Aditya & Deveka: Sacred Fires & Pub Quiz Nights

Some weddings follow a script. Aditya and Deveka wrote their own.

Their wedding unfolded across two days in Singapore. The first was rooted in tradition. The second felt like a house party designed by two people who genuinely love being around their friends.

That balance between sacred and spontaneous is what made this wedding unforgettable to photography. As a documentary wedding photographer in Singapore, these are the weddings I gravitate towards. The ones where real life is allowed to happen in between the rituals.

And with Aditya and Deveka, there was plenty of life.

The first day began at Sri Sivan Temple, one of the most beautiful places in Singapore for a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony. The space was filled with colour. Marigolds. Jasmine garlands. Bright saffron cloth framing the mandap where the sacred fire burned at the centre of the ceremony.

Hindu wedding ceremonies move through a series of rituals that have been practiced for centuries. Each one carries its own meaning. Blessings from elders. Offerings to the fire. Sacred vows that tie two lives together. Aditya and Deveka sat before the fire, garlands around their necks, their families gathered closely around them.

And yet even within the formality of the rituals, their personalities kept surfacing. Aditya trying to suppress a laugh. Deveka giving him a sideways look that said she had caught him.

Moments like these are what make candid wedding photography in Singapore so powerful. The ceremony may follow tradition, but the expressions within it belong entirely to the couple. At one point their families leaned in together, hands overlapping as offerings were made. A quiet moment where generations came together in a single frame.

It is always these small gestures that stay with me when photographing Indian weddings in Singapore. The closeness. The way family surrounds the couple throughout every ritual. After the temple ceremony, we made brief stops at their homes. Places that held meaning for both of them as they prepared to begin married life together.

But the second day was where things really took a turn.

If the first day was about tradition, the second day was pure personality. Aditya and Deveka loved playing pub quizzes. Competitive, playful, and slightly nerdy in the best possible way. So when they began planning their wedding celebration, they decided to build the entire evening around that part of their relationship.

Guests arrived dressed in themes inspired by music and movies. Some came as rock stars. Others leaned into cinematic characters. It felt less like a wedding reception and more like a themed house party where everyone had fully committed to the brief. Tables were named using fonts inspired by famous bands and films. Little design details that only true movie and music fans would notice.

At the centre of the evening was the pub quiz itself. A screen lit up with questions while groups gathered around tables arguing over answers. The room filled with laughter, competitive shouts, and the occasional super confident but super wrong guess.

Watching a wedding reception turn into a full blown trivia night is not something you see every day. And it worked perfectly.

Every corner of the reception had small details that reflected Aditya and Deveka’s personalities. Vada Pav wrapped in foil and stacked high. Pizza slices with names inspired by cult classics. Little food cards printed in playful fonts that echoed band posters and movie titles.

Even the drinks had personality. At one point Godzilla shaped ice cubes made its way into glasses. It floated there like a tiny movie monster waiting to attack. It was chaotic in the best way possible.

The photobooth quickly became one of the most chaotic places in the room. Friends and families squeezed together wearing hats, glasses and props. Couples grabbed each other for quick snapshots. Polaroid style prints began piling up on the table beside the booth.

There was even a “paparazzi corner” and instead of traditional guestbooks, guests recorded short video messages about what Aditya and Deveka meant to them. Some messages were heartfelt. Others were completely ridiculous. Both felt equally perfect.

Because weddings are not just about the couple. They are about the people who surround them.

Amidst the games, music and laughter, there were also quieter moments. A soft smile shared between them when they finally sat down after hours of celebration. Two people leaning into each other as if the world around them had momentarily gone quiet.

These are the moments that documentary photography exists for. Because weddings are not just built on rituals or parties. They are built on small moments between two people who are now starting to move through life together.

Aditya and Deveka’s wedding was not designed to impress anyone. It was designed to feel like them.

Two days that moved effortlessly between sacred tradition and playful chaos. From the solemn rituals at Sri Sivan Temple to a pub quiz reception filled with music, movies and laughter.

For me, documenting weddings like this is exactly why Of Wild Promises Photography exists.

Not to stage moments. But to follow them. Because love rarely behaves the way we expect it to.

Sometimes it sits quietly beside a sacred fire. And sometimes it shouts trivia answers across a crowded room. With Aditya and Deveka, it did both.

And that made their wedding truly unforgettable.