One of my favorite weddings from last year was Mariam and Suleman’s three-day Pakistani wedding in the Bay Area! I had so much fun shooting with them, their families were so sweet and hospitable and we got to shoot at some gorgeous locations in the San Francisco Bay Area.

We started off with Mariam’s pre-mehendi shoot in Fremont at the Shinn Historical Gardens & Museum. I loved the light pastels of her outfit, which was super unique for a mehendi but was a nice contrast to all the bright and fun decor!

Mariam and Suleman opted not to do a couples shoot before the nikkah, but we did manage to get some couples shots at the venue with some cute poses. It’s definitely possible to do a couples shoot without touching if that’s something you’re not comfortable with – I shared some pose ideas in my last blog post if you’re looking for some inspo!

The mehendi was held at the Shannon Community Centre in Dublin and was super simple and fun – the night was filled with lots of rasms and choreographed dances from family and friends. The energy was super fun and welcoming, and it set the tone perfectly for the rest of the weekend!

The next day for the shaadi we did Mariam’s portraits at the San Mateo History Museum, another beautiful backdrop. She was the perfect traditional Pakistani bride in her red lehenga.

While we didn’t do couples portraits, we did get in a photoshoot with Mariam and her bridesmaids which was really cute. The lighting and location were perfect and we got lots of memorable candids and pictures.

The Wedding took place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Foster City and started with some fun entrances – the energy was so infectious, I had a lot of fun! I also had the pleasure of shooting alongside Redamancy Photo and Film @redamancyphotofilm who did the videography and film photography for the event. 

The nikkah was done by Imam Tahir Anwer and was followed by speeches from family and friends. Both Mariam and Suleman are super talented and hard-working, and the admiration from their friends and family was apparent through all of the heartfelt speeches.

The final event – and my personal favourite – was the Valima. We did the wedding photoshoot at the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco and I think it has to be one of my favourite locations I’ve ever shot at! It has gorgeous scenery of the surrounding landscape with mountains and the water, as well as beautiful architecture from the historic building of the museum itself. It was partially under construction at the time, but we made it work.

We got some more portraits with the bridesmaids and friends, who were really involved throughout the whole event and played a big part, which you can see throughout the photos.

The Valima took place at the San Ramone Marriot which is a popular venue for Pakistani Weddings in the Bay Area – and for good reason, it’s a lovely venue. In addition to the venue one of the memorable parts of the event was the food, I’m still thinking about it today haha. Mehraan Banquet and Caterers did the food and it was so good, I would definitely recommend them as it’s hard to find good Pakistani food in the Bay Area!

Mariam and Suleman had a live harpist playing at the venue, which was such a unique and special touch and made for some nice portraits too.

Overall, I had so much fun shooting this wedding. Mariam and Suleman, along with their families, were so gracious and hospitable and I’m so thankful they chose me as their photographer. The weekend was full of so much fun, love, and happiness – you can feel it through the pictures and all of the candids we got. I wish the lovely couple all the best, and I can’t wait to see where life takes them next!

Mehendi
Photoshoot location: Shinn Historical Gardens &  Museum in Fremont
Venue: Shannon Community Centre in Dublin, California

Shaadi
Photoshoot location: San Mateo History Museum 
Venue: Crowne Plaza Hotel, Foster City, California

Valima
Photoshoot: Legion of Honor Museum
Venue: San Ramon Marriott, California