Everything—from the stunning views of Florence to comparing mooch (moustache) length with Sandeep’s Mamaji, from the romantic vineyards of Grassina to the drunk shenanigans of Mithun and Harps; from Dipika feeding us ham & egg sandwiches to Gargi Aunty dancing on her one good leg; from Karishma’s graceful walk down the aisle with her dad to Sandeep and Manyu’s clumsy wobble on the slippery roof; this wedding had it all—grace, fun, Gujju-Punjabi fusion, British-Indian masala and lots of love…and Manyu drinking lots of milk, of course.
Once upon a time, in a land far away, the graceful Karishma met the fun Sandeep and the rest, as they say, is history!
We first met Karishma and Sandeep at Sandeep’s sister’s wedding at Chomu Palace, Rajasthan. Little did we know then that we’d be having a full-blown reunion one-and-a-half years later in the luxuriant vineyards of Grassina, just outside of Florence.
But what is an alluring setting without beautiful people? And that is exactly what Karishma and Sandeep’s friends and family are! Beautiful, inside out! Except Harps, he’s just mental!
Right from Krishna and Dipu giving up their room for us (you guys are the sweetest!) to Dipika making sure we didn’t go to bed hungry after covering all the festivities (Dipi, your ham and egg sandwiches were to die for!), Italy felt like home. And, of course, needless to say Manyu probably owes you all like 5 boxes of Cheerios and a truck-load of milk, if not more! LOL A special mention to Ajay for making eggs and bacon for us in the middle of the night!
And who can forget the cherry on top? The CRAZY bunch of friends! Harps, Mithun, Keval, Qaseem, Faheem, Chai the wedding would not have been the same without you all. Harps, we still have the video of drunk-you trying to convince us to charge Sandeep more LOL
We absolutely loved and cherished the time with all the parents, especially the extra-special tadka-maar-ke Punjabi-love of Sandeep’s mom :D
Karishma, your getting ready sessions were full of special moments. Your parents getting emotional after the thoughtful gift you gave them, the beautiful note that Dipu gave you; thank you for letting us capture so many tender moments.
And how can we forget, Abhimanyu and Sandeep defying imminent death on the sloping red roof to take groom portraits!!!!!!! Sandeep, thanks for being a great sport! Those images were definitely worth it!! (And aunty, no, Manyu and Sandeep never went to the roof :P)
Karishma and Sandeep, thanks for trusting us with one of the biggest days of your life and making us a part of your family, yet again.
HUGE thanks to the wonderful folks at Villa Medicea di Lilliano for all your hard work. Eric, it was a pleasure to work with you and your team.
Karishma’s MUA: Khalida
Wedding venue: Villa Medicea di Lilliano
DJ: Jimi Needles
Catering: Guidi Lenci
Karishma’s outfit civil ceremony: Yuvna Kim
Karishma’s outfit Indian ceremony: Arinder Bhullar
Sandeep’s outfit Indian ceremony: The Sherwani Co
“Going Bananas Photography are now the family photographers. They covered Sandeep’s sister’s wedding in Jaipur and we were more than excited to have them out in Florence for ours!
They really endeared themselves not only to us but to our entire families. Having already met them and spent 3 days with them in Jaipur, there was a real sense of familiarity and when we landed in Florence four days before the wedding, they were there in tow. They spent nearly every waking moment hanging out with us, joking with our mums, and capturing moments we will treasure forever.
Despite the existing relationship, the GBP team ensured that prior to the wedding they kept in touch and took down our brief and kept us real on what was feasible and what wasn’t. They shared all of their experience as photographers with us, such that it shaped how we structured the wedding!!
They delivered above and beyond everything that had been discussed and most importantly, joined in the fun! During our mehndi night, when our friend was putting out boliyan for everyone to dance, it was eventually their turn, and they slung their cameras to their hips and got to the middle and brought India to the middle of Italy! Not to mention, when Sandeep got thrown into the pool and followed by his friends, they were right behind them, diving in with expensive camera gear, not to miss a moment.
The entire time I was getting ready, they were there with me and my family. Those are the first photos I’ve printed and they have pride of place in frames.
Given how much we deviated from a traditional wedding, they were incredible at reminding us of small traditions which no doubt kept the older generation satisfied and content.
We could describe them with all the cliché adjectives you would expect for a photography team, but we suggest you take those as a given. Ultimately, what mattered was their passion, their characters and just their dedication to us and to our families. It was clear that at all times, all they wanted to do was meet everyone’s expectations, and that too with a smile on their faces.
We love GBP, and look forward to finding excuses for them to take pictures of us in the future!”
– Karishma & Sandeep
Brilliant set of images!