their wedding day, which began filming as early as 8am and would last till 2am the following day. Shambavi chose a resplendent violet sari en-laced with gold for her wardrobe, whereas Ananthan donned on a simple white kurta and dhoti ensemble accented with a golden sash, or Angavastram. From the get-go, we see that ‘candlelight’ becomes an essential theme to the wedding process for Shambavi & Ananthan, with a scene in our Same-Day-Edit featuring a morning’s blessing by candlelight for the bride. Indeed, an entire path outlined on both sides by a sequence of candles would be the wedding aisle for Shambavi & Ananthan, a feature shot for the Same-Day-Edit that was a favourite of our videographers and cinematographers.

Shambavi & Ananthan’s wedding ceremony was held at the spectacularly spacious ‘The Warehouse’ wedding venue at Toronto’s Downsview Park, a gargantuan gallery boasting sixteen-thousand square feet of space and a thirty-foot high ceiling, which we’d say is plenty of room for such a monumental day for Shambavi & Ananthan. The ceremony’s centrepiece setting, or ‘mandap’ was exquisitely laid out and daintily prepared for the couple, as they emerged from a thin veil to the eager applause of the crowd. One part of what our Toronto wedding videographers and cinematographers were particularly proud of for this wedding was the coverage of the many and varied rituals that entailed the Hindu wedding ceremony. From blessings by fire, to a sharing of a meal, to an exchange of garlands between Shambavi & Ananthan, you can view these and many more sentimental scenes in the accompanying Same-Day-Edit. In the end, a beautiful and touching scene of Ananthan giving his newlywed bride Shambavi a golden necklace as a shower of flower petals rain down serves to signal a completed ceremony, a union made complete, and a long night’s celebration soon to come.

The wedding entourage would transition seamlessly to a gorgeous evening’s celebration at Toronto’s landmark ‘distillery district’. Our videographers tracked the newlyweds’ trail, following them in their freshly-changed attire as they traversed the historic district’s cobbled roads adorned with Christmas décor, pine and mistletoes, and an air of romance about. In the reception venue set at the distillery district’s ‘Archeo Trattoria’ restaurant, we are again greeted by the familiar sight of candlelight, creating a stunningly romantic setting to end the evening with. Shambavi & Ananthan seeming to enjoy the interesting cultural exchange between their Hindu tradition and a Canadian Christmas. One shot in the Same-Day-Edit that our videographers were also quite pleased with was that of Christmas decorations that cleverly concealed the bride & groom’s wedding rings. Can you spot them? In the end, we here at SDE Weddings, Toronto’s premier wedding videography and cinematography group, wish Shambavi & Ananthan a wonderful life together, and hope that the fire of each other’s love continue to burn in their hearts throughout their lives.

Wedding Photographer: Impressions by Annuj | Annuj and Tanya Yoganathan
Wedding Decor/Florals: Sara Baig Designs
Wedding Hair/Makeup: AK Makeup & Hair | Anna Karapetyan
Wedding DJ: DJ Enigma
Ceremony Caterer: CanAsia Promotions
Ceremony Priest/Registrar: Maheswara Kurukal “Iya”
Reception Stationary: Paper and Poste
Wedding Cake: I Do! Wedding Cakes