After filming weddings for over 14 years, I still love and thoroughly enjoy what I do. And, you may be surprised to know, even despite having so much experience, I still get nervous before filming EVERY single wedding. Maybe it’s because I understand that my passion, as a wedding videographer, affects each couple directly. They trust me to to capture their once-in-a-lifetime memories. So I make sure to capture a work of art at each and every wedding.

With this wedding, it was no different. The wedding itself was in a way different and unique, but we made sure to approach it thoughtfully. The multicultural couple incorporated their Italian and Indian traditions throughout the 2-day celebration and I wanted to capture the essence of both cultures accordingly.

Predictably, I was nervous before filming this wedding but I think my delicate and professional approach is felt throughout this wedding film. What increased the pressure a bit was that I met Bikram and Camila a few years before they reached out to me about their wedding. I filmed Bikram’s sisters wedding a few years back and have met (and filmed) many of their wedding guests’ weddings. It was truly an honor being part of their wedding because it showed me that they continued to trust me and my work.

Enjoy this wedding film from Bikram and Camila’s wedding at San Jose Gurdwara and Castlewood Country Club.

The Indian Wedding

Bikram and Camila’s Sikh Wedding was as the San Jose Gurdwara. Being the largest Gurdwara in the United States, we are lucky to be filming Indian weddings here. The Sikh Wedding started with the groom, Bikram, riding his way up to the temple on a horse for the Baraat and Milni. Bikram felt at home at the temple. However, you can see the bride and her family members looking in awe at all the cultural events taking place throughout this day. The events at the Anand Karaj (the Sikh wedding ceremony) were very special to both sides of the family. You can see the bride’s family mesmerized by every detail, especially when the groom led the bride four times during the laavaan, a custom in Sikh weddings.

Once the ceremony concluded, the family gathered for the vidai in front of the Gurdwara. The vidai is overall one of my favorite moments to film at Indian weddings. I love the cultural feel of this event, but more importantly, I love the sincere connection that you see between the bride and her family as they “let the bride go”. Even though this cultural event is very emotional and tears are shed most of the time, I love the depth of the story that we get to capture and tell in our film.

We wanted to spend time after their ceremony capturing creative photos and videos at the temple. The San Jose Gurdwara is a special temple with various locations to photograph and film the couple (not all temples give us this opportunity). This time, we decided to film toward the front of the temple, in between all the white pillars. This location choice helped us capture very “moody” and “cinematic” shots of the bride and groom that I’m quite proud of (those shots are the beginning of this wedding film).

This concluded the Sikh Wedding day. But this was not it. There was an even longer day awaiting us, and the couple, the next day.

The Western Wedding

Their western wedding took place at the beautiful Bay Area wedding venue, Castlewood Country Club. Castlewood Country Club is a historic golf and country club located in Pleasanton, California. The couple exchanged their intimate and emotional wedding vows here under a canopy of majestic oak trees with the beautiful grounds of the golf course as the backdrop. This ceremony incorporated more Western traditions. It finished with the officiant proudly announcing Bikram and Camila husband and wife – and of course their kiss that sealed the deal! And on that note, the officially (twice confirmed) married couple left the ceremony as the wedding guests threw rose petals at both of them for good luck.

After the ceremony, we headed to the main road leading to Castlewood Country Club and surrounded by the golf course views and all the palm trees, we took the time to film many of the amazing creative shots you see in this wedding film.

The wedding reception was in the Grand Ballroom where all the wedding guests enjoyed the couples first dance, all the reception program and of course all the crazy Indian dancing. It was such a thrill filming this couple’s wedding at this majestic venue in the heart of California. It was an even bigger thrill and honor to be part of this couple’s wedding celebrations and capture their wedding story.

I’m happy that this couple decided to have a wedding film from their two-day wedding. And I’m certain that they will have this timeless memory we captured for them last for generations to come. I can’t stress enough how important it is having a wedding videographer for your wedding! Sure, I know I’m biased (as I’m obviously a wedding videographer), but I’m confident our films capture more than still moments. We capture stories. We capture the raw and genuine reactions. We capture the emotional vows. We capture words that photos could never retell. We capture the awe of the First Dance. We capture much more than just a snapshot of a moment. After pouring our hearts into films like this and receiving the moving feedback from our couples, I have no doubt we can capture amazing memories of your big day for you and your family. These memories are sometimes impossible to capture in still photos. But through our films, you’re able to re-experience the flood of emotions your felt on your big day even years down the line. Check out our cultural wedding film packages. We would love to be part of your wedding and tell your wedding story!