Today, there are as many ways to have a wedding as there are unique couples; one can choose a carefree Bohemian celebration, full of eclectic little touches, smiling faces, and dancing; one can choose something edgy, minimalist, and modern; one can invite one’s extended family and friends or elope to a tropical island… In this modern era, there is no “wrong” way to get married, so long as the couple involved is passionate, committed, and very much in love.
While this is exciting for me as a wedding photographer—I get to shoot many different scenes, in many different styles—during a recent elegant wedding at Apokryfo here in Cyprus, I was reminded that there’s something to be said for tradition. As you can see from the photographs, the bride (a lovely Ukranian lady by the name of Anastasia) and groom (a charming Russian-Cypriot, Philippos) spared no detail in adhering to those time-honoured rituals that make a wedding beautiful aesthetically, emotionally, and spiritually. From the perfect rosettes on the wedding gown, to the flowers bedecking the venue, to the pristine curls of the bride, everything about this wedding carried a touch of grace.
Elegance is the perfect companion to any wedding because it is timeless, and therefore—in the hands of the right wedding photographer—gives rise to equally classical images, keepsakes whose beauty time will only accentuate. Having such wedding photographs will allow you to look back in ten, twenty, and even fifty years and be just as enchanted with the aesthetic of your celebration as you were on your big day. If you have ever been rummaging through a family attic, come across faded photos of a Victorian bride and groom, and had your breath taken away by the details of their attire and the intricacy of their hairstyles and accessories, you know the value that your classic wedding photographs will have to the generations to come.
Elegance is, after all, ideal for showing the eternal nature of love; while trends come and go with the decades, it stays strong and steadfast in its clean lines and delicate touches of lace and blossom. Likewise, the beauty of white fabric may turn ivory with the years, but it never dulls; indeed, it only grows warmer, with a glow that fills the heart.
Elegance, like love, is truly the “only beauty that never fades”.
