Venue Location: The Gaylord Hotel, 201 Waterfront St, National Harbor, MD 20745
As if one reception is not crazy enough post-COVID, we have received more and more requests for at-home receptions, given that ethnic weddings are more comfortable now than ever, downsizing and trading out the more traditional wedding locations for more intimate destination weddings. Highly cutting back on the wedding guestlist only to return home to greet and welcome all extended family and friends to come party with them, offering congratulations and welcoming the new bride/groom into the family.
For Cayley and Mayank, this affair was just that. Mayank’s parents so proudly and justly welcomed Cayley into the family with formality and flair, sparing no minor details as the Dream Team worked their magic to make the evening at the Riverside an unforgettable one—just as unforgettable as Cayley’s stunningly detailed Sabyasachi lehenga that she wore so well.
We thank you both for welcoming our presence and allowing us to capture your affair as you embark on your forever adventure together!
XOXO,
-the Regeti’s-
A few sample images from Cayley and Mayank – South Asian Wedding Reception at Riverview Ballroom, Gaylord Hotel, Oxon Hill, Maryland
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.
Can I ask the annoying question before you add one more thing to your wedding?
Why?
Why are you doing it?
Because it means something to you?
Great. Keep it.
Because it’s important to your family and you’ve decided it’s important enough to make room for?
Great. Keep it.
Because your cousin did it, TikTok keeps showing it to you, somebody told you weddings are “supposed” to have it, or you’re afraid guests will think something is missing?
Let’s talk. 😂
South Asian and fusion weddings already have SO MUCH built into them.
Tradition.
Family.
Ceremonies.
Outfit changes.
Performances.
Entrances.
Portraits.
Sometimes multiple days of it.
More isn’t automatically better.
Sometimes the best thing we can add to your wedding timeline is…
nothing.
Leave 20 minutes where nobody needs you.
Let dinner run a little longer.
Talk to your grandmother.
Actually finish the conversation with the friend who flew across the country to see you.
Stand beside your new spouse for a second and look around the room.
Those moments won’t appear on your planning checklist.
But they may be the moments you actually remember.
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.
That look. Kavya`s giving Kyle the kind of smile that happens when you forget the camera`s even there — and if you look close, you`ll catch her henna peeking out from under all that lace. We love these quiet in-between moments just as much as the big ceremony ones, because they tell you everything about a couple without a single word.
Kavya and Kyle`s day at Stonewall Golf Club was full of these — two families, two traditions, one really good story. Want moments like this at your wedding? Send us a DM or book a consult, we`d love to chat.
That`s not posed. That`s a groom helping bustle his bride dress. Meanwhile Kavya`s mehndi is still fresh on her hands, her gown is doing all the work a lehenga usually does, and nobody in this frame is thinking about the camera at all.
This is what fusion weddings actually look like up close — two families, two traditions, one moment where it all just hits different. Eighteen years of shooting these and the quiet, unscripted seconds like this one still get me every time.
Planning a fusion celebration of your own? Send us a DM — we`d love to hear how your two worlds are coming together.
That split second where she caught her own reflection in the moment — and just smiled. We see this look so often with brides and it never gets old. What makes this one extra special? Look closer at her hands. Mehndi under a classic white gown is exactly the kind of fusion detail we live for — two traditions, one beautiful day for Kavya and Kyle at Stonewall Golf Club.
These are the details that tell your whole story, not just the dress or the venue. Tell us in the comments — team lehenga, team gown, or (like Kavya) team both?
That stretch of aisle right before everything changes. Kavya`s veil catching the light, her dad walking her forward, and a crowd that`s half sherwani-and-saree, half Sunday-best suits — all leaning in for the same reason. You can feel the room holding its breath.
This is what we love about fusion weddings — two families, two traditions, one aisle. Stonewall Golf Club gave us the perfect quiet backdrop for a moment this loud with meaning.
Planning a fusion celebration of your own? Drop a comment or DM us — we`d love to hear about it.
There are certain things I can see on a wedding timeline and immediately think, “We need to fix that.”
Not because I have a crystal ball. 😂
Because after 20+ years of photographing weddings, you start recognizing where the day is likely to get squeezed.
And South Asian weddings give us even more moving pieces: multiple locations, baraats, ceremonies that run on their own time, outfit changes, large families and a whole lot of people who need to get from Point A to Point B.
Here’s the thing I really want couples to understand:
Buffer time isn’t wasted time.
It’s breathing room.
It’s the difference between enjoying the 10 minutes you unexpectedly have with your parents and someone standing beside you saying, “We have to go. NOW.”
When we talk through your timeline, I’m not just looking for where we can fit photographs.
I’m looking for where we can protect you.
Save this one before you start finalizing your wedding-day timeline.