When I was contacted about this Orthodox wedding in Iowa City by the groom, I was so excited. I love getting to learn new wedding traditions. It’s a perk of my job! Since this was my first time attending an Orthodox ceremony, I prepared by emailing with Fr. Ignatius at St. Raphael to make sure I understood the traditions and was respectful of the ceremony.
I always especially look forward to weddings where my primary contact has been with the groom. 99% of the time I almost exclusively talk and plan with the bride, so I get super pumped about the groom taking charge in the photography area. As I got to know Matthew and Katherine, I learned about how they met at the UI School of Music and how their shared love of music (obviously) and traditional values brought them together. Matthew even proposed by faking a celebration of the anniversary of Schoenberg’s Six Little Piano Pieces, writing “Marry Me?” on the cake. Well, maybe the celebration wasn’t fake, but the motive was!
When asked what was most important in their wedding coverage, it was very clear that Matthew wanted to make sure that we had plenty of portraits of Katherine in her dress. When you scroll down to see, you will understand! And his reaction when seeing her for the first time made me tear up in the moment and beam with delight as I relive that moment. Definitely my favorite reaction from a groom for 2018! Their advice for other couples is practical and SO IMPORTANT: Share your expectations with each other.
Venue: St. Burch Tavern
Dress: Bridal Bliss
Tux: The Black Tux
Rings: Hands Jewelers
Floral: Every Bloomin’ Thing
Cupcakes: Molly’s Cupcakes
Gah, so beautiful! I was there, but you’ve captured it even more beautifully than I remember (probably because I was wrangling a kid while pregnant and deeply regretting my choice of shoes). Well done, Barb!
Thank you so much! The ceremony was so beautiful and intricate. And you were a great kid wrangler!