["This is my dream!!!"] wedding in the woods: Ambika + Shankar's Trailer from Leavenworth, Washington

Sometimes you plan a special event and its more than you imagined.  This is Ambika and Shankar's wedding weekend.  They visited this serene location, Sleeping Lady Resort, in Leavenworth Washington and decided upon that visit, that it was the perfect place to have their wedding.  Family's response...."What? Are you two crazy?? An Indian wedding in the middle of the woods for multiple days?"  And the response once everyone arrived and settled in --- "WOW!!! This is amazing!"  This destination had a uniqueness that felt unlike any other.  In quiet moments, you could feel nothing but the nature around you... the wind, the trees, and even the night stars.  Ambika and Shankar describe their idea as summer camp for adults....and that it was!  Everyone arrived and stayed for multiple days and nights enjoying the Mehndi, the Sangeet, and then the wedding day.  It was a gorgeous and perfect day outside as we started shooting prep.  Once everyone was all fancied up, both family's and friends gathered on each side of the woods.  Shankar's side began dancing and celebrating as Shankar rode his white horse.  On the other end, Ambika's family was carrying her in on a plank with her dog, Layla.  This was incredible!! By far one of the coolest things I've seen at wedding.  The whole scene was just unreal.  It was such amazing energy, watching loads of people dancing through the woods until each side met up, at which point Ambika and Shankar were lifted up on shoulders to continue dancing and celebrating.  It was obvious no one wanted this part to end. But it had to, and after that, it was time to settle down and go through a traditional Sikh wedding, followed by a traditional Hindu wedding in the woods.  The weather started acting up and forced cocktail hour to be quick, so we moved inside for the reception. Although being inside wasn't part of the plan, it was still the part everyone had been waiting for....food and dancing!!  Ambika's brother and Shankar's sister gave the most meaningful speeches, leaving many people in tears.  Being around this group of wonderful people full of great energy, so much love, and sooo much laughter, made it hard to leave.  So, I returned the next day.  On Sunday, we headed down to Pine Village for tubing in the Wenatchee river, where most all of the guests joined in on the fun.  If I didn't have a flight to catch, I would have been right there floating down the river, celebrating with a beer and some stylish "Shambika 2013" sunglasses. We had a blast shooting with Emily Lauren Blake Photography  all weekend.  The word epic is overused in our industry, but I must say...this entire weekend was pretty epic.  So much so, I caught Ambika many times shouting, "This is my dream!!!!"  I can only hope this Trailer shares the incredible love and excitement that was present in every moment throughout.  Here's to Ambika and Shankar's "favorite day."  Enjoy!!!