Anne and Alec got married at Beth El Synagogue
in Durham. I have never been inside a synagogue before or seen a
Jewish marriage ceremony, so this was also extremely exciting for me.
The ceremonial customs were extremely beautiful and imbued with history
and meaning–the signing of the Ketubah was one of my favorite parts.
Alec–an accomplished graphic designer and superb artist– spent months
constructing it himself. The ceremony itself was beautiful—I keep
semi-joking with my boyfriend that if we ever get married I want a
Jewish ceremony!
The reception was held at the Parizade,
also in Durham. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so relaxed and welcomed
at a wedding venue before—the manager greeted me and Stephen and showed
us a private table (in a lovely air-conditioned room!) where we were
free to download photos and eat cake. And the party itself was AWESOME
from the moment we arrived. Stephen and I were both caught off guard
after the first dance when the hora began, because everyone circled up
and started yelling and clapping and surrounding us while kicking and
screaming with joy. The hora was really joyful—I was tempted to just
put my camera down and join in the fun! (Towards the end of the wedding
I actually did this for a dance or two, thanks to Anne’s beckoning).
Big shout-out to Stephen Garret and Cana Collective
for helping me out. He is an amazing videographer and still shooter,
and I had a great time shooting with him for the first time. Many of
his photos are included below.
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