Sunday, December 7, 2008

Peter and Patty

Peter and Patty were married on December 6, at St. Constantine and Helen Cathedral in Cleveland Heights.

Peter and Patty's wedding was a first for me in several ways. First of all, it was my first Greek Orthodox wedding. It was my first wedding with only four people. It was definitely the first wedding where I was invited onto the alter to take pictures (half way through the ceremony). And, it was the first wedding where I was shooting in near darkness.

All of these things made Peter and Patty's wedding one of the most intimate ceremonies I have had the pleasure of shooting. The candlelight provided nearly as much light as the overhead lights and the church itself was beautiful.

But aesthetics aside, it's what this wedding wasn't about that made it very touching. It wasn't about, well, distractions that cause stress for the two people that should not be worried about anything. In fact, this was the most stress-free wedding I have ever witnessed. No stress at all. It was simple and peaceful.

I was told that this ceremony was a shorter version of the traditional Greek Orthodox wedding, but I would have loved to cover the longer version. Peter and Patty were a true joy to work with and the ceremony was wonderful.