Wedding Traditions ... but all about love
On a beautiful Sunday in July, I was privileged to be able to capture the wedding of Anton and Danielle. Anton comes from a wonderful Greek family and so I was to learn about their wedding traditions on the day. Things are done in threes at many stages. It is definitely about family being together. It is about celebration. It is about their emotional connection with each other and what they are doing. There are many traditions carried out throughout the day, such as the blessing of the groom and the couple’s money dance, but the thing that had the biggest impression on me, were some of the words spoken in the church ceremony.
As the newly married bride and groom stood at the altar, they were given words of wisdom about approaching their married life together. In Greek tradition, the wife is expected to hold her husband in high esteem. In many English weddings now, the bride opts out of ‘obeying’ her husband, but in the Greek marriage, it is not about that. While the bride is told to put her husband first, the groom is told to love and treasure his wife as though she was his own flesh. He would not hurt, or neglect his own flesh and therefore he should treat his wife with the same respect.
The couple were advised to work as a team. They were given realistic comments, such as they will have points in life where they disagree, but it is important to work together to see through the tough times. It is not about them as individuals anymore, but them going through life together now.
All of these lessons were not issued or instructed, but given in a relaxed and reassuring tone. It was a reminder of what they were doing and I felt that no matter how you get married, or even if you don’t, if you are developing on to that stage of commitment with somebody, it is about remembering just how important it is to maintain that level of respect you have for each other for all the years to come.
Anton and Danielle’s wedding taught me more than just new traditions. Their families were all embracing and welcoming. The celebrations were about a huge cheer and not about the silly things that nobody notices on the day. The dancing was stylish, fun, infectious and unbelievably energetic. The blessing of the groom was tear-filled and emotional. The day was about something important in life and I came away with so much more learnt, than I ever thought.
Congratulations to a great couple and their wonderful families x
You can view further images in the wedding gallery.
