Neha & AJ’s Traditional Sikh Wedding

May 26, 2020

Neha & AJ

Sikh Temple of Utah

Photos by Branson Maxwell

Seven years ago, AJ graduated high school and got a job at a local 7-11. Because his new boss owned multiple locations, he couldn’t train AJ himself so he asked his daughter, Neha to step in and train his newest employee. Neha trained AJ and worked alongside him and before long sparks were flying between the two. Neha agreed to go on a date with AJ and five years later, AJ got down on one knee in a time-honored Sikh ring ceremony and popped the question.

Last summer, after a year-long engagement, Neha and AJ assembled 200 guests from all around the world and embarked on a traditional five-day-long Sikh wedding celebration.

The pair had pre-wedding celebrations at Fountain View Event Center and held their reception at Talia Event Center, but when it came to the ceremony itself, Neha and AJ kept it traditional and got married at the Sikh Temple of Utah. “That is where we both attend weekly church,” Neha explained, “and where we feel closest to our religion and our community.”

Neha and AJ chose to hold a traditional Sikh wedding and selected red and gold for their clothing and decor because of the time-honored cultural significance the colors hold.

The menu included what Neha considers “must-haves for Indian weddings” such as butter chicken, gol gappe and mango lassi.

And on the agenda, “plenty of dancing,” Neha explained. “If there’s one thing about Punjabi culture, [it’s that] we definitely get down and dance all night long. We are known across India for our dancing, drinking and partying it up.”

Once the wedding ceremony was over, Neha, AJ and their guests were ready to do just that! “Our first dance was to a romantic love song and then we quickly switched over to Punjabi dance music and our families joined us on the dance floor,” Neha said.