The Baraat
The dhol, the dancing and the groom's joyful arrival, photographed with all of its energy.
Documentary Asian wedding photography in Chelmsford, from the first pheras to the last dance of the reception, with a documentary style and a handful of timeless portraits.
★★★★★ Rated 4.8 from 539 reviews
Wedding photography from £750
Bespoke packages · fast response · free consultation
The short answer
An award winning, London based Asian wedding photographer, Kaushik Bathia has spent more than twenty five years photographing Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Gujarati and Tamil weddings in Chelmsford and across Essex. We let the day unfold at its own pace and meet it with a quiet, watchful eye. We photograph every Asian wedding tradition in Chelmsford, from the Hindu mandap and pheras to the Sikh Anand Karaj, the Muslim nikah and the Tamil muhurtham, across multi day celebrations. More than a thousand celebrations sit behind us, and that depth means we recognise the mangalsutra moment, the fourth laav or the signing of the nikah before it arrives. You can add a second photographer, a female photographer and hand finished albums, and we are glad to travel across Essex and beyond, so wherever your celebration is held it is within reach.
Serving Chelmsford
Chelmsford is the county city of Essex with riverside and country venues. We travel throughout Springfield, Galleywood and Writtle for Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Gujarati and Tamil weddings, at home in temples, gurdwaras, mosques and banqueting suites alike. The blessings of parents and elders draw many ceremonies to a close, hands resting on heads in benediction, and we hold those tender moments gently.
We photograph the elders and the children as closely as the couple, because a wedding is the whole family gathered, not just the two people at the centre. We follow your family's customs closely and photograph them exactly as you keep them. We shoot the getting-ready hours as a story of anticipation, from the jewellery going on to the last look in the mirror before the ceremony.
Chelmsford is the county city of Essex with riverside and country venues, and we know its venues and its approaches well from photographing Asian weddings here over many years. We are often just along the road in Basildon and Harlow too. Chelmsford and the towns around it offer venues such as Hylands House, Leez Priory and Channels Estate, all familiar to us.
Chelmsford is the county city of Essex with riverside and country venues, gaining city status in 2012 and sitting where the rivers Chelmer and Can meet. Chelmsford station is on the Great Eastern Main Line with Greater Anglia services to London Liverpool Street. We often take couples to Hylands Park, a large historic estate of parkland and gardens around the neo-classical Hylands House for a few quiet portraits, and Chelmsford Cathedral, dedicated to St Mary the Virgin, St Peter and St Cedd is a lovely backdrop nearby.
Check your date
What we offer
The dhol, the dancing and the groom's joyful arrival, photographed with all of its energy.
The farewell carries some of the deepest feeling of the day, and we hold those final embraces with the quiet they deserve.
As you circle the sacred fire, we photograph each round and the blessing that follows without ever crowding the mandap.
Every tradition
For Tamil and South Indian families, the muhurtham reaches its heart as the thali is tied, and we are in position for that single, defining second. At a Sikh wedding the exchange of garlands and the palla placed in the couple's hands begin the Anand Karaj, and we follow from the very first hymn. The joining of hands, the knotting of the couple's garments and their first shared steps carry a marriage forward, and we document each stage as it comes.
We are glad to cover a single event or the whole multi-day celebration. The reception is the joyful finale, with speeches, the first dance and the bhangra. The pre-wedding events are unhurried and full of feeling, and we give the mehndi, the haldi and the sangeet the same attention as the wedding day itself.

The whole celebration
The mehndi gathering is where the whole family finally lands in one place, and we photograph the reunions, the cups of chai and the henna drying across a dozen hands. Many families hold an engagement long before the wedding, and a mehndi or sangeet the night before.
The wedding day itself is a journey, from the groom's arrival and the milni to the vows and the reception. We stay through the evening to capture the reception, from the grand entrance to the last dance.
Why choose us
Twenty-five years in, we still prepare for each wedding as though it were our first, learning your family's particular customs before we lift a camera. Twenty-five years behind the lens means we know exactly what comes next, whatever the faith.
We will travel to your temple, gurdwara, mosque, reception and pre-wedding events, wherever they are held. Reaching your temple, gurdwara, mosque, mehndi and reception is our concern, not yours, wherever across the region they happen to fall.

Where we travel
We photograph across Springfield, Galleywood and Writtle regularly, and returning to the county for a wedding feels less like travel and more like familiar ground. London-based but seldom in London, we spend much of the year photographing weddings out across Essex and the counties that border it.
Check your date
Good to know
Very much so. A mixed-faith wedding brings two sets of customs together, and we give each the attention and respect it deserves. We speak with both families beforehand to understand what matters most on either side, then plan the day so nobody feels their traditions were overlooked.
Absolutely. The baraat is one of our favourite parts of any Chelmsford celebration. We photograph the dhol, the dancing and the groom's arrival, and the milni when the two families meet, capturing all of its energy.
Yes. We travel to Chelmsford and right across the surrounding area for Hindu, Sikh, Gujarati, Muslim and Tamil weddings. Asian weddings of every tradition are our speciality, we are London-based and used to journeys of every kind, and distance is never a problem.
Pricing depends on how many days and events you would like covered, whether you want a second or female photographer, and which album you choose. Multi-day Asian weddings naturally involve more coverage, so we prepare a clear quote once we understand your plans. There are no hidden extras.
We would suggest enquiring as soon as your date is set. Peak and auspicious dates book up well ahead across every tradition, so the earlier the better. Tell us your wedding date in Chelmsford and the events you have in mind, and we will confirm availability straight away.
We often recommend a second photographer for Asian weddings in Chelmsford. With separate bride and groom preparations, a baraat and a large guest count, a second shooter lets us cover two things at once and gather more angles of the ceremony. For busy multi-event days it is well worth it.
Yes. From the dignity of the nikah, the signing of the contract and the giving of the mehr to the warmth of the walima, we photograph it all, working respectfully within your family's customs and arranging additional photographers in Chelmsford where events are held separately.
More in Chelmsford
The same team, experience and care across every wedding and service we cover in Chelmsford. For weddings of every tradition in Chelmsford, see our wedding photographer in Chelmsford page. Browse our Asian wedding photography page, the wedding photography overview, all areas we serve, or nearby Basildon and Harlow. We also photograph Asian weddings across Essex, including Colchester, Basildon, Chigwell, Brentwood, Harlow and Billericay.
Recent weddings
Hindu · Sikh · Gujarati · Muslim · Tamil
Tell us about your celebration and we will send availability, ideas and pricing, wherever it takes place.
Check your date