A Marquee Sikh Wedding in Henley Upon Thames

Chhaya and Joe hosted their marquee wedding in a vast green field. I suspected it would be a ton of fun to shoot.
I was right.
The smell of shwarmas sizzling on open coals. Hanging garlands of orange flowers. Laughing, mingling people drinking outside.
A DJ, a band, and a trio of drummers.
Intricate henna designs on every women’s hand and colour everywhere.
It felt awesome right from the get-go with a super friendly, super-positive crowd. What British summer festival is complete without a few heavy downpours to make everyone huddle for shelter anywhere they can? This wedding was no exception – it turned out ok.
The day ended warm, hazy and dry.
Their marquee ceremony, decorated with those orange flowers, had a friendly, joyous, intimate vibe. Being my first Sikh wedding, I soaked it all up. Every wedding fascinates me, but no matter what the timeline, level of fancy, or where, at its core, it’s two people coming together, and often two families. There’s something timeless and ancient about it all.
Did I mention that I love them? I do.
Forced to use one sentence to describe their day, it would go like this. Marquee, flowers, colour, confetti, kebabs, boozing, hugs, laughing, portraits, more drinking, more laughing, more hugging, dancing, and drumming and more dancing.
They opted for a super short portraits session, (like 5 mins) preferring more group portraits with their mates and families. Between you and me, I think your group shots benefit from everyone spending a bit of time at the bar beforehand. It’s a good remedy against stiff group shots, it adds a bit of hilarity to it all and makes the whole thing a bit more unstaged.
To sum it all up then, marquee weddings can be major fun. They created their own little enclave in a field and had it all to themselves. Chhaya and Joe put thought into their guest’s experience and spent cash on things that mattered to them – people having a wonderful time.
The entertainment, food, and location were all top-notch. If your budget stretches to a live sax or a bongo player to complement your DJ.
Do it.
Your dance floor will be loud, hot, sweaty, and rammed all night. Just like Chhaya and Joe’s.