Why Doon is a hotspot for pre-wedding shoots

The bride and groom posing with their respective kith and kin on the stage, the photographer going click-click and that typical expression on everyone's face gets captured for life. That's precisely how wedding photography used to be a few years ago, until interesting pre-wedding shoots took over. Now, the couples in the city have gotten over boring shaadi pictures and are paying extra attention (and money) to get their special moments clicked in the most candid way.

For the uninitiated, the concept involves couple hiring a professional photographer to click them at picturesque locations (which are in abundance in Doon), use interesting props and flaunt some lovey-dovey poses. The photographers, cashing in on the latest trend, are happy to help these couples. And from the lush green fields of Maldevta to hilly Sahastradhara, Doon is a paradise for pre-wedding shoot.

Harshit Verma from High Tide Photography says, "The concept of pre-wedding shoots works best in Doon as the cit y has several spots from where you get a fantastic bird's eye view of the whole city. Apart from the usual choices like FRI and Sahastradhara, there are villages near Maldevta from where you can see Doon Valley. We have shot four-five couples at these places. The cost of the shoot ranges anywhere from Rs. 25,000 - 30,000."

Shubham Sharma, a wedding photographer from Doon, tells us, "I have had around 10 city couples coming to me for pre-wedding shoots this year, which is recent. They did not just want their candid photoshoot, but also wanted to show the scenic locations of Doon in their pictures. Pre-wedding shoots cost anywhere from Rs. 15,000 - 20,000."

Marrying a Doonite?Not just city-based couples, even those who have their spouses from Dehradun, pick the city over metros like Delhi and Mumbai. Mini Sharma, a bride-to-be based in Mumbai, tells us, "My wedding date is yet to be fixed sometime next year but I have decided that the destination of my pre-wedding shoot wo uld be in Dehradun. Since my fiance is from Doon and he keeps sending me beautiful pics of the city, I could not resist the charm of getting shot in such quaint locations." Riya Saran, an IT professional from Delhi who got her pre-wedding shoot done at FRI last year, says, "If you get yourself clicked at any known location here, anybody who sees your pics or videos will get to know that this is Dehradun. My husband belongs to this city, so Doon was the obvious choice for us."

Mamta Murjani from Odisha, who is getting married to a guy from Dehradun, says, "We met in Dehradun and I always wanted to get married here because it's just so pretty! My wedding is in December and I am especially coming to Doon before that so that we can get our pre-wedding shoot done here. I have already researched beautiful locations of this city!"

Facebook makes Doon popular

Bhumesh Bharti from Colored Leaf Photography says, "We have number of photography pages on Facebook and there are s everal groups through which people outside Doon also get to know how beautiful the city is. So, they decide to pick this city as their destination for a photoshoot. Doon's online presence have even given some the idea of pre-wedding films as well."

Vikalp Rawat, a Merchant Navy officer whose pre-wedding shoot will take place next week, tells us, "I have attended my friends' wedding in Delhi, Bangalore and Chandigarh and have interacted with the photographers there. I had an option of going to these cities for my shoot as I know people there as well, but I picked Doon because of its landscape-like setting. Apart from that, photographers here are well-versed with nature photography. so, we knew they would do a good job at an outdoor pre-wedding shoot."

RS. 15,000 - 25,000 for pre-wedding shoots no big dealDoon's wedding photographers say that historical buildings like FRI and Indian Military Academy add drama to pre-wedding shoots. Gaurav Nagpal, a photographer in Doon say s, "FRI is the favourite choice of Doon couples. They have seen the buildings in films and magazines and want Doon's landmarks should also get captured along with them. The average range of these shoots is between Rs. 10,000 and 15,000."

Tejasvi Kumar from The Wedding Archies seconds, "The scenic locations of Doon and recognizable buildings is a hit with city couples. The cost of pre-wedding shoots in dehradun ranges between Rs. 18,000 and 20,000."

Rajesh Rawat, a Doon-based photographer, says, "Doon's outdoor locations are very vibrant. We plan the couple's get-up accordingly. For instance, if we going for shoot in Maldevta, we would want the couples to wear something bright, so that it stands out in the picture. The cost of these shoots can go up to Rs. 25,000 - 30,000 if we use props, and it's a bit less without them."

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Source: Why Doon is a hotspot for pre-wedding shoots