I’m not sure where July went, it was a very busy month with weddings all over the UK. One of July’s weddings that sticks in my mind was Rachel and Neil’s wedding at Guru Gobind Singh Gurdwara in Bradford and Rudding Park in Harrogate on the 14th July.
I arrived in Bradford very early on the Sunday morning to meet up with the groom Neil for the Indian breakfast before the Sikh wedding ceremony which took place at Guru Gobind Singh Gurdwara. Having tied the ‘Rumal’ to my head and removed my shoes (having made sure I wore clean socks) I joined Neil and his wedding guests in the Gurdwara for the ceremony. During the ceremony guests sit on the floor. Rachel arrived dressed in a traditional red Lengha. The ceremony began with the Kirtaini jatha singing Gurbani. Rachel’s father placed the end of Neil’s scarf to the bride as a symbol of giving his daughter away. Between religious readings, the Bride and Groom walk round the Guru Granth Sahib Ji 4 times. At the end of the fourth rotation the couple are believed to be married. We then left Bradford for the drive to Rudding Park where the couple changed ready for the second ceremony of the day. At this point Neil also shaved off his beard.
The second ceremony wasn’t quiet at colourful and certainly wasn’t as long as the couple married during the civil ceremony at Rudding Park. Afterwards guests enjoyed the garden and grounds and Rudding Park before the wedding breakfast.
At midnight it was exactly one year since Neil had proposed to Rachel in Prague on Charles Bridge.
These are just a small preview of Rachel and Neil’s wedding photography at Rudding Park and Guru Gobind Singh Gurdwara.
