This week’s wedding is Evangeline and Nathan. The wedding took place at one of my favorite churches in Atlanta, the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation.   This church hosts the Greek festival every year, where you can get great Greek food and learn about Greek culture.

The Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation is a huge church with two chapels.  There is a small intimate chapel connected to the offices, then there is the main Chapel that will hold hundreds of people with a choir loft.  Both Chapels have beautiful mosaics on the ceiling as well as dome ceilings that are based on Byzantine architecture.  The domes are based on the early pagan tombs that were domed which symbolized heaven. Both chapels als have large mosaics of saints and depictions of the early church around the walls in the chapel.  The art work is in the renaissance style of painting with icons of the disciples and saints depicted with large halos.

When I arrived at the church I was greeted by the church’s wedding coordinator who I had worked with before.  We went over the rules of the church again and were given a tour.  We also went over the timeline of the wedding.  While I was doing that Sarah was with the bride and bridesmaids doing the getting ready photography at the hotel.    The guys arrived at the church first and they were taken to the auditorium where they got their botenniers.  While the guys were getting ready the ladies arrived at the church.

Since we were running a little late we started with the girls first.  The bridesmaids wore blue dresses made of the same material but the dresses were all different styles, such as over the shoulder and spaghetti strap, to compliment each bridesmaids figure or personality.  We went out to the courtyard between the ballroom and the church. It is a lovely area with 2 crosswalks, with rows of trees and columns bisecting it. We started with the columns since they framed the ladies very nicely.  They were a fun bunch with such a great attitude!

Once we were done with ladies we hid them from the guests and started with the guys.  The  guys were energetic and fun.  We went to the courtyard and took a few photos there and then we went to the chapel to give them some variety.  Once done with the guys we took a few more photos with the family before the guests started to arrive.

Before the ceremony the priest gave a brief history of the Greek orthodox church.  He described the origins of the church going back to the first 5 centuries of Christianity. The Greek churches are descended from the churches which the Apostles founded in the Balkans and Middle East during the first century A.D.. He explained the art around the chapel with the different Apostles/Saints and on the ceiling was Christ looking down from heaven.

Once the priest was done it was show time! The wedding coordinator lined up the wedding party and then walked to the front of the church and lined up.  Once all the bridesmaids and groomsmen were in place it was time for the bride.  Her father escorted her down and this was the first time the groom had seen her in her dress.  He was overcome by emotion.  Her dress was beautiful with a form fitting top decorated with embroidery and a shear back. The dress had a long train that flowed as she walked down the aisle. The ceremony involved two priests which is based on the way Jesus sent out the disciples two by two.  They each took turns during the different parts of the ceremony.  There was also a lectionary done by her maid of honor who was also the mother of the flower girl. It was a wonderful ceremony that involved parents and friends.  Once done they proudly walked down the aisle as husband and wife. 

We did a few more family photos after the ceremony and then finished up with the couples photos.  Then it was time for the reception. The wedding party was introduced by the bride’s brother who served as the wedding master of ceremonies introducing the couple and speakers for toasts.  Then the bride and groom arrived and went straight into the first dance.  The bride’s dress flowed as they danced under the flowered ceiling.  They then went into the father and bride dance.  It was very emotional for all.  

There was a sit down dinner and a live band!  The band was awesome! There were horn players and three singers. They knew how to get the crowd up dancing.  When the band would take a break they would play traditional Greek music and they would dance in large circles.  It was a very festive wedding full of life and Greek traditions.  It was such an honor to be part of such a wonderful day. 

Thanks for checking out this Atlanta wedding photographers blog! I hope you enjoyed the read and that it inspired you with some new ideas. Make sure you keep coming back to our blog to see what the Atlanta wedding photographers at Atlanta Artistic Weddings are up to! If you’d like to contact me go to the contact page and drop me a line at https://www.atlantaartisticweddings.com/contact-atlanta-wedding-photographer. I would love to hear from you!

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