The Ahwahnee Wedding in Yosemite | Esha + Kyle
Colorful Telugu Hindu Wedding at The Ahwahnee in Yosemite
There are few locations that can rival the beauty of Yosemite. The Ahwahnee Hotel is located right in the middle of the valley, surrounded by the incredible cliff faces providing stunning 360 degree views. The hotel itself has all the historic vibes, it even has cabins you can reserve that are completely isolated from the busy areas of this national park. An absolutely stunning location for a wedding.
Esha + Kyle actually planned 4 days of events! I joined them for a few of the days to photograph their multi-day celebration with the last day being a traditional Telugu ceremony. This type of ceremony is full of traditions, symbolism, and bright colors. I read that historically Tegulu ceremonies could last up to 16 days!
Words from the couple…
What did you love about your wedding venue?
Being among nature in Yosemite. We both love to rock climb so being nestled within the giant granite walls of Yosemite Valley was more than we could have wished for. We also wanted to give our family and friends the gift of spending time outdoors in a National Park. Oh, and we had some furry friends make an appearance- some deer, a black bear, and coyote decided to join us on our big day.
What memory from your wedding do you remember the most strongly?
Esha: Games are a big part of traditional Hindu-Telugu weddings. One in particular is the ring game. A ring is dropped into a big pot which is then filled with water. The bride and groom place their hands on the rim of the pot at the start of the game and dive in once the priest signals the start. Whoever finds the ring first, wins. You play three rounds. What I didn’t know is that the ring is only placed in two of three rounds. Someone had told me prior to us starting that I had to let Kyle win once out of the three attempts. What they didn’t mention was, by both of us winning it symbolizes equality in our marriage. Fast forward to the game, I had severe tunnel vision and fought hard and got the ring both times.
Kyle: Now you think you can beat me up about everything.
Where did you go on your honeymoon? Why did you choose it?
We had originally planned to take our honeymoon over Christmas because we didn’t want to cram planning it between moving, planning our wedding, school, and changing jobs. But we decided to book a last minute trip to Copenhagen a few weeks before the wedding - we were so pressed for time, we booked our hotel while we were waiting to board at the airport! We had always talked about moving aboard someday and Copenhagen was on our list of potential places so we decided to go and see everything it had to offer. We spent our first night on our last-minute but amazing boat hotel unwinding from the last several months and walked and ate our way through the city for the remainder of the trip.
What advice would you give to future couples who are getting married?
Spend your money on Catalina. Really. If you can, involve family as little as possible in the planning phases. Get a day-of coordinator — we didn’t have the luxury of having a wedding planner but having a day-of coordinator for our wedding reception took a lot of pressure off. What they all say is true — your wedding will go by in a blur. Ours was four days long and we still felt this way so, try and soak in as much as you can. Lastly, put as much of yourselves into the wedding as you can. It will make all the hard work that goes into planning your wedding worth it and it is your day after all!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Hi, I’m Catalina Jean - a destination wedding photographer servicing Oregon, California, Mexico and beyond. Nature, minimalism, dark shadows, real emotion all make my heart skip a beat.
Getting hitched? Check out my work and reach out to learn more.
Venue: The Ahwahnee Hotel // Coordinator: Bobby Bhogal // Event Designer: Satvir Bhogal // Rings: Angeline + Qalo // Second Photographer: Jess Rankin
View Portfolio <<< >>> About Catalina
