Posts in Category: Weddings
Brandon & Ashley
After nearly four years of silence, I’m dusting off this blog to put up some photos of Brandon & Ashley’s wedding from last weekend.
Chances are, if you found this blog, you already know Cozz and/or Ashley, so I don’t need to spend much time introducing them. It’s more likely that you were unable to attend the wedding here in Malawi, so let me give you my perspective on the day.
In short, it was wonderful! We all expected it to rain a little during the day, but were surprised to get rain from early morning to early afternoon. But the weather did not seem to dampen people’s spirits much. Here’s what it looked like…
The Kirk of the Hills chapel at ABC, where the ceremony was held.
John and Barbara Grey’s decorations of the chapel were exceptional! They transformed the whole stage into a lush garden of tropical color!
By the time the ceremony began, there were very few free seats in the chapel.
Ashley’s cool blue shoes, with peacock feathers!
And her bouquet had porcupine quills!
The ringbearers took their responsibility very seriously.
Derek MacPherson led the bride and her father in with the bagpipes.
Ashley’s father Paul officiated the ceremony.
Ashley wore her mom’s wedding veil.
Ashley and Cozz entered the reception by dancing, as is traditional in Malawian weddings. They were greeted by their hosts and hostesses. And then the pelikani – money dances – began!
The emcee would announce an occasion for each dance: dances for various people, for the various events like cake-cutting or candle-lighting, or just for a particular song. During each dance, guests would come forward and toss money to the couple. There are cashiers stationed at a nearby table to break larger denominations into smaller ones, so that everyone has lots to throw!
After each dance, a few people would help sweep the money off the floor and collect it for the cashiers to exchange back to bigger bills. Most dances would yield two or three of these baskets full.
The garden at Four Seasons Nursery is normally beautiful, but the Sprousens transformed it into an absolutely stunning venue for the smaller, private second reception.
Cozz and Ashley’s first non-pelikani dance as a couple. 🙂
Ashley’s parents danced to a Chicago song from their first date.
Her grandparents had also selected a song from the early days of their relationship.
The girls were fascinated by the zebra cake, while most of the boys seemed to be satisfied with the other desserts. 🙂
Ashley’s sister (and bridesmaid) Annabelle giving the couple a toast.
Last dance before heading off to their honeymoon!
In short, it was a fantastic wedding!
I’m Moving to Africa… Yes, Really
Hello photo friends!
It is with mixed emotions that I officially announce that I’m not booking any new work. I’ve loved these last few years as a photographer, for all that I’ve learned, and most of all, the people that I’ve met along the way. I think I will always smile when I look back on this stage of my life.
(My photo radar going off at Inna and Jared’s wedding… photo by Josh Premako)
However, the day has come to move on to bigger and better things. If you haven’t heard, Rachel and I are moving to Malawi, Southern Africa in about 19 days. Yes, moving. Yes, to Africa. We’re going to be serving at a church in that very needy country. You can read more about it here.
(That’s NOT me and Rachel… it’s the chief and his wife in Gulule, a village in Malawi I visited in 2007)
(Lake Malawi)
(It’s always a race to see if I can take the picture before there are too many kids to fit in my frame. The kids won on this one…)
(Fishermen’s children jumping off the boats. That’s a fishing rod in the background, not a spear… though they have those too.)
The only difficult part is saying goodbye to all the friends I’ve made along the way. I recognize that my business has grown because my past clients have trusted me and referred me to someone else. Thank you, each of you, for your support of me and my photography.
But I know I’m leaving you in good hands. If you need photos in the LA/OC area, I’ve updated my site with a list of photographers I recommend.
What direction will my photography take once I’m in Malawi? I’m as curious as you are. The best way to find out is to watch this blog. You can subscribe to the RSS feed, or sign up to get my latest posts by email. It might be a while before I figure out how to post photos via the African internet, but when I do, I’ll put them here.
Until then, as they say in Malawi:
Zikomo kwambiri!
(Photo by Josh Cook)
Chris & Alejandra
I can’t believe this was my last wedding…
As I mentioned in my last post, because Rachel and I are moving to Malawi next month, I wasn’t planning on photographing any weddings in 2009. I ended up doing two, and the second one would be the last wedding I would shoot (at least in California!)
I couldn’t have asked for a better couple to end my career as a wedding photographer with. Chris and Allie have such a cool story about completely re-starting their relationship in a way that honors the Lord. Their wedding was simple and honest, with nothing to distract their guests from the important things. Not only that, but they’re both extremely kind people, and were a delight to work with.
Enjoy my last wedding post…
They were such fun!
I love this one…
The fluorescent lights weren’t working in the chapel, which was a photographer’s dream come true!
Chris & Allie, I loved getting to know both of you. Your relationship is such a great testimony of who God is, and I am so thankful for getting to be a part of your wedding. Blessings!