Greek Orthodox Wedding Photography

“You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star.” 
― Friedrich Nietzsche

Last Saturday I turned up for bridal prep and the bride apologised for the chaos.  There were seven people.  Elena’s wedding prep started with about fifty guests, lining the stairs, the halls and filling the kitchen and three reception rooms that included a feast of Greek food and two musicians.  Not to mention that Elena was a new mum with a little baby girl to take care of as well.  So that was chaos.  But I love chaos.  Which is just as well because it turns out that’s pretty much the whole day for a Greek wedding.  This was the first time I’d shot a Greek Orthodox wedding and it was a beautiful, romantic, joyous day.  The abundant guests packed into every room, the priest intoning melodiously through an august and meaningful ceremony, right through to the amazing, energetic, chaotic Greek dancing on Claridges famous dancefloor deep into the night.  And boy can the Greeks dance.  Everyone, but particularly the older men fizzed with energy and abandon.  In English weddings the elders seem to accept their fate as the forgotten and overlooked, but there the men danced with a pride and passion that was something to behold.  Elena tells me that the Greek songs are actually quite sad and there’s a heavy melancholy to them but that passed me by and you wouldn’t know it from the dancing, and the segment where they stuck money on each other’s foreheads was a photographer’s dream.  They also had pretty much the finest wedding band I’ve seen.  Nick’s parents used to own the Dover Street Wine Bar, one of London’s top jazz venues, and thanks to that old connection they called in Rueben Richards and the Soul Train as the night’s entertainment, and the guys were phenomenal.  Oh and by the way, just as a quick side note about the bride and groom.  Although this was a big, big day, lavishly celebrated, Nick and Elena could not have been more warm, genial and charming.

I loved this wedding, and I think the photos back that up.  Enjoy..

NB.  Thanks to Louise Adby for shooting Nick’s getting ready party on the other side of town.