Sara and Sai's Gaye Holud

Thursday night, it was time for day 2 of the celebration, Sara and Sai's Gaye Holud, a ceremony during which friends and family feed the couple sweet foods and put a tumeric paste on their faces as a blessing.

We arrived at FunAsia a little early to take pictures of the decor before guests arrived. They'd rolled out the red carpet for the bride and groom, and the lights were all a-twinkle:



The front of the room was beautifully decorated with lights, cushions, tapestries, and various other things, and waited for the two to enter:



Each table featured a gold and white scheme:



Near the entrance sat a guestbook, and, as the guests began to filter in, they left their good wishes for the couple:



Soon, after most of the seats were occupied, all attention turned to the doors, and an excited Sai entered the room:



Then, once Sai had taken his seat on the bench, Sara made her colorful appearence:



Once the couple was seated together, a barrage of photography and videography began:



First, family came up to pass their blessings on to the couple, and there were many happy exchanges:



There were also some hijinks thrown in, as these next couple photos evidence:





After the paste had been applied by all interested, a buffet line formed, and guests filled their plates with delicious food:



While the adults were finishing their meals, the children took to the stage:



Then, full and happy, everyone let loose, and the dancing began:



Before long, everyone was on the floor, and the party continued into the night:



Coming next: day three, the reception!

Rasy Ran Photography
www.rasyran.com

Sara's Mehendhi Pt. 2

After Sara's henna that afternoon, the real festivities began. Families and friends came in by the dozen, or so it seemed.

Many came and engaged in conversation, congratulating the parents of the couple and catching up on each others lives:



There were children everywhere, and this boy took a moment to stop playing and gaze at me, while another continues in the background:



Another henna artist came for the evening crowd and made pretty designs on the hands of many of the guests. Afterwords, the decorated women compared their hands with one another:



The wine glasses started to disappear as more guests arrived:



Finally, the crowd turned towards the door as the groom, Sai, made his jubilant entrance and wholeheartedly greeted all the family and friends:



Throughout the night, we saw group photos being taken left and right, and captured our own candid versions:



Sara took a break on the stairs while the whirlwind continued around her:



Children (and adults!) donning colorful clothes could be seen scattered throughout the night. Here is Sara's niece, in a particularly charming outfit:



Fighting the crowd wasn't an easy task, as the halls quickly filled with an abundance of guests:



After appetizers, the guests made their way over to the buffet table and had their first of the three days of feasting that was to come:



Later, after everyone had their fill, the dancing began, and there were various special preformances:




Soon, everyone was on the floor, even Sai's parents:







The dancing continued well into the evening, and I think everyone considered the first night of the celebrations a success. Soon to come: day two, the Gaye Holud!

Rasy Ran Photography
www.rasyran.com

Sara's Mehendhi

This past week I photographed 3 days of wedding ceremonies for a lovely couple, Sara and Sai. Though I'm still in the process of selection and editing, I thought I'd give everyone a preview of day one.

Wednesday afternoon, we went to the home of Sara's sister before the guests arrived to photograph Sara getting her henna.

Here is our bride, Sara:



With a little help from her two older sisters, she picks a design, and the henna artisan quickly goes to work:





In no time, one hand is covered, and then Sara pauses to admire the intricate patterns:





Then it was time to take some portraits. Here is the behind-the-scenes look at the process:



And here are a couple of the resulting images:





As the time until her guests arrive grows shorter, Sara receives a few phone calls, and resorts to some creative measures, as her hands are out of commission.



That's all for now, but check back in a couple days for more updates and sneak peaks!

Rasy Ran Photography

Galveston

I visited Galveston with Rochelle last week to celebrate a friend's 21st birthday. The last time I was down there was to photograph a wedding in Houston and took a day trip to the beach. I got to spend a little more time cooking myself up a tan in the midst of Texas' 100 degree weather.

We started the trip off at Landry's. A seafood chain that also is apart of Rainforest Cafe, I found out today. The shrimp there was good.



A photo of Luyi, the birthday girl, at the table with breakfast on her mind.



One of Luyi's roommates silenced her dogs as their attention went to the cat, Remy Jack, of the house.



The dogs attention turned onto each other as the whiteboard in the back notes one more day until the birthday.



Rochelle playing with RJ, as two girls get ready to go out.



A wide shot of the beach with a building in the middle of reconstruction after Hurricane Ike demolished it.



There's no point in going to the beach until you run sand through your hands of course.



On the way back, we had to compare our heights with that of Sam Houston, since his head appears to be in the clouds. He must love watching traffic all day.



Rasy Ran Photography

Four

A few recent images; the first was a quick portrait of an incoming freshman, Hannah DuBois.



The next one was of a member of our UTA SAE Racing team gearing up to compete against about 90 other schools in Fontana, Cali. in the SAE West Competition.



An ode to Father's Day, I caught Terry Duncan taking a break with his wife, Elizabeth, and son, Andrew, amidst the choatic final year of their school careers.



Lastly, definitely a way to cool off and beat the Texas heat, Ryan Martin and his girlfriend Caitlin Johnson didn't mind to distance themselves for a bit from friends at a local pool yesterday afternoon.



Rasy Ran Photography

Relaxation

With Summer I can stretch my arms a bit before finish up my last year of college in the Fall. I'm currently taking a Special Studies: Portrait class and continuing my photography position at The Shorthorn.

I took these two on separate days that summed up those quiet, summer days on campus.





Rasy Ran Photography

A-Kon 2009

I photographed A-Kon, celebrating its 20th annual anime convention, over the weekend at the Sheraton in Dallas. This was my first time attending a convention like this. The majority of the attendees dressed up as characters from Naruto, with an occasional character from one of Hayao Miyazaki's films.

The event had numerous vendors selling anything from tiny figurines to elaborate gowns and etnic foods.



















Rasy Ran Photography