the wedding of mauri and mirjami
Last Saturday, I had the joy of photographing the beautiful wedding of Mauri and Mirjami in the Uspenski cathedral in Helsinki. It was the first orthodox wedding I had ever been to, so it was good that I read a bit about the ceremony beforehand, and visited the cathedral to ask about general rules concerning photography during the wedding. The most important thing was that I had to make sure I never crossed the invisible line between the priest and the altar – that should never be broken. One thing I found out beforehand, which was good to know as a photographer, was that most of the rituals are repeated three times, for the three aspects of the Christian god. That gave me a good chance to catch everything that happened: if I didn’t get a good picture the first time, I had two more opportunities. Very helpful!
I had a great time photographing the wedding – it was different, beautiful and very interesting. The couple was very friendly, and it was nice hanging out before the ceremony, as we had some time to take portrait shots then. I do love photography, I just can’t help it.
Below are some photos from the wedding day – I hope you enjoy them!
The beautiful wedding ceremony.
The Uspenski cathedral is very beautiful; this is what it looks like from the outside. It’s in the very heart of Helsinki.
The beautiful wedding couple before the ceremony.
It was a pleasure to photograph them. Before the ceremony, they were waiting in the sacristy, where I also joined them for a while to take some pictures.
The bouquet.
Waiting for the moment…
The altar.
The couple’s entry into the church.
The priest and the altar.
Drinking the wine, that is so essential in Christian weddings.
The bouquet bearer.
The couple’s hands are held together, as they walk three times around the altar.
Approaching the holiest part of the church, the sanctuary behind the iconostasis.
Crowns were held above the couple’s heads during the ceremony. This is the bride’s crown.
There was a certain sense of relief after the ceremony, as everything went smoothly; from here, the couple and their guests continued on to party with friends and family.
alternative viewpoints 