Lights, camera, marriage: in India, pre-wedding shoots are clicking with couples

Thousands of Indian couples are opting for engagement shoots before the whirligig of the wedding begins

Experts say the trend is to have smaller nuptials and spend on a shoot, with hotels, resorts and state governments getting in on the act by offering customised packages

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Sets In The City offers a variety of options for pre-wedding shoots. Photo: Rajesh Dembla

Published: 2:00pm, 28 Feb 2021Updated: 12:18pm, 8 Mar 2021

Rama Sikri, 26, and Bhavesh Mehta, 28, clink their champagne flutes against the backdrop of the azure ocean as the camera zooms in on their smiling faces. Clad in a sequinned gold dress with orchids in her hair, Sikri smiles coyly as a tuxedo-clad Mehta whispers in her ear. The couple then ambles on the beach, hand in hand, before disappearing into the syrupy sunset as the director yells “Cut”.

But this is no Bollywood film shoot. Sikri and Mehta, who are tying the knot later this month, are at a beach in southern Goa for their pre-wedding shoot. Planned meticulously over weeks, the shoot will see the couple travel to different scenic locations across the state with their entourage to capture “moods and moments” before the big day.

Indian weddings are chaotic, so a shoot in a beautiful location is also helping us spend some quality time together

“Our wedding got postponed twice last year due to the pandemic. So we’ve now planned a micro wedding and are diverting some of our funds into this shoot to create beautiful memories,” says Sikri, a Mumbai-based IT professional. “Indian weddings are chaotic, so a shoot in a beautiful location is also helping us spend some quality time together.”

Like Sikri and Mehta, thousands of young Indian couples are increasingly opting for pre-wedding photography – also called engagement shoots – to immortalise their special moments just before the whirligig of the wedding begins. The pandemic has ravaged India’s US$50 billion wedding industry, forcing the cancellation or postponement of thousands of nuptials across the country.

Those who tied the knot last year in India, known to host some 10 million weddings a year, opted for intimate gatherings at home due to lockdown restrictions and fear of catching the deadly virus.

Pre-wedding shoots offer a chance to capture the couple’s moods and moments before the big day. Photo: Rajesh Dembla