George and Jelena. A single blog post couldn't express the kindness of these two. Or the plethora of family members and friends for that matter that made me feel welcomed on their wedding day. Fitting in and being comfortable goes a long way when trying to photograph so many personal moments in a day. There were hundreds of guest and more than a few times I was asked if I needed anything or if they could help me out in any way. Fun times and I couldn't thank them more for allowing me to be a part of their wedding.
My first Serbian wedding. In the future, if any wedding clients tell me their reception will be a feast with lots of dancing, this will be the wedding that is my measuring stick. I have never been a part of a wedding that had such a feeling of community and tradition and love. When Serbian people hug, they do so not to just say hello, but so you can feel their love for you. When they shake you hand, its not just a social greeting, but respect and attention. And if someone jumps on the bartenders back, its not because he needs a ride, it's because everyone needs to raise their drink and celebrate.
George and Jelena's wedding was held at the St. Petka Serbian Orthodox Church in San Marcos. It was cool getting to witness wedding traditions that I am not familiar with. I have photographed weddings on beaches, in backyards, huge churches, small churches, parks, living rooms, etc. Here I am photographing a ceremony in a language I didn't know with traditions I was seeing for the first time, yet the feeling was very recognizable and significant. No matter how many weddings I photograph, and I think other wedding photographers will tell you the same, that honored and proud excitement for the bride and groom never goes away. That is why I chose kind of an unconventional image as the title image to this blog post. I don't even think they knew I was taking their photo as we were walking away, but her Jelena's heartwarming smile and the way George looks at her is what having a partner for life means.
We had an amazing event here this past weekend. We had a friend create some custom drink options that the bartenders served throughout the night and the designer easily collaborated with the wedding venue in Los Angeles space to address her needs.
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