Multicultural Wedding at the Chicago Cultural Center

Warm and joyous, Dijita and Marcus had a weekend filled with the best celebration of their love. Their multicultural wedding at the Chicago Cultural Center was brilliantly captured by Studio Soo. Keep scrolling to learn more about their day!

Written and photographed by Studio Soo:

On November 9th we were pleased to witness Dijita and Marcus as they were married at the South Shore Cultural Center in Chicago. This Chicago Cultural Center wedding was a joyous, two-day event that combined two families and two cultures in an impressive celebration. We were so happy to be their wedding photographers.

The winter came early this November, but this beautiful Chicago wedding snuck right in between the two days of wintery weather. Despite the cold weather, everything about this two-day wedding celebration was so warm. The families on both sides were both so supportive. Everyone was full of love and kindness, making it a pleasure to photograph this wedding. It was a traditional Indian wedding, to honor Dijita’s heritage. The groom and his family were enjoying themselves and fully embraced the Indian culture and all its beautiful traditions.

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The two days of Indian wedding events began with the Sangeet on Friday evening. The Sangeet was full of joy, color, and amazing Indian dancing. Everyone’s jewelry and clothing were so bright and colorful! On Saturday, the day began with the Baraat—the vibrant, musical, pre-ceremony groom’s processional. It was certainly a fun part of the day, filled with smiles from all! When the Baraat reached the venue entrance, the mother of the bride performed a small ceremony called a Puja. When the Puja concluded, the wedding ceremony began. The priest performed the whole ceremony in another language, and while I didn’t understand, it was so clear that the ceremony was full of happiness. After the Hindu ceremony, they incorporated one small African American cultural piece to honor the groom’s heritage and together they “jumped the broom.”

Dijita was wearing henna tattoos, which were incredibly striking. The henna made for great photographs. It was beautiful to see Marcus’ family learning about the bride’s traditions and embracing them. The 200-300 guests were all filled with joy. This Chicago Cultural Center wedding was a truly warm event! My favorite moment was to see how Marcus enjoyed and embraced his bride’s Indian culture throughout the entire two-day event from the rehearsal on Friday and the entire Indian wedding ceremony on Saturday. Their love was so beautiful to photograph.

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This wedding was impressive and joyful—both days filled with wonderful festivities to celebrate the bride and groom. It was such an honor to be their wedding photographers. Thank you, Marcus and Dijita for inviting us into your lives to celebrate your beautiful wedding.