naureen & muhammad: mehndi

what a welcome back into wedding season! i first met naureen last fall when she told me she'd been engaged recently; a photography buff herself with a history dabbling in darkroom arts, she was looking for someone to tell her wedding story and i couldn't be more honored that she chose me. i photographed her nikah, or vows ceremony, back in december. naureen is possibly, just possibly, not just one of the sweetest brides but one of the sweetest people i have ever met; she has such a kind, gentle heart that constantly thinks of others around her before herself. planning a wedding around major exams is no picnic, either, but naureen pulled it off with such grace and beauty. both her family and muhammad's family were so plainly happy to be coming together - i hope some of that joy comes through in these images from the mehndi! both wedding events were held at the doubletree hotel in columbia, md; the mehndi, as is traditional, included separate festive entrances by the groom and bride and their families, much dancing, and traditional singing with the two-sided "dholki" drum - culminating in an impromptu and very fun game of "antakshri," in which opposing teams sing songs at each other.i had some invaluable support this time from my second shooter zoshia minto, a fantastic wedding and portrait photographer based in maryland - so some of the shots you'll see here and in the next post from the wedding reception are from zoshia as well.