HELLO! India Exclusive: Rewriting love stories with Joseph Radhik and Devika Narain

They first met at a wedding in 2011. Unsurprising. Then they met at another. And another… Till finally, a 16- day hoopla led them to cross professional boundaries. “We got to spend some time together at this wedding, and by the end of it, we were pretty much dating!” laughs Joseph Radhik, before Devika Narain chimes in, “Joe was a champion at saying all the right things. It was almost like a big con!” This husband-wife duo has shaped much of the Indian wedding industry in recent times — the wedding photographer behind the coveted ‘Stories’ watermark we see on the most moving images, and the design virtuoso who transforms even the most characterless venues into works of art. Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli, Rajkumar Rao and Patralekha, Jay and Aditi Kotak, Netra Mantena and Vamsi Gadiraju (the Hyderabad event), and Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant are just a few of the many ultra-high-profile couples on their collective bios.

“We’ve gone from loving to work together to hating to work together!” shares Devika, who founded Devika Narain & Company, her wedding planner and event styling firm, in 2014, while Joe is the creative visualiser behind Stories by Joseph Radhik, an international award-winning team of photographers. 

BLURRING THE BOUNDARIES

When Joe and Devika segued into dating in 2013, they’d often have to remind themselves that they had a personal equation. Long past that phase, their camaraderie and sense of comfort is evident in our hour-long chat. “When we had just started dating, I’d think, ‘Why is Joseph Radhik calling me?’ Then I’d remember,” Devika chuckles.

“There were were times I’d have to call him and specify, ‘Hey, this is a work call.’” In the end, the two are great collaborators, whether it be at home, or on the work front. Two headstrong creatives who are also “absolute perfectionists with their own eccentricities,” they maintain a balance, given the “immense amount of mutual respect” they hold for each other and their work. “Although that doesn’t mean we don’t pull each other’s hair out,” Devika adds, tongue-in-cheek.

THE OFFICIAL ‘VIRUSHKA’ WEDDING CHAUFFEUR

We’re transported to Virat and Anushka’s pastel-perfect Tuscan wedding in 2017 — the one Joseph and Devika describe as their best professional experience so far. Here, Joe wasn’t just the official photographer — he also doubled up as the driver for both his team and Devika’s. “I was stuck with a bunch of kids!” he laughs. “On the wedding day, Vishal [Punjabi of The Wedding Filmer fame] and I looked like dishevelled students because we never got the time to change, amid chauffeuring the teams around!” “But the dopamine high that we got from this wedding was immense. There were a few great ones after, but nothing came close to this.”

Another reason Joe and Devika are now best friends was his penchant for falling into things! She recalls, “Because he’s always trying to fit into places to catch moments, he’d fall all over the place!” Joe even broke an 18th-century fountain once, trying to get a shot of the bride. “The fountain wall collapsed under me! The bride nearly fainted at the sight of all the blood. But I got the shot, for what it’s worth,” he recalls. “And the girl,” smiles Devika.

A DUET OF DEVOTION

All the mise-en-scène aside, when it comes to Devika’s work, Joseph is clear about one thing: “Every Devika Narain wedding is one of a kind. Much like ‘piece unique’ designs in horology, where a watchmaker creates a unique timepiece for a client. There’s sheer joy in shooting something I know isn’t going to be repeated again.” They’re both silver-tongued about their veneration for each other’s work. 

“Joe’s photographs transport you to the moment. You can feel the joy through them because he captures the essence of what’s happening. In fact, I’ve told him several times: I fell in love with his work way before I fell in love with him.”

THE MODESTY OF PIONEERS

Joseph and Devika have played an irrefutable role in moulding the expectations of present-day brides and grooms, setting the gold standard for how celebrations are visualised, designed, documented, and narrated. What is it like to be at the forefront of this shift? No different, apparently. 

“Neither of us do anything differently because of these tags. It’s not our approach. I still get butterflies before every wedding…,” Devika explains. “At the end of the day, we’re service providers. Yes, our service is incredible. People love it, and we get a lot of work for it. But that’s the only thought in our mind.” Joseph explains further: “I started because of my love for weddings. Devika started with an effort to make every wedding personal. Both of us have stuck to these fundamentals.”

THE WEDDING-MAKERS WED

How did two industry leaders plan their own D-Day? For their 2017 Lucknow nuptials, Joe and Devika were clear about one thing: they wanted their wedding to feel as away from work as possible. Much of their initial years involved extensive travel, but they made it work with hopovers and short trips, finding every excuse to be outdoors. After the lockdown, things made a 180 when they spent six months together at home. “We realised how good it was to just be home. So now, we pretty much live like hermits!” Joseph chortles.

And that’s how the ‘story’ of Joseph Radhik and Devika Narain unfolded.