Love as they see it

Manika Ahuja

Click click click. The lensman captures candid moments of a much-in-love couple, some months before the “I do” commotion commences. Only this time, the pictures will not end up as a preface to their wedding album, stocked up in a closet to bite the dust for an eternity.

Of late, a lot of young couples are going in for candid pre-wedding photo shoots. While some get it framed to adorn their bedroom walls, others send wedding invites with their couple shoot pictures atop the cards! But why spend extra bucks before you take the vows? You are going to be loaded with wedding pictures anyway!

Extra mile for the perfect shot

“Hang on! What makes pre-wedding photo shoots indispensable is their candidness. No matter how hard you try, wedding pictures always appear posed-up. Couple shoots before tying the knot come out way more natural!” share ShutterInk’s lead photographers, Nitin Dangwal and Sandeep Mohan. The duo notes, “Pre-wedding photo shoots are definitely growing in popularity. Couples don’t mind going an extra mile for the perfect shot. From Leh, Lahaul and Spiti, Punjab’s mustard fields, Morni Hills, to Chandigarh’s Sukhna Lake, they are open to all options.”

Braving the cold

Love is blind and well; it just got immune to the chilling breezes, too! Chandigarh-based couple, Diksha and Rishi Khullar, braved Shimla’s cold weather to get perfect shots for their pre-wedding shoot amidst pristine snow. “It was difficult to wear short dresses in icy cold weather. But every time I look at the pictures, I think that it was worth it,” shares Diksha, as she adds, “our personal favourite is the one taken at the backside of Sukhna Lake with umbrellas in the backdrop.”

Sky full of stars

Ask Srishti Mor and Bhaskar Tokas about their pre-wedding photo shoot experience and their faces light up, just like the sky lantern the duo lit near Chandigarh for their picture perfect moment. “We felt like VIPs during the shooting schedule. Some of our best pictures from the shoot were also displayed on our wedding day.”

Have you met us?

Rachit Chandra and his spouse Sahithya made their wedding invites more special, wondering how? The duo made good use of their pre-wedding photographs by getting them printed on their wedding cards! “All our guests loved the idea. Many of my friends who had not met my husband before, felt a personal element to the otherwise dull and dry cards,” shares Sahithya.

Of mustard fields…

Lensman Sushil, from Sushil Dhiman Photography, makes an interesting observation, “Inspired by Punjabi cinema, these days, a lot of couples wish to get clicked in mustard fields wearing traditional attires.”

Agrees alumnae of Panjab University, Aishwarya Kaushal, who wanted to freeze her pre-wedding moments. Her hubby Puneet suggested a couple of photo shoots in Punjab’s mustard fields and “it now feels as if the magical moments have become eternal. I discovered an all-new side of my husband,” gushes Aishwarya.

Timeless treasure

Chandigarh-based Chartered Accountant couple, Ishita and Jatin Sawhney, opted for a pre-wedding photo shoot, not because everyone else around was doing the same, “but because we genuinely wished to create timeless memories. You can use those pictures in multiple ways—save the date cards, reception slideshow presentation to wedding invitations.”

Ice breaker

According to Aanchal and Umang Sharma, photo shoots play the role of ice breakers to establish a connect between partners. “Nitin-Sandeep shot our pictures on a boat at Taj Mahal’s backside and believe us, it was a memorable affair.”