Michael and Elena evidently love to get married. They have married each other four times! (no joking) :) If that is not a beautiful celebration of devotion, I don’t know what is. I was lucky to be the photographer last year for their third wedding and now I am so happy to post some photos from their fourth one below.
They were married at the Holy Russian Orthodox Church in Yonkers and later celebrated at the New York Athletic Club, graciously overlooking the Long Island Sound. Peggy Kontogiannis at Artistic Visage did the make-up (peggykontos@msn.com).
I found the Russian Orthodox Ceremony to be very interesting. I read up about the service and wanted to post its meaning on my blog to give context to the pictures. “The bride and groom are handed candles which they hold throughout the service. The candles are like the lamps of the five wise maidens of the Bible, who because they had enough oil in them, were able to receive the Bridegroom, Christ, when He came in the darkness of the night.” The service of the Crowning is the climax of the Wedding service, when the groom and the bride are crowned as the king and queen of their own little kingdom. Olga, Elena’s best friend, and Michael’s brother had to hold up the Crowns for fifty minutes. I don’t know how they did it.
Michael and Elena are the sweetest couple on Earth and I was anxiously waiting for their wedding. At the last wedding, I met Michael’s amazing Italian family, and at this one, I had the added pleasure of finally meeting Elena’s parents who flew in from Russia.
Elena is a professional dancer and was a dance instructor in Russia. While she was doing her make-up, she showed me and my second shooter, Matt, photos of a competition in which she took part and for which she looked absolutely stunning. Her training shows in the elegant way she carries herself and the camera loved her. Later, she and Michael performed a beautiful and well rehearsed Tango (it is amazing Michael only took five lessons and was so good). I was reminded how my husband convinced me to dance an Argentinian Tango at our wedding to the same music Michael and Elena chose . In my memory, I danced nicely, but after seeing them grace the floor, I realize that I had no clue what I was doing :)
I also especially loved the toast when Michael’s brother recounted how Michael one day was driving and stopped short in the middle of a busy road to redirect and relocate a little lost turtle. It was a small deed that spoke to his sensitivity as a person, and a care and concern for the little things that he will no doubt carry into his marriage.
by admin