Some pre-weddings go exactly as planned. And then there are the ones where everything goes beautifully wrong — and those are the ones you never forget.
Ankit and Kiran’s pre-wedding shoot in Manali was exactly that kind of story.
The Couple
Ankit is from Chandigarh. Kiran is from Hatkoti, a quiet little town in Shimla district, nestled deep in Himachal Pradesh. Two people from different corners of the hills — one from the city that sits at the foothills, one from the mountains themselves.
When they chose Manali for their pre-wedding, it made perfect sense. The mountains were not just a backdrop for them — they were home.
The Plan — Sisu, Manali & Rohtang Pass
We planned three locations across two days — the lush green valleys near Sisu, the riverside stretches around Manali town, and the crown jewel: Rohtang Pass.
Rohtang at over 13,000 feet above sea level. Clear skies, dramatic mountain views, and if we were lucky — a little snow. The kind of frame that makes a pre-wedding unforgettable.
We were lucky — but not in the way we expected.
Rohtang Pass — When the Rain Came
The morning started clear. By the time we reached Rohtang, clouds had gathered — the kind that move fast in the mountains, the kind that don’t announce themselves before arriving.
And then it rained.
Not a drizzle — a proper Himachal mountain rain, cold and sudden, with the temperature dropping fast. Within minutes, Ankit and Kiran were completely soaked. The kind of wet where your jacket stops being useful and you just accept it.
Most couples would have panicked. Most people would have called it a day.
Ankit and Kiran laughed.
They stood there at Rohtang Pass, drenched and cold, laughing at the mountains and at each other — and that is when we got our best frames of the entire shoot. No posing, no direction needed. Just two people completely at ease with each other, at 13,000 feet, in the rain.
That is what a pre-wedding shoot is really for — not perfect light and perfect poses, but moments that show you who these two people are together.
Sisu — The Calm After the Rain
After Rohtang, we came down to Sisu — a small, stunning village on the Manali-Leh highway, with the Chandra river flowing wide and quiet alongside fields of green.
The rain had passed. The light was soft and golden the way it only gets in the mountains after a storm. Kiran’s Himachali roots felt at home here — she moved through the landscape like she belonged to it, because in many ways she did.
Ankit, the city boy from Chandigarh, was learning to belong to it too. That is, after all, what love does.
For Couples Planning a Pre-Wedding in Manali
Manali is one of the most beautiful pre-wedding destinations in North India — and it is closer than you think, especially from Chandigarh. A straight drive through the hills, and you are in a completely different world.
If you are planning a pre-wedding shoot in Manali, Kasol, Spiti, or anywhere in Himachal Pradesh — Cinestyle India has been shooting across the mountains since 2014. We know the light, the locations, and most importantly, we know that the best shots happen when you stop worrying about the shoot and start enjoying the place.
Even when it rains on Rohtang.
WhatsApp us your dates: +91 98144 04141
See our work: cinestyleindia.in
Ankit & Kiran — Pre-Wedding 2025 | Manali, Sisu & Rohtang Pass, Himachal Pradesh | Photographed by Cinestyle India, Chandigarh
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