Seble and Belete's weekend of matrimony

This was my first Ethiopian wedding. It was July 17th and 18th. Much of it is actually the same as the average traditional weddings. The first big difference is that there is a ton of singing and clapping and drum playing at the houses. The bride's 'getting ready' house was filled with family and friends, mostly women. The groom's house is where all the men gathered prior to the wedding. Right before the ceremony, the groom arrives at the bride's house, with a bouquet of flowers. The house and front yard are full of people. The groom enters into the house and presents the flowers to the bride. After a few moments of prayer, the groom escorts the bride to the ceremony. Transportation to the church is very important, which must be why they chose a Rolls Royce limousine. The ceremony was mainly done in Ethiopian, though the main minister spoke only in English. Tons of singing by all during the ceremony. We had a few hours of down time between the morning ceremony and the reception on Saturday. The reception was also full of singing, though they did the cake cutting and bouquet toss to add some typical traditions. The next evening, they had another reception. This one was in their tradition Ethiopian formal attire. And traditional Ethiopian food, which they eat entirely with their hands. And of course more singing and clapping. All of the singing and clapping is their way of worshipping. It was all very fun and festive. The only tough part was the outdoor formals (6pm to 7pm at 109 degrees). But we found glorious shade-- and I believe the outdoor images are stunning despite the heat!

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Seble and Belete

It was 114 degrees, and there we were having an engagement shoot. It was the only time the bride and groom were available, and their wedding is this Saturday and Sunday. With sweat dripping everywhere, we walked thru Scottsdale Civic Center and got some great shots. There aren't as many as I normally get, but there are plenty to fill their custom guestbook with.

Congrats to Seble and Belete!

Lil and Jerry

Lil and Jerry are getting married on 10/10/10 this fall. Their ceremony and reception will be held at Disneyworld in Florida. They met on the Inca trail on the way to Machu Picchu, in Peru. They were so great to work with-- one of the most romantic couples I have ever photographed! Wish I were doing their wedding, too, but I already have a destination wedding on October 10th. Best Wishes to Lillian and Jerry!

Destination, Tahoe!

This was my first time ever to Lake Tahoe. I had no idea of what to expect, except that everyone said "It's so beautiful there!" Well it was beautiful, the scenery and the weather. I had hoped that the ceremony would be actually near the lake. But after seeing the crowds of people on the beaches (we saw numerous private beaches), I can see why the garden setting was a good idea. Right before the wedding started, a huge thunderstorm cloud rolled in and covered the sun. This gave us great shade and lighting for the ceremony. During the first kiss, thunder boomed! We had a drizzle at the end of the formals session, but other than that, the rain never really came.

This was Mary Sandy's wedding (I was second shooter), so a big thank you to Mary for choosing me to go along on a fun destination wedding! And thank you to Gina and Erick for including me as well-- they were so welcoming and accomodating, gracious hosts!