Endless Variety

I know you've heard it before, but i do love weddings. They are like a major theatre production, full of bustle, colour, excitement... there is drama and comedy, High Art counterpoised with low farce, solemn moments offset by the bawdy; emotion overflowing, the Sacred and the profane  - and binding it all together there is deep Love and the promise of lifelong commitment.

All this is mine.  Mine to capture, interpret, and commit to eternity - or at least, for as long as pixels last and people still gaze at the images. Bright images of their parents and grandparents in the flush of youth and joyful love; memories of times that were once and will never be again, except in the pages of a treasured album or perhaps its electronic equivalent.

The complexity of human belief and hope is reflected in the wedding ceremony. Faith and Culture provide the template, and people - brides, grooms, their parents, families and friends - make it their own. I have been privileged to attend Protestant, Catholic, and Civil Services. To photograph Vietnamese, military, non-religious and religious weddings in many traditions: a Filipino Street Wedding in Manila; a Salvation Army marriage "Under the Flag"; solemn Catholic and High Church of England masses, rollicking, noisy evangelicals, and outdoor weddings that were more like a party than a ceremony. Traditional, arranged marriages, and services where the children gave their parents away, first-time brides and grooms and "third-time lucky" seniors.

It doesn't matter how many years or how much experience you have had: you still need to research and prepare, because it is too easy to believe you know what to expect and so miss the novel and unanticipated details that make each wedding unique. No danger of that for one upcoming event: In a few weeks, I am going to photograph my first Macedonian Orthodox Wedding.

When I mentioned that to a colleague, he assured me I wouldn't want to do it too often. Having done a number of orthodox weddings a few years ago, he now just says "no thanks" - it is too much work!

I understand what he means. A typical wedding lasts 3 days, and the dozens of traditions that are observed all need to be faithfully recorded.

In addition to my general research, I have had lots of input and support from the father of the bride, Bill, who has even sent me videos of a couple of weddings to make sure my team and I are well prepared and know what to expect. Just watching them is exhausting! But you know what? I think I am looking forward to this more than Nicole and Steve (the bride and groom). Matter of fact, I think the only person more excited is Bill!