A Long Island Wedding · Two Ceremonies · One Love Story



A Sikh Anand Karaj at Mata Sahib Kaur Gurdwara in Glen Cove — followed by a Jewish chuppah ceremony and black-tie reception, both held at Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury.


Glen Cove · Woodbury, NY | Fusion Interfaith Wedding | Photographed by Memory Lane Studios

Cinematic Wedding Teaser


Alina and Mikhail married twice in one weekend. The Anand Karaj took place at Mata Sahib Kaur Gurdwara in Glen Cove; the chuppah and the black-tie reception followed at Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury. We photographed and filmed both, starting with Alina's mehendi the morning before. Here is how the days ran.


In photographs below, and in film.

The Mehendi, the Morning Before


Long before the lehenga came out of the garment bag, Alina sat for her mehendi. Henna paste drawn into a curling lattice of peacocks and paisley, a hidden "M" tucked into the wrist for Mikhail to find.


A mehendi morning is one of our favorite pre-wedding events to cover. The light is soft. Nobody's in a rush. Mothers, sisters, cousins and nieces drift in and out with chai and bangles and laughter that doesn't know it's being photographed. We tend to shoot this one quietly, handheld, on film-emulation presets — letting the color palette of marigold and turmeric do the work.

Day 1 — The Baraat and the Anand Karaj at Mata Sahib Kaur Gurdwara


The Sky Had Other Plans (And Then It Didn't)


If there's one moment guests will be talking about for years, it's this: dark clouds rolling over the Mata Sahib Kaur Gurdwara on Long Island, rain pouring down relentlessly, and a Baraat that simply refused to be dampened.

Guests refreshed weather apps. Timelines were quietly reconsidered. And then — minutes before the procession was set to begin — the rain stopped. The clouds parted. A warm, golden light settled over everything over everything.

Mikhail stepped out to a thunderous roar of cheers. The dhol beats hit harder. The dancing got wilder. What could have been a logistical headache became a baraat the guests still talk about. That's the thing about real weddings — the unplanned moments often become the ones you treasure most.

The Anand Karaj


Inside the Gurdwara, the energy shifted from jubilant to reverent. The Anand Karaj — the Sikh ceremony of blissful union — unfolded with the grace and meaning it has carried for centuries. As Alina and Mikhail took each laav (round) around the Guru Granth Sahib, the room grew still. Each step, a promise. Each circle, a lifetime of commitment taking shape.


Alina wore a floral lehenga, with hair and makeup by Rachel Esco of Glam by Esco. Mikhail, striking in his ivory sherwani, never took his eyes off her.

We quietly moved through every sacred moment — the ardas, the lavaan, the tears on parents' faces — capturing not just the ceremony, but the feeling of it.

Day 2 — The Jewish Wedding at Crest Hollow Country Club

A September Afternoon in Woodbury


If the first day belonged to ceremony, the second belonged to celebration. Under the perfect light of a September afternoon, guests arrived at Crest Hollow Country Club — in Woodbury — for the Jewish ceremony and reception.

The space was transformed by the floral and decor work of Let's Bloom Florist, with lush romantic arrangements that perfectly bridged the elegance of both cultural traditions. Planning and event design by Artistic Affairs NY ensured every detail — from the ceremony layout to the reception flow — was seamlessly coordinated across the whole weekend.

The Chuppah & Breaking of the Glass

Standing beneath the chuppah, surrounded by the family and friends they love, Alina and Mikhail exchanged vows that left the room in beautiful, tear-filled silence. When Mikhail's foot came down on the glass — mazel tov! — the room erupted. It was one of those moments where you feel the joy physically, like a wave moving through every person in the space.


As photographers and cinematographers, our job in moments like that is simply to not miss it. We didn't.

The Speeches: Laughter, Tears, Repeat


From the heartfelt words of Alina's parents to her sister's perfectly balanced toast, every speech added a new dimension to the love story we'd been documenting all weekend. Mikhail's mother brought a warmth to the room that hushed every conversation. His brother had the crowd laughing one moment and wiping their eyes the next. (The emotional rollercoaster we all secretly love at weddings.)

The First Dance. The Hora. The Night.


The first dance was quiet and close. And then the hora began, and any pretense of a quiet evening went straight out the window.


No one stayed seated. Not a single grandmother. The circle of the hora kept growing and spinning. DJ Tony kept the night moving from start to finish, reading every room perfectly. Premier DJ provided live music that rounded out the evening.

The flavors of the night were just as memorable — Benares Catering honored South Asian culinary tradition while delighting every guest at every turn.

Behind the Lens: What It Means to Photograph a Fusion Wedding

Weekends like Alina and Mikhail's are among the most meaningful work we do at Memory Lane Studios. They ask us to show up fully — for the quiet intimacy of a Mehendi circle, the sacred weight of an Anand Karaj, and the joy of a Jewish reception — treating each moment with equal care and intention.

This is what we're here for. Not just documentation — storytelling. The kind of imagery that lets you relive not just what happened, but how it felt to be there.

Vendor Credits

The team that made the weekend work:


Featured On

This wedding was featured on Maharani Weddings, one of the leading South Asian wedding publications in North America.


Planning a Sikh, Jewish or interfaith wedding?

Two ceremonies in one weekend ask a lot of a couple and of the team around them. Before the wedding we sat down with Alina and Mikhail and both families to learn which moments mattered most on each side, so we knew where to stand for the lavaan and for the glass. If you are planning a Sikh, Jewish or interfaith wedding on Long Island or in New York, check your date with us and we will set up a 30-minute call.