ever since saba first got in touch with me about her wedding, i had been absurdly excited about shooting it - a desi wedding outdoors! in a garden! with butterflies! there were so many personal, thoughtful details in saba and ahad's planning that promised to make this one of the most beautiful weddings i'd ever seen, and it certainly fulfilled that promise. golden afternoon light, gardens abloom and sunglitter on the water, an absolutely stunning bride and groom surrounded by loving family and friends...i met saba at her family's beautiful home in ringwood, where she proved to be one of the most relaxed brides i'd ever encountered :) not to mention jaw-droppingly gorgeous! my amazingly talented second shooter, vida carson, met ahad and his family at a hotel near the wedding venue to capture their pre-ceremony moments. and we came together at garden falls, a lush garden venue with a decorated platform over a pond for the wedding ceremony, and an enormous tent to host the reception. we took some portraits of the couple and their families before all the guests started to arrive; ahad and saba entered separately onto the petal-strewn platform for the wedding ceremony, at the end of which a box of butterflies were released into the evening air. saba and ahad chose butterflies to symbolize the transformation of their lives through their wedding celebration - the start of a new stage, the first steps of a new journey, the union of two persons and two families into one. saba and ahad, i thank you both again for giving me the honor and pleasure of capturing your memories of this celebration, and for allowing me into your lives for this brief moment; i pray that God blesses your marriage and your lives together with health, happiness and love that grows stronger each year.