I'm using this space as a defacto blog. I met Lisa and her parents a few months before the wedding and loved her warmth and sereneness (I think I just made up that word!). I have shot many Michigan Indian wedding ceremonies, but so far, all of them have been in English, or at least mostly in English. So as a wedding photographer covering this very interesting Indian wedding ceremony, I wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything because of the language barrier. So my photojournalist skills kicked into high gear and I captured what I was seeing, not what I was hearing. I didn't meet Rich until the day of the wedding. I loved both of their attitude on their wedding day. They'd done all their planning long distance and they were surrounded by friends and family who were eager to pitch in. So a lot of the wedding ceremony was left up to them and Rich and Lisa just planned to go along with it. It was a Hindu wedding ceremony and much of it was new to me and to the couple. I've shot quite a few ceremonies where much of it is in another language and basically, you shoot away and stay on your toes because you never know when a key element like "you may now kiss the bride" might pop up! Rich and Lisa did what people told them to and I loved the community aspect of the ceremony. Lots of women kept popping up to join in, usher them to the appropriate spot or just help out. The Hindu ceremony was full of lots of visual symbolism which I had no idea what it meant, but what wedding photojournalist isn't happy when there's lots of action! We took all their group photos ahead of time because Lisa didn't want to interrupt the flow of the day since both the wedding and the reception took place at Apple Mountain in Freeland, MI. Lots of couples don't want their wedding photos to bring the momentum of the day to a halt and end up seeing each other privately with me watching, of course!) before the ceremony. I loved Lisa's niece and nephew. They were at the age where they are part of the ceremony as the cute factor. At 2 and four years old, they were wildly unpredictable and we were all a bit relieved that they made it down the aisle at all! The reception took place at Apple Mountain as well at their hall called "Kathleen's". Their food is always excellent and they're very good about quietly making sure everything's going smoothly without ever been seen. That's my shooting style during the wedding day, so it's no surprise that I like caterers that work the same way. Lisa shared a wonderful and emotional first dance with her father and then the party started rocking! Everybody and I do mean EVERYBODY danced to whatever was playing. There was a great mix on Hindi pop, traditional wedding party fare and more contemporary. Rich pretty much lived on the dance floor which was a great (and sometimes rare) opportunity for me to get lots of photographs of the groom boogying. Anyway, I loved the blending of two ethnic cultures and the great family festivities that made this wedding one to remember.
