Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding

Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding

Nadia and Tom’s Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding was a fantastic two-day event filled with joy, color, dancing, tradition, family and love! It was a blending of Sikh and western traditions that reflected the personalities and values that Nadia and Tom share — perfect for documentary style wedding photography! Here’s their wedding story.

a bride dressed in a sari and groom with a grey suit and pink tie embrace in front of plants and Chihuly glass at their renaissance phipps south asian wedding

Getting Ready

Nadia has her henna done during the mehendi in the afternoon.

A bride wearing a green blouse has henna painted on her arm before her Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding

The details were all so colorful.

colorful bracelets, detail of the stitching on a sari, and a colorful jeweled lantern at a south asian wedding in Pittsburgh.

Nadia has her hair done by a friend in her suite at the Renaissance. This was the view from the window as fans walked across the Roberto Clemente bridge on their way to PNC Park.

A view of the Roberto Clemente bridge with pedestrians crossing and shopping at food trucks on their way to PNC Park.

The Sangeet

Tom and his brothers enter the room for the Sangeet.

A groom enters the room for his sangeet with his brothers as they raise their hands in the air during a Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding.

Nadia is escorted into the sangeet.

A bride enters her sangeet dressed in a red and blue sari beneath a red cloth held aloft by four tall men at her Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding.

Guests took turns dancing with this colorful vessel held above their heads.

A woman wearing a bright red sari holds a colorful basket above her head while dancing at a Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding

A woman blesses Nadia as the couple receives their guests.

An elderly woman reaches out to bless the bride during her sangeet while a turbaned older man waits his turn behind during a Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding.

The entertainment for the evening featured this dance troupe. These guys were super athletic as they performed traditional dances.

Four men wearing brightly colored clothes dance in front of guests during a Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding.Two girls wearing bright colored clothing dance together as they are seen through the lens of a cell phone camera during a Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding.

Thought I’d sneak in another photo of PNC Park as the sun set towards the end of the sangeet.

The sun sets behind PNC Park on the North Shore of the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh.A bride and groom link arms as they dance wearing traditional Indian clothing during their Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding.

The Wedding Day

Nadia and Tom had wedding day outfits that were even more beautiful than those they wore the day before.

Detail photos of a gold-red-and-white sari, jewelry and a groom's outfit for a Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding.

Nadia looked great!

A bride smiles as she looks at her makeup in a hand mirror before her Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding.

Meanwhile, Tom Nadia’s friends applied yellow curry paste to Tom’s legs and feet.

A groom has yellow curry rubbed on his legs as women hold a red piece of fabric above his head.Women reach up to apply curry to a man's head as he is prepared for his Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding.

Nadia’s relatives helped Tom get his turban on. It was a lot of fun!

An older woman laughs as she pulls a turban cloth while a man holds the end of the turban in his mouth while another man ties a turban on to his head.

Nadia was surrounded by family as she prepared for the wedding.

A bride wearing a sari gets ready for her Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding.

The beautiful bride.

Portrait of a bride in a chartreuse and gold sari before her Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding.

The Ceremony

Nadia’s father greeted Tom during the baraat on the landing outside of the Symphony Ballroom.

The bride's father blesses his future son-in-law before his Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding.

Following the baraat, Nadia and Tom sat before the riser where the Guru Granth Sahib was read from.

A groom in a pink turban smiles at his bride who is wearing a gold and chartreuse sari during their Sikh wedding at their Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding.A group of colorfully dressed people attend a Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding.A bride wearing a gold and pink sari looks over at her groom and smiles during their Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding.

Nadia and Tom walk around the riser while the reader recites verses from the Guru Granth Sahib. The couple intended to walk side-by-side to signify the equality in their relationship. Which they did on the sides and front of the riser, but it was too narrow to do so around the back. The sheer curtains made for an interesting background to this silhouette image.

A silhouette of a groom leading his bride as they walk around the officiant during their Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding.

A portrait of the couple in their full wedding regalia at the bottom of the grand staircase in the lobby of the Renaissance.

A groom wearing a gold kaftan and pink turban holds a sword while standing with his bride who is wearing a red and gold sari after their Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding.

Reception at Phipps

After the early morning wedding ceremony, we headed over to Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens for their reception. The beautiful flowers and bright blue fabrics were complimented by the macaron tower!

Orange flowers on a light blue tablecloth, pink flowers with greenery flanked by gold framed flowers, and a macaron tower seen from above.

Tom put on a gray suit with a pink tie for this part of the day. He and Nadia thanked their guests for attending.

A bride in a chartreuse and gold sari laughs with her groom wearing a grey suit as they express greetings to their guests at their Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding.

Nadia’s dad gets caught up in the emotion of the moment as the parents take a turn at the microphone.

A turban-wearing father of the bride wipes a tear from his eye as he stands with his wife and the groom's parents while offering a toast to the bride and groom during their Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding.

After lunch, Nadia and Tom led their guests through the Phipps for their formal exit.

A groom wearing a grey suit and pink tie walks with his chartreuse and gold wearing bride as they lead their guests through a lush room in a conservatory during their Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding.

When we got to the top of the entry walkway, Nadia threw flower petals to her guests.

A bride reaches back as she throws flower petals to her guests at the end of her Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding.

A drummer led the wedding party to Schenley Drive.

A drummer leads a bride and groom from the entrance at Phipps Conservatory after their Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding.

The couple rode off in a vintage Rolls Royce which got a helpful push from a group of guys.

A group of men push a vintage Rolls Royce limousine at the end of a Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding.

After the formal goodbye, the Rolls pulled around the back of Phipps to drop off Nadia and Tom for a portrait session.

A bride and groom hold hands and smile as they stand in a greenhouse after their Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding.A bride in a gold sari rests her arm on her grooms shoulder. He's wearing a gray suit with a pink tie during their Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding.

Detail photo of a bride and groom's hands with henna tattoos and a portrait of a bride and groom sitting in front of a statue after their Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding.

I’m very grateful to Nadia and Tom for their kindness and for choosing me tell the story of their two-day wedding celebration! I’m also grateful to Kate and Drew for recommending me to their friends Nadia and Tom. 😊

Filed under:Renaissance Phipps South Asian Wedding. For more info about weddings I’ve done at The Renaissance here’s a page devoted to that beautiful venue.