Weddings are one of my favorite events to photograph because they tend to have all the makings of a good picture: picturesque backgrounds, natural lighting, and, best of all, a wealth of candid moments.
Weddings not only generally make people more outwardly expressive but also put them more at ease with having a DSLR pointed at them. This translates into prime opportunities for snapping pictures of people when they are spontaneous and unposed. And in our selfie-saturated world, few photo opportunities compare to capturing the kind of genuine, throw-your-head-back laugh displayed in the picture above of my quirky friend and non-blushing bride, Nina.
To give you an idea of what kind of bride Nina was, when I asked her a few days before her wedding whether she was getting her hair done, she shook her head vehemently: “No way. I want to be able to dance my face off.” And dance her face off she did.
Unsurprisingly, Nina and Brandon’s wedding last April was one of the most raucous weddings I’ve ever attended. Bonfires were jumped; pants were split; cops were called; and faces were danced off (only one of these things didn’t literally happen). In other words, it was a blast.
But in addition to that, the wedding was also quite charming. The venue was a beautiful, big, old house that Nina and Brandon rented in Decatur and decorated with handmade tissue pom poms, balloons, and flowers. Nina and Brandon exchanged vows on the front porch while the rest of us watched, sipping the mimosas that were handed to us almost as soon as we stepped onto the front lawn.
Meanwhile, the backyard had been transformed into an eclectic reception space, complete with a bluegrass band, a photo booth (with props), a dance floor (for the massive dance party that would later ensue), a Revolutions Doughnut donut tower (in lieu of a traditional wedding cake), a flavorful Indian feast, and funky sunglasses as party favors.
Nina is a first-generation Indian-American; and while her and Brandon’s wedding was certainly more American than traditional Indian, I loved seeing the fusion of both cultures reflected in the details (mint chutney alongside a donut tower, henna tattoos on my non-Indian friends’ palms, colorful saris among a sea of suits and ties).
While I enjoyed playing amateur photographer at Nina and Brandon’s wedding and am quite happy with some of the pictures I snapped, what I enjoyed even more is setting my camera aside after the sun went down and joining Nina, Brandon, and the rest of my friends on the dance floor as the hired photographer continued to click away.