Our first Kenyan wedding, and a delight it was. One of my favorite aspects was simply being able to photograph freely! We see so many photogenic people and amazing faces every day at the hospital, but it is often not appropriate to take pictures. The wedding is completely different, where the expectation is for everything and everyone to be documented.
The photography approach is slightly opposite of America, where I’m used to being in the back of a church. We were working alongside a media team who had video lights set up in close proximity to the bride and groom at all times, so it was great for picture taking during the ceremony and really feeling part of the event. There is much singing and dancing, from the groom’s family arriving at the bride’s house first thing in the morning, to dancing into the wedding ceremony, to dancing into the reception. Gift-giving was a significant part of the reception, with different groups from the community offering different presents. . .the picture in the post above is miriam tossing wheat and putting a traditional Kikuyu basket on her head. There were still quite a few familiar elements like the vows, cake cutting, and bouquet toss (to All the Single Ladies). We are grateful to Miriam and Steve for having us as part of their celebration!
