Cyprus has always been a meeting point between many cultures; a place where traditions mesh together and multiple languages are spoken. My journey shooting amazing wedding photography in Paphos has connected me with people from countless nations, but we can often converse fluently in Greek, English, or another regional dialect. I was therefore surprised to find myself witnessing wedding vows and preparations in a wholly unfamiliar language when I photographed the wedding of Simone and Juriaan—This beautiful couple from the Netherlands spoke only Dutch.
Far from being a problem, however, the language divide between this couple and myself only deepened my appreciation for their beauteous wedding at Cap St. George Beach Club Resort — and my reverence for the power of love. I realised that while I could not understand the words in their vows, I didn’t have to; their feelings for one another radiated in every touch, every look, and every tiny detail of their celebration.
As I shot this amazing wedding photography in Paphos, I reflected on the way love is made largely of unspoken gestures: So often, the very first sign that we’ve met “the one” is the moment when we realise we can comfortably share silence with the person sitting next to us. And, before we ever say the words “I love you,” we tell our partner how we feel about them with a heartfelt look. Our eyes, and not our words, give them permission to draw closer to us and drop their guard.
Even as love grows and matures, it finds its expression in a form of communication every human being can understand: The joining of hands in times of trouble; the sharing of a tender kiss; the spontaneous and heartfelt smile that lights up our face only when our beloved enters the room. Just as music is formed by the silence between notes, love is made up of these many quiet moments in between words. Even during weddings, it’s the kiss of the bride and groom—like the loving embrace shared by Simone and Juriaan as the sun set over the sea at Cap. St. George Beach Club Resort —that truly cements the couple’s status as man and wife. With that kiss, every guest at this beauteous wedding at Cap. St. George Beach Club Resort understood that Simone and Juriaan were officially married, with no translation required.
Though human beings have their fair share of differences, depending on where they are from and which traditions have shaped them, the language of love is universal. It is “the divine power of attraction in creation that harmonizes, unites, binds together.”(Yogananda) If we can hold onto this basic understanding, there is no divide we cannot bridge and no rift we cannot mend. From heart to heart, the fundamental reality of love is simply and inherently known.
