reception — Beauty & Beard PhotographyBlog

This was the first of what we hope to be many Bulgarian weddings because it was such a beautiful culture to experience. The wedding day was full of a ton of amazing traditions from Bulgarian culture which we will talk about more during this blog but first, a little about meeting with this couple and the location of the wedding day. We met them just a few days before the wedding day via Zoom and got to learn about the culture and what all was most important to the couple and how we could best serve them and their families during the big day. There we learned about how important Kayaking is to them and that they also love gardening. Also, we learned more of their story from meeting in West Virginia in 2017 up to when he proposed in San Diego while they were visiting her Brother. Seeing that all come together in the story on display at the wedding day made it super special where each table at the reception was named by a location that they had kayaked together instead of having table numbers. Even their cake topper was of the two of them in kayaks together. All of this was beautifully displayed at the West Lake Country Club in Martinez, GA with a bunch of amazing vendors listed at the bottom of this blog to help it come together.

Now that we have the location in mind, imagine an absolutely kind hearted and joyful couple who are also laid back and we show up to discover them moving and working some things to be in place before getting dressed and we get to meet them in person then walk around just a little bit to see what all of the space they were using. Being that they were already married, they weren’t too worried about seeing each other beforehand but did want to have a first look once they were fully dressed and done up as well. It was an adorable moment that lead straight into us getting ready for the ceremony as family was showing up to find their seats. Once most of the guests found their seat and they had everyone lined up in the bridal suite, they made their way out to the ceremony. It was an absolutely gorgeous day but, it was also very hot so a large amount of guests were off to the side under the porch as well since there was not much cloud coverage either. Throughout the ceremony, there were a few traditions sprinkled in as well as the couple sharing some beautiful vows but one of our favorites was the part at the end where the Bride kicks over a Pall full of red and white flower petals as well as a few other things and the first color flower petal to come out signified the gender of the first born baby. As they kissed at the top of the aisle with their guests all behind them in the photo, we made our way to a set of stairs where it would be easier to layer all of the guests for a large group photo and all of the other family formals that we had planned. We then made our way down to the green just down the hill behind the ceremony location for a few couples portraits and also road the golf cart around for a few more photo ops before parking and heading back to get ready for the reception entrance. As they prepared to enter, we setup our flashes and lights quickly and were prepared for all of the dancing to come.

Now upon their entrance, they made their way to the sweetheart table and everyone ate before starting some of the traditional dances. One really cool thing to note about the dances besides the music and dances themselves was that the first dance was to the newlyweds, the others were performed for and with the newlyweds to the rest of the guests and there was also someone explaining the traditions via a microphone for the guests that wouldn’t know what the traditions were symbolizing like the grooming ceremony where they traditionally spend the whole day where the groom sits under a shady tree and reflects and then some father figure men shave his face from right to left and it’s all for good luck and coming into being a man/husband which was really funny because the men who did the shaving pulled out a few of the wrong sized blades (aka a machete and knife) first as a little joke. Then the bride was covered with a red veil which is the traditional color for brides which is mean to ward off evil eyes and protect from bad luck/spirits. They also gave her a beautiful flower crown and apron as well as dressing the groom in some more red traditional attire which was so cool to see. From there, they also had a bread breaking ceremony where the bride and groom holds something like monkey bread above them and pulls it apart. Whoever ends up with the biggest piece of the bread is considered to be the bread winner which we just loved that when it was explained. After that, they drank and broke their champagne glasses in a lined basket as well as a few more dances including the first dance, father-daughter and mother-son dances. Before too long, they started some more traditional dances where the bride was holding their flag and dancing in a line then more and more of the Bulgarian people in attendance joined into the line as they passed by the table to make it longer and longer and then there was another dance where the groom was holding the flag as well. Before long, it was time to break out the penguins! There were supposed be a few penguins but something got mixed up in the mail I believe and so there was one penguin and one person wearing a hairy potter cloak but, they still carried everything out for the love of their dear friend Denis where he and his Bride, Maya, eventually joined in with them for fun dance. From here, Maya also presented some birthday cakes to two girls who had a birthday that day and it was such an act of kindness to see the Bride share her day and love with dear friends/family in that way. Besides the cake cutting and a fun sing along song, the rest of the night was full of dancing and fun photos by the photo booth as well as drinks lasting well into the night. It was such a joyful wedding day and that’s exactly the type of day we love being a part of so much. We’re excited for these families and what the future holds for them! Congrats to Denis and Maya!

Vendors List

Photography - Beauty & Beard Photography @beautyandbeardphoto

Cake - A Piece of Cake Bakery

Dress - David's Bridal (Alethia Y. Hudson)

Hair - His & Her Hair Salon (Carolyne Simms)

Flowers - Georgia State Floral Distributors

Special thanks - Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (Father Vasile Bitere)

Venue - West Lake Country Club

Favors - Hand Made by Maya, Dennis and their families.

DJ and Lights - M&S Mobile Production (DJ-Phil)

This might be one of the first times we’re posting a vow renewal where we got to be a part of their wedding day as well and in this case, it was a gorgeous destination wedding day in Saint Simons. This beautiful vow renewal was full of sweet moments and their story of immense loss that made some of the stories of great wins and ministry even since they’ve been married made for quite a crazy emotional rollercoaster of a day that was just full of beauty. The day took place between First Presbyterian church and The Old Medical College both in Downtown Augusta, GA.

We started by meeting up with our third shooter and one of the coordinators then hopping right into details. As we finished up with details, we all split up to the opposite ends of the church where the guys and girls were to capture all of the getting ready moments and beautiful prayers that were shared at both ends. As everyone finished getting ready, we took both sides of the party outside really quick separately and then met up to set up the first look at the front of the church in the middle. We did this first look a little bit differently where Patrick opened the front doors and came out to see her and came down to his Wife in her new beautiful dress. From here we did as many of the Formals that we could before the ceremony started with the family that we had present and the Wedding Party as well. Then it was time for them to hide away for a while and prepare for the Ceremony where we were all upstairs to photograph the ceremony besides a few shots from the ground floor but, we absolutely loved seeing the congregation singing together and the vocalists and musicians were super talented and helped make the whole tone of the ceremony so beautiful. As they exchanged their renewal vows, they kissed and came back up that aisle again being able to share with so many friends and family that they weren’t able to at their original wedding day that was during earlier time where Covid restrictions were a lot higher. From here, we hopped into the family formal photos and then made our way to the reception as everyone was dismissed to prepare for their entrances for the reception at the Old Medical College.

Now that the Bride had been bustled and everyone had made their way to a seat, the DJ announced in the entire wedding party where they were met with cheers of joy. Once Patrick and Michelle came in with a huge cheering crowd, they made their way to the dance floor to share in a beautifully choreographed dance. That was then followed by a Brother and Sister dance as well as Mother/Son. After this, everyone sat down and enjoyed a delicious dinner provided by one Silver Palm Catering whom we have always loved working with. After everyone had finished their food for the most part, we took Patrick and Michelle out for some sunset photos with gorgeous light to work with before going back in for the Cake cutting and toasts. These toasts were all so heartfelt and we cannot describe how touching the stories and descriptions of their closest friends were but, there were definitely some tear filled eyes in the place. As those wrapped up, it was then time for everyone to go down stairs for the rest of the party which was kicked off with the bouquet and garter tosses then the lights went out and the music was cranked up. They hit a ton of the classics and have so much fun with new things and some of the props from the photo booth even making it to the dance floor made for some absolutely hilarious moments. Joy filled the entire room for the rest of the night and it was a ton of fun to witness. As the night was coming to an end, we went outside for their sparkler exit leading to the Cadillac that they would be picked up and taken to the last part of the party for the night where everyone would meet up with them. They walked through the sparklers surrounded by their loved ones and it honestly was a perfect way to leave the place. We’ve already loved seeing some of the growth and change in just the short amount of time they were married and know that as the years go by, this marriage will become even stronger and shine brighter to those around.