Sikh Wedding Photographer in Kingston upon Thames

Covering Sikh weddings from first light in Kingston upon Thames, from the early maiyan to the late reception, in a respectful, unhurried way that lets the ceremony breathe.

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The short answer

Your Sikh wedding photographer in Kingston upon Thames, at a glance

Experience matters most when the laavan begin and there is no second take. Kaushik Bathia has photographed Sikh weddings for more than twenty five years, and that experience travels with him to Kingston upon Thames. Every gurdwara sets its own rules on photography and video, and we treat those rules as fixed. If the committee wants us in one spot for the entire ceremony, that is where we stay. Kalire shaken over the unmarried cousins, the milni lifting contests, the quiet of the ardas and the noise of the dhol all belong in the same gallery, and all are covered at weddings in Kingston upon Thames. Interfaith and fusion celebrations, where an anand karaj sits beside a civil ceremony, have become common in our diary, and covering both without shortchanging either takes planning we have done many times. Where the gurdwara and the reception sit far apart, a second photographer keeps both covered. Add a pre-wedding shoot and an album, and we will happily travel to Greater London and anywhere else in the UK.

Anand karaj comes first and everything else is arranged around it. In Kingston upon Thames that usually means an early gurdwara start, heads covered and shoes off, ardas offered and the ragis singing while the couple complete the four laavan around the Guru Granth Sahib. Choora and kalire are photographed at the house beforehand. South Western Railway trains from London Waterloo carry guests in for the milni, and the doli is covered as the family gathers outside the DoubleTree by Hilton.

Serving Kingston upon Thames

Where Kingston upon Thames Sikh couples find their photographer

Kingston upon Thames is a riverside town with a large South Asian and Korean community. Most Sikh couples in Greater London hold the Anand Karaj at a gurdwara in the morning and the reception at a hall or hotel that evening, and we have covered that pairing at venues right across Surbiton, New Malden and Norbiton. When the palla is placed in the groom's hands and its other end given to the bride, we frame the cloth, the hands and the faces of the parents watching the moment that joins you.

Skin tones and fabric colour are corrected by hand, frame by frame, so the crimson of the choora and the gold thread of a lehnga read true rather than being pushed towards a fashionable tint. Preparation removes most of the panic. Running orders vary between gurdwaras, so we ask yours in advance and learn where the milni will form, where the palki sahib sits and how the light falls. Prayer is not a photo opportunity. When the ardas is offered we stand with the congregation, hands still, and take at most one frame from where we already are.

Sikh families in Kingston upon Thames often hold the Anand Karaj locally and the reception a short drive away. Kingston upon Thames is a riverside town with a large South Asian and Korean community, and we know both halves of that journey well. Venues we have photographed at near Kingston upon Thames include Ravens Ait, Warren House and DoubleTree by Hilton London Kingston upon Thames.

Kingston upon Thames is a riverside town with a large South Asian and Korean community, and a historic market place in the borough of Kingston. Kingston station is served by South Western Railway with services to London Waterloo. We often take couples to Canbury Gardens, riverside gardens along the Thames, with Bushy Park a short distance away for a few quiet portraits, and The Coronation Stone and the medieval All Saints Church in the town centre is a lovely backdrop nearby.

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Wedding photographer in Kingston upon Thames

What we offer

What is included in your Kingston upon Thames Sikh wedding coverage

Second Photographer

A Sikh wedding morning splits in two, with both families getting ready at once. A second photographer covers the other house, the baraat and the extra angles inside the darbar hall.

Speeches & First Dance

The toasts, the laughter and the first dance under the lights, photographed through to the end of the evening so the reception takes its full place in the album.

The Doli

The farewell at the end of the day, when the bride leaves with her new family, photographed with the tenderness and honesty that this most emotional of moments deserves.

Every Sikh ritual

Following the service from kirtan to karah parshad

We follow each of the four laavan at walking pace, photographing the bride's brothers steadying her round the Guru Granth Sahib and the calm on both of your faces circuit by circuit. Garlands are exchanged before the laavan begin, and we frame the jaimala with both mothers in the background, because their faces at that moment usually tell the story better than the couple's. We never use intrusive flash inside the darbar hall, working instead with the natural light on the canopy, the rumalla and the golden colour of the morning.

Late in the evening the formal wear loosens, the elders go home and the dance floor becomes something else entirely, and we stay for it, since the best frames often come after eleven. The night before the wedding often turns into an informal sangeet, and we photograph the family dances, the singing and the generations packed into one loud and happy room. Turban tying before the baraat is done seriously and slowly, often by an uncle who has done it a hundred times, and we photograph the concentration as well as the finished pagri.

Wedding traditions photographed in Kingston upon Thames

The whole celebration

From the jago to the doli

The choora ceremony happens early, often before sunrise, and we plan for it so the milk, the bangles and the tears are all photographed properly. Sisters are usually the ones holding the morning together, and we photograph them working, because in twenty years they will want proof of how much of the day they carried.

We give equal care to the loud moments and the still ones, from the dhol at the baraat to the silence as the couple bow before the Guru Granth Sahib. Quiet moments hide inside a loud day, a couple sitting alone for two minutes between events, and we watch for those, because they usually become the pictures you keep on the wall.

Why choose us

Quiet, covered heads and always in the right place

Editing a long Sikh wedding down to an album that flows is its own craft, and a thousand weddings of practice sit behind every book we make. Advice is part of what you are booking. After twenty-five years we can tell you honestly how long the milni will take, when to schedule portraits and why the doli should never be rushed.

We arrive ahead of schedule as a rule, scouting the gurdwara entrance for the milni and the hall for the evening before anyone needs us. From our London base we travel across Greater London and the rest of the UK, and a Sikh wedding that runs across several days and venues is something we plan for well in advance.

Wedding photography near Kingston upon Thames

Where we travel

Reaching Kingston upon Thames and beyond

Rail, road or a night before, whatever gets us to your venue in Greater London in good time and in good shape, is our problem to solve rather than yours to worry about. We keep travel simple when we quote, so couples in Greater London know exactly what is included before they book.

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Wedding photographer travelling to Kingston upon Thames

Good to know

Wedding photography in Kingston upon Thames, frequently asked questions

Will you come to our jago celebration?+

Gladly. With its decorated pots balanced on heads, the sticks, the dancing and the singing carrying on late, the jago gives us some of the most joyful pictures of the whole week, be it winding through the streets of Kingston upon Thames or filling a family home. We come armed with gear built for movement in low light and simply keep pace with the fun.

Do you ask for a deposit to hold our wedding date?+

Yes, a booking fee secures your date exclusively and is deducted from your final balance. Once it is paid, we turn away other enquiries for that day without question. The remainder falls due shortly before the wedding, and everything is set out in a simple written agreement so both sides know exactly what has been booked. Outdoors in Kingston upon Thames we like Canbury Gardens, riverside gardens along the Thames, with Bushy Park a short distance away.

Who will actually be behind the camera at our wedding?+

Your wedding is photographed personally by Kaushik, which means the person you meet, plan with and put your trust in is the one actually working on the day. For bigger celebrations a second photographer may join, always experienced, thoroughly briefed on your family and moments, and matched to the same quiet style. There is no last-minute swap for someone unknown. For Kingston upon Thames bookings, getting here is simple: Kingston station is served by South Western Railway with services to London Waterloo.

Will you capture all four laavan during the ceremony?+

Yes, all four. Nothing matters more in the Anand Karaj, and we photograph each laav as you walk around the Guru Granth Sahib with the palla joining you. By keeping to unobtrusive positions we follow every circuit without getting in the way of the granthi or the sangat, and the relatives who steady your steps are captured too. In and around Kingston upon Thames that has included Ravens Ait and Warren House.

Will you stay to photograph the doli?+

We stay right through to it. The doli is the tenderest part of the whole day, so we capture the goodbyes, the crying, the handful of rice thrown over the shoulder and the family around the departing car. By hanging back with longer lenses we make sure the emotion belongs to your family, not to the camera. Kingston upon Thames and neighbouring Hampton Wick, Ham and Teddington are all covered.

Do you photograph the giving of the palla?+

Absolutely, the palla is one relatives always request. We record your father placing the scarf in your hands, the emotion he shows and the pair of you linked by it right through the four laavan. It happens fast, so our familiarity with the order of the Anand Karaj means we are in position for it, not scrambling after it. Kingston upon Thames landmarks we photograph near include The Coronation Stone and the medieval All Saints Church in the town centre.

Do you photograph the evening reception in Kingston upon Thames as well as the ceremony?+

Absolutely. Nearly every Sikh wedding moves to its own banqueting venue for the reception, and we approach that evening as a full part of the story, never an afterthought. Entrances, speeches, the cake, the first dance and the bhangra each get the attention they deserve. The reception can be booked alongside the ceremony or entirely on its own. Kingston upon Thames is easy to reach: Kingston station is served by South Western Railway with services to London Waterloo.

More wedding & photography services in Kingston upon Thames

The same team, experience and care across every wedding and service we cover in Kingston upon Thames. For weddings of every tradition in Kingston upon Thames, see our wedding photographer in Kingston upon Thames page. Browse our Sikh wedding photography page, the wedding photography overview, all areas we serve, or nearby New Malden and Richmond upon Thames. We also photograph Sikh weddings across Greater London, including Uxbridge, Southall, Greenford, Newham, Redbridge and Edgware.