Neemrana Fort Wedding | Jaipur India

epic indian wedding at neemrana fort in jaipur

When Harsh contacted me about his wedding and sent a photo of their incredible venue, I knew I had to shoot it, even though I had no plans to go to India in 2013. The Neemrana Fort-Palace is a stunning 15th century fort converted to a five-star boutique hotel that sits just outside of Jaipur, India.  Hands-down, it’s the most beautiful venue I’ve ever had the opportunity to photograph. Simply getting from point A to point B, without getting lost in the maze of paths and nooks, was one of my biggest challenges of the weekend.

Harsh and Michelle are a classic tale of falling in love while studying abroad. They met while salsa dancing in Melbourne, Australia when Harsh was in film school. “At first we were strictly dance partners,” explained Harsh. “But, well… the rest is history, as they say. At first, our families didn’t approve, because of the distance the cultural differences we had to overcome, but in time, they saw how much we loved each other.” Eventually, they moved and settled in Singapore together.

Though much smaller than a typical Indian wedding, I’m sure Harsh and Michelle would agree, it was no tamer. Trying to organize the entire extended family onto a bus by 8 am, for example, resulted in an 11 am departure, with heavy traffic on the 5 hour ride from New Delhi to the venue. But when their sunset wedding turned into a twilight wedding, Harsh and Michelle handled everything with poise and grace, fully enjoying their wedding day regardless of delays.

With a lively horse procession that lasted nearly an hour, and a ceremony in a space reminiscent of Roman times, it was an unforgettable evening under the Jaipur India cityscape and skyscape. The next morning, we all ate a lovely breakfast, complete with wedding cake and speeches. After brunch, Harsh, Michelle, and I enjoyed wandering around the venue doing portraits before we departed back to Delhi. An emotional goodbye took place between Michelle and her father, who lives in Australia and rarely gets to see his daughter. “It was the first time I’ve seen him cry,” Michelle told me.

Harsh and Michelle not only invited me to document their special day, they took me in as family, making my time in India quite special. We traveled to the Taj Mahal together, visited local markets and temples, ate at a food festival, and truly became friends. I hope you all enjoy this epic blog post chronicling Harsh and Michelle’s India destination wedding.

neemrana fort wedding photography by new york city wedding photographer erica camille. all photos were edited in lightroom 4, and many of them were edited with a custom split toning process. like what you see? follow me on facbeook.