One of the great things about being a wedding photographer particularly in Melbourne is the diversity of cultures and traditions that you are privy to witnessing on a wedding day. I have learnt a great deal over the years from photographing Italian, Greek, Indian, Chinese, Turkish (and the list goes on) weddings. You learn a lot about what weddings mean to different cultures, most of these traditions have been around for centuries and are so important to them and who they are.
I am seeing more and more that the bride & groom don’t necessarily know then ins and outs of all the traditions and are guided by the elder statesmen of the family so to speak, it is great that these couples respect their heritage and family enough to continue these traditions.
Last weekend I had the pleasure of photographing Jo & Allan’s wedding which featured an Asian tea ceremony. I have had the pleasure of photographing a few of these at different weddings, the bride & groom offer each family member some tea one at a time and in exchange they give the couple a red envelope with a gift of money. I believe it is done to formally introduce each other to their families and welcome them. It is also a sign of respect as the ceremonies are started off with the Matriarch/Patriarch of each family down to the youngest.
As well as the tea ceremony they had a traditional ceremony and we captured the bridal party photos in between the two at some great locations around Melbourne
