Srija & Lohit’s New York Escapade

“It’s finally our big day!” Srija beams, the morning she has waited seven years for, her wedding with Lohit. Kids first, then best friends. Now, about to become the best thing in each other’s lives. 

Lohit is excited, and nervous, but having his Srija beside him never felt more natural. “They’re like friends.” To both families, what could be greater comfort? 

For us at What A Story, this is precisely the kind of energy we live for. They finish each other’s sentences and understand each other without saying a word. That kind of closeness can’t be faked. It shows up, and when it does, it’s a photographer’s dream.

This couple loved both the winter chill and the warmth of each other’s company. So where else would they go but the city that never sleeps? New York City, the city of dreams! The pre-wedding shoot lets them capture themselves, each other, and everything they hold precious.

The shoot was full of warmth, even in the middle of a blizzard. Beauty and happiness rang true with this gorgeous couple.

After a New York blizzard-struck adventure, the couple returned home to Hyderabad. 

At home, the couple stood at the center of their Haldi.

A traditional Hindu ceremony where a bride and groom are blessed with turmeric, making sure that no harm, no ill will, and no danger befalls the couple for the duration of their auspicious wedding. 

Surrounded by their families, all dressed in yellow, Srija & Lohit were radiant in their matching pink and gold ensembles.

As the couple honored the traditional roots of such an event, it was filled with stunning smiles and giddy laughter.  The haldi is kicked off by the joyful chaos of bringing families together. Flowers, colors and love are spilled from overfull baskets. 

Love is what remains, and the world feels yellow. Happy, bright, and glowing, just like the couple’s haldi-smeared faces.

As the sun set on the bright, spinning joy of the haldi, evening arrived in a wash of electric blue. If a haldi is an explosion of happy pinks and yellows, the Sangeet is a fiesta of passionate red and gold. 

The bride and groom dressed in their gala best, were truly a sight to behold for all who saw it for the first time. The couple really exemplified what everyone around them said, that they were opposites, but they were perfect for each other. Every pose and spin on the stage brought along a wave of cheers and joy. But nothing in the room prepared anyone for what happened next: Lohit’s long-awaited proposal happened on-stage, with all eyes on Srija & him. His question had an answer that everyone in the room knew. He loved Srija, and he wanted forever with her. 

These moments don’t wait for anyone. We’ve spent years chasing the un-repeatable, and this couple and their families’ excitement for the wedding was the perfect place for us to flex our muscles.

“I have been waiting for this day for so long, finally it’s here,” Lohit says on the morning of the wedding. It echoes what Srija said at the very beginning – when you’re truly in love, your heart and your partner’s start moving in the same direction.

The couple’s first look was documented with such patience, waiting with bated breath, to have the first look into the rest of their lives together. Their feelings were easy to see, on this final step of starting a life together. 

The rituals of a wedding, the excitement with which they are carried out, starting with the auspicious “jeelakarra bellam”, placed atop each other’s head to signify that- like jaggery and cumin, when bound together, cannot be pulled apart, just like the couple. 

Finally, when the garlands are exchanged, and the three sacred knots tied, with all the hubbub of the world around them, they can finally say, “You cannot run away from me anymore!” 

When a couple is in love, the world around them glows gold.

Watch the full film below.

Shot across both cities and cut into a single story: the pre-wedding in a New York winter, the haldi and sangeet at home in Hyderabad, and the Telugu ceremony that followed. The vows you hear are theirs, unedited.

In India and USA, weddings are celebrated like a feast. They’ve become the art of preserving tapestry, with specialists in cinematic, traditional and destination shots. They’re streamed, shared, and rewatched, crafted into love stories that outlast the confetti by the videographer in India and videographer in USA.

We encapsulate the natural beauty and heartfelt lively emotions into a colourful palette.