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Let me see that Tootsie Roll! – Ben and Jess’s Beautiful Garden Wedding at Airlie in Warrenton

Ben and Jess’s Beautiful Garden Wedding at Airlie Center in Warrenton

Okay, so the title of this one is more so that of an inside joke as Jess’ Dad had made the comment that in the suit that Ben chose for the guys to wear he felt like he looked like a “Tootsie Roll.” The suits were pretty fly though, very sharp and so Ben’s taste. For those of you who know Jess, she is the all-American girl, to see her all done up brought sunshine to this otherwise rainy and cloudy day, literally!

You can see in some of the images how it was looking like it was going to rain on this parade however maybe just an hour before you could see the clouds begin to separate and the sun makes its way out onto the Airlie Center in perfect timing for Ben and Jess to share their vows with one another.

When we first met Ben and Jess more than a year ago as our clients we never would have thought that they would have become two of our very best friends. Having the two of them as part of our team for the last 8 or so months has certainly brought a lot of joy to the Regeti household and seeing the two of them tie the knot yesterday was quite tear-jerking for all of us here at Regeti’s including the Perry’s who you all are sure to remember from October 7, 2007, and their feature in the latest issue of Engaged! Magazine. But enough about the Regetis and onto our shout-outs!

The talented and awesome Mrs. Linda Merritt with Heaven on Earth Wedding Flowers brought Jess’ vision together through her floral work. She totally rocked it as always with the decor. Many thanks go out to her and her team for the time and talent that had gone into making their day so beautiful!

Airlie Center for the wonderful atmosphere that they have created over there with the stunning grounds that they provide to the clients. Everything was in bloom and executed very nicely.

Julie for DOC – Day of Coordination, she made sure everything took place and unfolded as planned. Sincere thanks for a job well done!

R&R whom we should not forget they provided Ben and Jess with their linens, chargers, and votives that made the event and all the details the best that they could be. Laura Eaton over at R&R is truly awesome to work with and can help anyone turn their dreams into reality through the little things that matter most… sometimes that truly is the linens!

Hollin Hall Pastry Shop in Alexandria, the cake…need we say more. Anyone who has tasted their cakes knows what we mean and if you haven’t you certainly are missing out!

And the best we shall save for last …The Perry’s both Terri and Al for bringing everything together. Jess and Ben’s vision for the colors, decor, florals, linens, outdoor decor, menu cards, seating cards, the send-off, and the getaway! Let’s just say everything started with Terri helping Jess run with her ideas and Al helping to implement them. You guys are certainly our two nearest and dearest friends and for that we will always honor you. Special shout outs to Terri Perry for Mothers’ Day as she has become a mother to many. We love you both very much!

Okay so sorry if we became a little long-winded on that one, we just have so much to be grateful for this weekend and did not want to leave anyone out! Congratulations to Ben and Jess on their marriage we are so looking forward to watching you both grow together. Now on to the two hawties!

Wedding at Airlie Center Warrenton Virginia

Wedding at Airlie Center Warrenton Virginia

Wedding at Airlie Center Warrenton Virginia

Wedding at Airlie Center Warrenton Virginia

Wedding at Airlie Center Warrenton Virginia

Wedding at Airlie Center Warrenton Virginia

Wedding at Airlie Center Warrenton Virginia

Wedding at Airlie Center Warrenton Virginia

Wedding at Airlie Center Warrenton Virginia

Wedding at Airlie Center Warrenton Virginia

Wedding at Airlie Center Warrenton Virginia

Wedding at Airlie Center Warrenton Virginia

Wedding at Airlie Center Warrenton Virginia

Wedding at Airlie Center Warrenton Virginia

Wedding at Airlie Center Warrenton Virginia

Wedding at Airlie Center Warrenton Virginia

Wedding at Airlie Center Warrenton Virginia

Wedding at Airlie Center Warrenton Virginia

Wedding at Airlie Center Warrenton Virginia

Wedding at Airlie Center Warrenton Virginia

Wedding at Airlie Center Warrenton Virginia

Wedding at Airlie Center Warrenton Virginia

Wedding at Airlie Center Warrenton Virginia

P.S. SO we had to add these shots because if you have checked out Ben’s blog (http://ben.regeti.com) you would know about their love for Cheryl&Co. cookies. Well their favors were these individual cookies in these rafia wrapped chocolate boxes. Let’s just say that none of us knew we had the cookie monster among us! Caught in action the cookie monster himself!

Wedding at Airlie Center Warrenton Virginia

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  • mjillwilliamsMay 19, 2008 - 5:15 pm

    Oh wow…just…WOW! Gorgeous bride, handsome groom, amazing wedding, phenomenal photography!! Congrats Jess and Ben! We are so happy for you. It really came together beautifully!ReplyCancel

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That half-second before the twirl settles — Alekhya's lehenga still mid-spin, and Amar just... watching her. Not posing, not performing for the camera. Just watching his new wife catch the evening light in red and gold.

This is why we always build in time for portraits. The ceremony is beautiful, but moments like this — quiet, unscripted, a little giddy. 

Planning a Sikh ceremony and want photos that feel like this? Drop a comment or DM us — we'd love to hear about your day.
There's a reason we always try to get this angle during an Anand Karaj — shooting from behind the Guru Granth Sahib, with the granthi in the frame, so you see exactly what the couple sees: the entire sangat, seated together, witnessing. Alekhya and Amar are mid-Laav here, the moment where the groom leads and the bride follows around the Guru Granth Sahib, four times, each round a vow. You can feel the room's attention even in a still photo.

This is why we love photographing Sikh weddings — the symbolism is so visual and so intentional. Thinking about a Sikh ceremony for your own wedding? Send us a DM, we'd love to talk through how we'd cover it.
Everyone faces forward during an Anand Karaj — toward the Guru Granth Sahib, toward the moment being witnessed — so some of the most beautiful details happen in the one direction no one else is looking. That embroidery on the back of Alekhya's lehenga? Most of the room never saw it like this. We did.

There's something about photographing from behind the couple during a Sikh ceremony — you catch the whole sangat, the colors, the stillness of people sitting shoulder to shoulder in prayer. It's a different kind of portrait. Quieter. Bigger than just the two of them.

Planning a Sikh or Punjabi wedding and want a team that knows the ceremony flow, not just the aesthetics? Drop a comment or DM us — let's talk.
This is the moment everyone's eyes skip right past because they're waiting for the big kiss or the garland exchange, won't be happening here folks!— but this is still the good stuff. The palla draped and placed in the bride's hand, her chuda bangles catching the light. It's such a small gesture, but it's literally the moment she takes hold of the journey they're starting together.

At Sikh ceremonies we always tell couples: don't rush the hands. The jewelry, the fabric, the grip — it all tells a story the wide shot can't. Alekhya and Amar's ceremony at the Sikh Foundation of Virginia was full of these in-between moments, and I'm so glad we caught this one.

Planning a Sikh or Punjabi ceremony and want a photographer who knows to watch for the small stuff? Drop a comment or send us a DM — we'd love to talk through your day.
Given that Alekhya's father is no longer with us, her mother instead gently places the other end of the Palla, into the cupped hands of the bride. Alekhya, eyes down, soaking in the quiet before everything became official, while her new father-in-law watched the whole thing unfold with the kind of smile you can't fake.

This is what we love about shooting Sikh ceremonies — the formality of the moment never erases the small, human gestures happening right alongside it. We're always watching for these in-between beats because years from now, this is the photo that gets pointed at first.

Want moments like this from your own ceremony? Drop a comment or send us a DM — we'd love to hear about your wedding.
There's a moment right before the words come out — eyes closed, hand lifted, like he's reaching for the note before it exists yet. This ragi was leading shabad kirtan at Alekhya and Amar's Sikh wedding ceremony, and I love how you can see the tabla player's hand already waiting, perfectly in sync, like they've done this a thousand times together (they probably have).

This is the part of a wedding day people don't always think to document — not the couple, not the decor, but the musicians who carry the entire spiritual weight of the ceremony on their voices. You can see decades of practice in that harmonium, worn smooth at the keys. That's not something you stage. That's something you notice.

If you're planning a Sikh ceremony and want a photographer who understands the significance of these quieter moments — not just the big ones — let's talk. Drop a comment or send us a DM.
That look. Right in the middle of the ceremony, surrounded by family, and Amar still can't help but grin at Alekhya like no one else is in the room. We caught this at the Sikh Foundation of Virginia, and moments like this are exactly why we never put the cameras down during the ceremony — the real stuff happens in the glances, not just the rituals.

Sikh wedding ceremonies have such a beautiful rhythm to them, the quiet focus, the hymns, and then these little bursts of pure joy between the couple. We live for catching both.

Planning a Sikh or Punjabi wedding and want a team that knows the flow of the ceremony? Drop us a comment or DM — let's talk.

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This is the kind of moment you have to be watching for — not posed, not repeated. Amar kneeling before the Guru Granth Sahib, kirpan in hand, the whole room holding its breath for a second. The maroon turban against that cream sherwani, the flowers banking the altar like they're standing guard too.

These quiet, reverent seconds inside a Sikh ceremony are some of my favorite to photograph — there's so much weight and history in them that you can't fake. Planning a Sikh wedding and want someone who knows how to catch these moments without getting in the way? Send us a DM, we'd love to talk.
The room is empty, the guests haven't arrived yet, and these little gold baskets are already doing their job, hold the Karah Parshad which is handed out to attendees - it is much more than just a dessert; it embodies the core principles of Sikhism. This is the kind of detail I find myself photographing before anyone else even walks in — because the care put into a Sikh wedding goes so far beyond the ceremony itself. At the Sikh Foundation of Virginia, hospitality isn't an afterthought, it's woven into everything, right down to how the napkins are set out.

These are the moments that remind me why I show up early to every wedding. Want us there for yours from the very first detail? Send us a DM or book a consult — link in bio.
Before the shabad even starts, there's this moment of quiet — flowers arranged just so, everyone finding their seats, the whole room settling into what's about to happen. These blush roses were part of Alekhya and Amar's day at the Sikh Foundation of Virginia, and I always make a point to slow down and capture the details like this before the ceremony energy picks up. They matter just as much as the big moments.

If you're planning a Sikh ceremony and want a photographer who understands the flow of the Anand Karaj — from the quiet setup to the joy after — let's talk. Send us a DM or book a consultation through the link in our bio.
Some of my favorite frames from a wedding day aren't the big moments — they're the quiet textures in between. This soft white fringe falling across hand-embroidered paisley fabric, caught during Alekhya and Amar's Sikh ceremony, is the kind of detail most people don't really give a second thought too, Chaur Sahib, the ceremonial whisk. But it tells its own story: generations of craftsmanship, layers of tradition, and their Rumala Sahib, one of the little things that make their wedding day feel truly theirs.

If you're planning a wedding and want a photographer who notices the details as much as the big moments, let's chat — drop a comment or send us a DM!
I always tell couples — look up. The ceiling details at ceremonies like this one are never an afterthought, and this cluster of gold and pearl tassels hanging from the canopy at Alekhya and Amar's Sikh wedding was one of those small moments I couldn't walk past without photographing. Every strand catching the light a little differently, swaying so slightly you'd miss it if you weren't paying attention.

This is the kind of detail that gets lost in the rush of a wedding day but means everything when you look back years later and remember exactly where you were standing. Got a ceremony space full of details like this? Tell me about it in the comments, or DM me to chat about your date.
That moment right before the ceremony even starts, when two families fold into one. The dhol is still going in the background, the garlands haven't even settled yet, and these two are just... holding on. You can tell there is a bit of happiness in this union — this isn't a polite greeting, this is relief and joy all mixed together.

This is what I mean when I say the baraat isn't just an entrance, it's a union. Got a Sikh ceremony or baraat coming up? DM us — we'd love to be there for these moments.
Before the shabad even begins, this is the moment I always watch for — the elders, barefoot on the path to the Gurdwara, hands clasped the exact same way without even realizing it. There's a quiet conversation happening here that isn't for the camera, it's just two family elders settling into the weight and joy of the day ahead.

Twenty years of shooting Sikh weddings and I still catch my breath at moments like this. The crisp white, the navy turbans, the stillness before the ceremony gets loud with music and blessings — it's my favorite kind of photo because it's the one families didn't know they needed until they see it. Tell me, whose dad or uncle does this remind you of? 👇
Before Alekhya and Amar even stepped in for their Anand Karaj, this was happening outside the Sikh Foundation of Virginia — guests barefoot, phones up, waiting for the doors to open. I love this little moment because it's not posed, it's not the 'main event,' but it tells you everything about how much this day mattered to everyone standing there. Someone's filming for a grandparent who couldn't make the trip. Someone's just excited. That's the stuff I'm always watching for.

The colors alone — dusty lavender next to coral next to crimson — guests don't usually think about how beautifully they're dressing for each other, but they are.

If you're planning a Sikh or Punjabi wedding and want someone who notices these in-between moments, not just the ceremony itself, let's talk. DM us or book a consultation.
Everyone's watching the groom on the horse, but look closer — he's looking right back at someone in the crowd. That's the thing about baraats, there's so much happening (the drums, the dancing, the horse!) but if you keep your eyes open you catch these tiny exchanges that tell you who this day really belongs to. This is why we shoot the crowd just as much as we shoot the groom.

Alekhya and Amar's Sikh wedding ceremony had this energy all day — joyful, loud, and full of moments like this one. Tell us in the comments what you notice first in this photo 👇
The dhol hits and everyone's feet just... know what to do. That's Amar making his way in on horseback, drummer leading the way. We always tell couples: the groom's entrance is never just about the groom. It's about who shows up to walk him in.

You can plan the outfits and the horse and the route, but you can't plan the way a grandmother's face lights up watching her grandson ride in to get married. That's the stuff we're always watching for. Want to talk about photographing your baraat? Drop a comment or send us a DM.