Deanna & Niral: A Wedding at The Century Center in South Bend

This wedding at The Century Center in South Bend was so incredible! I first met Deanna and Niral at The Century Center for a wedding show in 2021, and they have been such a joy to work with. You can see their Chicago engagement session here from when we worked together last fall. They celebrated their wedding with an Indian/Western wedding weekend that was full of rich traditions and rituals, colorful elements, intention, family, and fun! 

A mix of traditions to reflect the couple was so beautiful

Deanna and Niral incorporated a variety of traditional elements that reflected their respective upbringings and cultural traditions. Since their wedding weekend was full of so many beautiful elements, I wanted to break up their blog into two parts.

Pre-ceremony rituals took place at Niral’s parent’s home

I traveled to Highland, Indiana where Niral’s parents live and documented two rituals for the pre-ceremony celebration his family had. There was a Mameru ceremony, where Niral’s Uncle and his family brought gifts to the couple. And a Pethi ceremony, where friends and family put haldi on the couple. This was my first time photographing rituals such as this, and my heart felt so big as I got to witness such beautiful and rich traditions. Niral’s family was so generous and obviously so excited for the couple. Deanna’s family partook in the traditions as well, celebrating Deanna and Niral along with his own family.

An Indian wedding ceremony at The Century Center in South Bend

To begin the wedding day, I took details and couple photos of Deanna and Niral in their wedding attire. Niral wore a cream embroidered outfit with so many beautiful elements. Deanna wore a magenta outfit, with incredibly gorgeous touches. Niral sent me a list of all of the elements that would be taking place during this first ceremony, and I loved reading through the intention and symbolism behind each one. After Niral paraded down to the ceremony site with his friends and family, Deanna then paraded in to meet him. Some ceremonies took place at the meeting spot before they all entered the ceremony site. Their ceremony took place in a Mandap to honor Niral’s background, with so many amazing rituals. Guests mingled and ate lunch while the ceremony elements took place.

Part 2 coming next!

Part two of their blog will be the western wedding ceremony and wedding reception at the Century Center. Stay tuned! In the meantime, enjoy the photos from the first part of their wedding weekend celebrations below!

Deanna and Niral, I hope you enjoy these photo previews! Your wedding was amazing and I was so grateful to be a small part of it!

Venue: Century Center in South Bend, Indiana
Florist: Merry Me Events
Catering: Century Cente
Cakes: Pink Lemonade Pastries
Jewelry: Arcadian Antiques and Adornment and Theory
Dress: Amrut
Groom outfit: Sachin’s
DJ: DJ Pro Show
Photography: Leah Rife Photo

Are you engaged and looking for a wedding photographer in South Bend Indiana? I would love to chat! Reach out here to get the conversation going!