I'm not sure when or why I started collecting weddings of strangers in foreign countries, but judging from all the white dresses in my photo collection I've had this habit for awhile.
It's not that I'm so interested in the dresses and the trappings of the wedding industry, but for some reason, when I see the excitement caused by a bride and groom in the street, I instantly decide following them is more important than whatever mission I'm on.
I have my phone out in a flash as I make a bee-line into the crowd of onlookers.
Of course I don't want to be obnoxious, butting in on a private event, but these venues are hardly private. They're usually in busy areas packed with tourists, and the bride and groom seem more than happy to pose for an appreciative group of foreigners along with their families and guests.
Besides, I'm just documenting a bit of local culture, right?
Here are a few of my favourites from Prague, Colombia, Spain, Venice and Paris.
I am a polite Canadian so if it seems appropriate on these occasions I sometimes ask permission to take a photo and am always answered with a smile and a nod.
The wedding parades in Oaxaca, Mexico called calendas, are by far the liveliest and most colourful wedding celebrations I've seen anywhere. And what a spectacle they are: hired dancers balancing fruit-filled headdresses, a noisy brass band, fire crackers, lots of family members dressed to the nines, and plenty of onlookers enjoying the excitement.
There's always a pair of giant bride and groom puppets called monos dancing along, and large twirling white orbs with the couple's names stitched on. It's the only time that drinking is allowed in the streets.
No one ever notices one more gringa taking pictures so I have a lot.
People are cashing in on the local tradition and foreigners are starting to book destination weddings in Oaxaca City. There's no ocean for the wedding party to wade into for a photo-op, but there is perfect weather, amazing food, friendly locals, and plenty of authentic culture and energy.
I could offer my services as a wedding photographer!
Gliding along on the skating rink beside the Bessborough Hotel in Saskatoon is another bride and groom that I'll include here, even though they certainly don't qualify as strangers and they weren't found by accident.
Maybe another post, which could be quite lengthy, will document family weddings, not in my own extended family who tend not to have weddings, but my in-laws have packed the calendar with anniversaries. It might be fun to see them all together.
