
An amazing Stoneleigh Abbey Indian Wedding
S+R’s Indian wedding at Stoneleigh abbey with Sangeet, Mehndi, Haldi and Janeyan indian wedding ceremonies in Leicester
Venue: Stoneleigh Abbey and pre-wedding events in Leicester
Get comfortable, this is a longer post than usual because I spent four full days with S+R for their Indian wedding, all leading up to their Stoneleigh Abbey Indian wedding.
I’ve really fallen in love with Indian weddings over the years since photographing Sonal and Parit’s Indian wedding in Kenya, and I’m so lucky these days that a high proportion of my weddings are Indian weddings. I love the choreography and the chaos, and it was all there for S+R’s wedding celebrations and I really really LOVED getting to capture ALL their events for them, and you’ll see them all in this wedding blog!
Part One: Indian Wedding Sangeet in Leicester at The City Rooms
The festivities began with the Sangeet in Leicester, at The City Rooms and it was a taster of what was to come, because it was moment-filled from the start. We met at The City Rooms before the guests arrived so I could do some portraits for them, and it felt really special to be there at what turned out to be the calm before the (in a good way) storm!
I don’t remember the first time I captured a Sangeet, but I remember thinking back then that I wasn’t prepared for how full-on a Sangeet can be to photograph. It’s so non-stop and it’s so full of constant moments, but it’s so fun. These days I’m fully prepared and I have my own methods to capture the madness!















Part Two: Haldi, Janeyan, Mehndi and Jago Indian Wedding Ceremonies in Leicester
I joined them at home in Leicester for day two, beginning with the Haldi ceremony which is possibly the most chaotic and fun element of any Hindu wedding. It all happened in the garden of S’s parents house and was just pure craziness but so so much fun to capture for them.
After the Haldi, was the Janeyan ceremony which is a much more serious and solemn part of the pre-wedding rituals and was very emotional for the whole family.
Continuing the most action packed day, next up was the Mehndi which also involved some hilarious games for their friends and family.
And finally on this action packed day of pre-wedding ceremonies was the Jago ceremony leading into the evening party!





















Part Three: The Civil Wedding at Stoneleigh Abbey
Stoneleigh Abbey is an unbelievable venue that completely takes your breath away the first time you walk through the gatehouse and see the main mansion house. Seriously awe inspiring. We’d now be spending the next two days at Stoneleigh Abbey and this day was all about their outdoor civil wedding ceremony. It all happened down by the lake in such an idyllic setting, and was so special and so emotional.
The shot of S and his groomsmen coming down the steps is one of my favourite all time photos I’ve taken, with the epic Stoneleigh Abbey in the background!


































Part Four: The Stoneleigh Abbey Indian Wedding
The grand finale was S+R’s Stoneleigh Abbey Indian wedding!
One of my favourite parts of an Indian wedding is the Baraat or Jaan which is where the groom arrives in a fanfare-filled procession towards the ceremony. S had big plans for his arrival with a vintage Cadillac and music and smoke flares and all of it… but it was raining.
But there was no way the rain was going to spoil his arrival and everyone grabbed as many umbrellas as they could and the show must go on! And it was AMAZING. If anything the umbrellas add a cool extra element to the photos and that all becomes a part of the story. There were SO MANY moments during this, I think I filled a memory card just during that 45 minutes!
The Hindu ceremony took place in the Victorian Orangery at Stoneleigh Abbey, and afterwards the rain still wasn’t ideal but we did manage to get some epic atmospheric portraits with the Cadillac. And because of the rain we actually headed back to Stoneleigh Abbey a few weeks later so they could get some more wedding portraits – you can see those at the bottom of this post!
































Part Five: The Stoneleigh Abbey Indian Wedding Reception
After a break and a rest and a change of clothes, we were back at Stoneleigh Abbey for the reception! This took place in “The Riding School” and was a night of party. I really don’t know how everyone’s energy was still at 100% after four days of celebrating but everyone (including me) was just loving life and living through all these iconic moments of life!
The reception was just as special as the rest of it and before the party got into full swing there was an amazing performance by S’s brother who is a truly amazing singer and some speeches.
Then it was party time!


































Part Six: The Stoneleigh Abbey Indian Wedding Portraits
I mentioned above that rain on their wedding day meant they didn’t get as many portraits as they wanted, so S+R booked me to go back with them a few weeks later on a VERY sunny day, to really explore everything Stoneleigh Abbey has to offer, indoor and out, without the weather issues and without any of the time pressures that come with a wedding day!
So we were able to head right into the woodland and really make the most of the venue for them, and it was lovely! We started in the Gilt Hall because it’s one of their favourite rooms in Stoneleigh Abbey.











I’d really love to capture your multi-day Indian Wedding!
Over the years I’ve captured a lot of multi-day wedding celebrations, especially Indian weddings like S+R’s at Stoneleigh Abbey. I’ve captured multi-day weddings in Kenya, Thailand, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and across the UK so if you’re looking for a multi-day wedding specialist – let’s talk!