The Wedding of Natasha and Matt

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May 26, 2016
Hilton Pearl River
Pearl River, NY

The first thing I thought when I arrived at the Hilton Pearl River for Natasha and Matt’s wedding was that one could not have asked for a more beautiful morning to wake up to. The sun was shining brightly and birds gathered on the lawn as people prepared the chuppah for the bride and groom’s outdoor ceremony. Upon first seeing Natasha, her eyes were lit up with excitement, her happiness uncontained as she spoke with friends and family. Her smile was a pleasure to photograph.

In following Orthodox Jewish wedding traditions, Natasha and Matt had not seen each other for a week prior to the celebration. And while the bride and groom, as designated, spent quite a lot of time separate from one another throughout the day, I wanted them to be together from the beginning of the film to the end. After all, this was ultimately a celebration of two beautiful people coming together as one.

As I knew that Judaism was going to be a large part of Natasha and Matt’s future life together, I wanted the couple’s passionate spiritual beliefs as well as the religious customs throughout the day to be prominent in the film. Between the ketubah signing, the breaking of the plate by the mothers of the bride and groom and the blessings under the chuppah, the day was filled with joyous activity. The badeken, the unveiling of the bride (and the first time the couple had seen each other on their wedding day), was a poignant highlight of the film.

As the father of the bride states about halfway through the film, Natasha and Matt’s wedding day also took place on an appropriate Jewish holiday: “Natasha’s Life has always been filled with song and dance… And so it is most fitting that she is being married on Lag B’Omer, which is a day for rejoicing most often expressed through singing and dancing.” Seeing Natasha and Matt on their wedding day reminded me of the great warmth between loved ones and that there is so much music in a smile. Here’s to a life of happiness and many more days of song and dance for Natasha and Matt. Enjoy!