A vintage bride with sparkly heels
Elizabeth and Resul started their day with a first look in a small garden behind the building they were getting married in. When Elizabeth first came out I was blown away by the dress she was wearing. A vintage dress passed down in her family with beautiful embellishments and sparkly heels made her look absolutely iconic. Resul was so excited when he turned around to see his bride for the first time his face lit up with joy and appreciation. We took family photos as Elizabeth and Resul greeted their guests and moved into the ceremony space.
It all started with a tablecloth.
Elizabeth and Resul married in a traditional Quaker ceremony called the Hour of Silence. The ceremony started with Elizabeth's mon, Ann, explaining how everything would proceed and how the audience could participate. Elizabeth and Reul started by presenting their vows to each other in English and Turkish so that all family and friends over Zoom could understand. After, Elizabeth's brother and partner carried a table to them with the marriage certificate. The table was lined with a beautiful tablecloth that Elizabeth's grandmother had embroidered. In the Quaker tradition, this hour-long ceremony begins with a long pause of silence for the couple and guests connect with God through reflection and prayer. When ready, members of the family and friends rise to speak kind words about the couple and offer advice as they move into married life together. The presence of family strength and community filled the room as I listened to all of the kind words of encouragement for Elizabeth and Resul. At the end of the ceremony, all of the guests were invited to sign the marriage certificate, and even the virtual guests' names were written. As I took photos of each guest signing the marriage certificate, I was awed by how community-driven Elizabeth and Resuls' newly united families were and how much love and support they received from each member. The tablecloth held the marriage certificate throughout the signing and was a symbol of how beautifully interwoven their families are.
A second reveal
Before lunch, Elizabeth changed into her second dress, a ball gown with a beautiful lace neckline. Logan and I went up to take bridal photos of Elizabeth in her mom's apartment. We had Resul stand at the bottom of the stairs while she slowly walked down to do the second first look. For the second time that day, Resul turned around and was awed by how stunning Elizabeth looked. After lots of embracing, they headed down around the corner to sit down for lunch and Turkish desserts. Logan and I walked around the grounds at this time to admire how beautiful the grounds were and take more photos.
The gardening room
Before the dance party, we went outside to take bridal party photos and couples photos. We took the bridal party photos by a very old and large tree that was sentimental to the family. We found the most stunning couple photo location right outside of the building where Elizabeth and Resul got married. There was a small gardening room attached to the main building that had the most beautiful rays of sunshine pouring in. After some fiddling with the door, Logan was able to get it open for Elizabeth and Resul to go inside. The entire time we took photos Elizabeth could not help but smile and laugh. Her laugh was so happy and contagious that we all couldn't help but feel the love.
A Turkish dance party
Our day came to an end with the cutest dessert table and an epic Turkish dance party. Elizabeth and Resul moved the party back to where they got married. They put out board games and a station where the guests could write words to the couples. They put on a Spotify playlist with some epic jams! Then.. they played Turkish music and that is when the party came alive! All of Resul's friends gathered to dance in a large circle around Resul and Elizabeth, they cheered, sang, danced, and spun around in a huge circle. I was of course up on one of the pews, dancing right along with them taking photos as I went.
