Gurdwaras in Birmingham for a Sikh wedding - Anand Karaj
You’re now engaged and planning your Sikh wedding. Are you looking for the right Gurdwara for your Anand Karaj (Sikh wedding) in Birmingham?
Booking your Gurdwara will be one of your first acts of planning for your Sikh wedding. If you are based in Birmingham or nearby you may prefer to book your closest Gurdwara, or for sentimental purposes, the one you attend regularly. I would strongly recommend to book your date at your earliest opportunity as dates for Sikh weddings in Gurdwaras are in demand during the peak summer months.
Gurdwaras are a peaceful and welcoming place of worship. However, as with any building, each Gurdwara is different and therefore the approach to photographing an Anand Karaj will be different. This article highlights my perspective (as a photographer) and the challenges that you may be faced with during a Sikh ceremony at these Gurdwaras.
My thoughts here are to help you understand how different Gurdwaras will impact your wedding day photography coverage and not to disrespect any Gurdwara management/committee.
Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha, Birmingham UK
Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha, Birmingham UK
18-20 Soho Rd, Handsworth, Birmingham B21 9BH
Tel: 0121 551 1125
Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha is situated on the famous Soho Road in Birmingham. The Anand Karaj wedding ceremony takes place upstairs in its own Darbar Sahib and has it’s separate entrance Langar room. The wedding Darbar Sahib has an abundance of natural light coming through its windows, albeit the light coming through does come from behind the bride and groom. This direction of natural light does have an impact to your images as they will be backlit and will lack the contrast and overall ‘punch’. A competent photographer can resolve this backlight issue in the final edit along with providing additional lighting from the front of the bride and groom on the actual day. The photographers are limited by the constraints placed on them and will not be permitted on the main stage where the Guru Granth Sahib Palki is contained, this is challenging as you are limited with compositions available, a great remedy for this is to change your lens and get creative to change your story. A great location for couple’s portraits is on the main rooftop (subject to clearance from the Gurdwara committee). You have beautiful domes as a backdrop along with unobstructed views of the sky.
Guru Nanak Gurdwara Smethwick
Guru Nanak Gurdwara Smethwick
130 High St, Smethwick B66 3AP
Tel: 0121 558 2527 W: www.gngsmethwick.com
Guru Nanak Gurdwara Smethwick was established in 1961 as Europe’s first and biggest Gurdwara (Sikh Temple). One of the most prominent and influential Sikh Gurdwaras in the world.
The main entrance is situated on the High Street, however for Sikh weddings you have your own separate entrance on Trinity Street where there is an abundance of parking available. The Langar hall is also separated from the daily worshippers along with the Darbar Sahib where the Anand Karaj will take place. If you are having a civil registration wedding on the day, please bare in mind that this takes place in a separate ‘theatre’ styled classroom and not in front of the Guru Granth Sahib. Guru Nanak Gurdwara Smethwick has undertaken recent renovations to the Darbar Sahib and the main walkway is now a beautiful marble floor (images shown below). The Darbar Sahib has a great ambience to it with a beautiful arched ceiling along with a richness of natural light flooding the room. There is also an upper level balcony which is ideal for portraits with the stained glass window, and if you can obtain access prior to the Anand Karaj taking place, it is a great opportunity to photograph the bride making her entrance from this perspective. The Guru Granth Sahib Palki is situated on an elevated platform, this does however block a lot of the ambient natural light at the back of the Palki as the bride and groom undertake their Lavaan. Ideally some additional fill lighting from the photographer in this area would will overcome this. A great location for couple’s portraits is on Trinity Street entrance where you have the Trinity Church as well as the lush greenery that you can take advantage of on a great day.
Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha
Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha
65 Birmingham Rd, Oldbury B69 4HH
Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara is popular for Sikh weddings due to the large onsite car park, it’s separate Darbar Sahib and Langar room. If you are having a civil registry on the same day, it should be noted that this will take place in a small room (10 -15 guests) on the ground floor and not in front of the Guru Granth Sahib. Dhol players and/or Band Baja are not allowed on site but you are welcome to have a small street procession to the Gurdwara’s entrance gates. The main Darbar Sahib for your Sikh wedding is large, and very ‘airy’ due to the numerous windows around the room, therefor no additional lighting is required. There aren’t many locations on site that provide a scenic backdrop for a ‘couples portraits’ session, so I would strongly suggest to factor into your itinerary another location.
Ramgarhia Sikh Temple, Birmingham
Ramgarhia Sikh Temple
Graham St, Birmingham B1 3LA
Tel: 0121 233 2647 www.rstuk.com
Ramgharia Sikh Temple sits in the heart of the City of Birmingham in one of the most prime positions close to the Jewellery Quarter. It has a large onsite car park, along with a separate Langar hall on the opposite side of the road. If you are having a civil registry on the same day, it should be noted that this will take place in an office (15-20 guests) on the first floor and not in front of the Guru Granth Sahib. Ramgharia Sikh Temple has one main Darbar Sahib for your Sikh wedding. It is bright to photograph in, but as the main windows are situated on the first floor balcony level (see images below), the lighting can be a little flat on the lower level where the Guru Granth Sahib Palki stage is located (a photographer would require additional lighting to fill in this area). The upper balcony floor does provide a great vantage point to photograph from but please do be aware that this can be difficult due to decoration banners going across the balcony level from one side to to the other. The Guru Granth Sahib Palki is set on it’s own stage. This area can be difficult to manoeuvre around due to the limited space, understanding the space and how to photograph the Anand Karaj in this area will be an advantage.
Guru Har Rai Gurdwara Sahib, West Bromwich
Guru Har Rai Gurdwara Sahib
128 High St, West Bromwich B70 6JW
Tel: 0121 553 7219 www.guruharrai.org
Gurdwara Sri Guru Har Rai Sahib quickly established itself as one of the leading Gurdwaras in the midlands region and was at the forefront of pioneering practices which were subsequently adopted by other Gurdwaras in the UK and beyond. The Gurdwara was one of the first to hold daily morning and evening divans including kirtan and katha at a time in the late 1970s and early 1980s when it was more usual for Gurdwaras to only hold Sunday divans. The Anand Karaj takes place upstairs in its own Darbar Sahib. The Darbar Sahib has a lot of natural light and there are also windows directly behind the Guru Granth Sahib Palki, thus no need for additional lighting. Apart from the regular respectful behaviour that applies to all Gurdwaras, there aren’t any limitations that would effect your wedding photography. It should be noted that there aren’t any locations on site that provide a scenic backdrop for a ‘couples portraits’ session, so I would strongly suggest to factor into your itinerary another location.
Singh Sabha Gurdwara, Birmingham
Singh Sabha Gurdwara, Birmingham
400 Aldridge Rd, Great Barr Birmingham B44 8BG
Tel: 0121 356 6789 www.singhsabhabham.co.uk
On 31st March 2019, Gurdwara Singh Sabha Birmingham was officially opened with an Akhand Paatth Bhog, Nishaan Sahib Seva & Akhand Keertan. It is conveniently located within a few miles of the M6 J7 and only a few miles from the centre of Birmingham. It has great amenities which include 3 separate Darbar Sahib’s as well as 2 Langar rooms. The main Darbar Sahib is spacious to accommodate nearly 8000 guests should you need to. With a lot of natural light coming through all windows, the likelihood of additional lighting is very low. As this is a new Gurdwara, there hasn’t been a lot of Sikh weddings that have taken place, but this will change very soon as word spreads of this great Gurdwara and it’s committee members also. Sutton Park is also very close by which is an excellent location for wedding day portraits.
Sri Dasmesh Sikh Temple, Birmingham
Sri Dasmesh Sikh Temple
305 Wheeler St, Birmingham B19 2EU
Tel: 0121 523 6059
Sri Dasmesh Sikh Temple is located in Lozells, Birmingham. The Anand Karaj takes place upstairs in the only Darbar Sahib and the Gurdwara has a large Langar room on the ground floor. Sri Dasmesh Sikh temple also benefits by having it’s own large park on site, more than enough spaces for your guests. The Darbar Sahib for the Sikh wedding itself is a large room which has a great amount of natural light coming through its windows, any additional lighting will not be required for photography during the Sikh wedding. There is a superb mirrored “gold” feature on the ceiling that spans the width of the Darbar Sahib. This feature is great to photograph and don’t be afraid to put your creativity hat on. Apart from the regular respectful behaviour that applies to all Gurdwaras, there aren’t any limitations that would effect your wedding photography. As with most Gurdwaras, there isn’t much of a scenic area to photograph in, but don’t let that bother you too much as there are a lot of marble features around this Gurdwara that will be brilliant for ‘reflections’.
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