Telling the Wedding Story at Vlachogianni Estate Athens

What is the best way to describe one’s feelings at a particular instance through a photo? Is it even possible to tell an entire story effectively, with just one photograph? The wedding I photographed at the Vlachogianni Estate in Athens provides me with an opportunity to share with you these thoughts as a wedding photographer. I ask myself such questions subconsciously, before I click the shutter, so that I can pack as much information and emotion about the wedding as possible in each photograph. You’d probably ask if that is always possible. My answer is “rarely”, but it becomes much easier when the images form a cohesive whole, when they tell a story with a beginning, middle and end. Besides, isn’t the wedding day just a collection of small, individual stories?

One of those little stories is of the bride getting ready. An even smaller story is the moment when the bride leaves her family home and sets off for the church. And there’s an even smaller one: the one where the bride and groom meet at the church and turn towards the altar. Even the Dance of Isaiah is a tiny story. And all of these stories – big and small – are what make up the main story: the story of a wedding day. That’s the one the photographer has to get a feel for, to record (or “narrate”) and reproduce it.

A wedding at the Vlachogianni Estate Athens

One such wedding and a photo shoot full of those large and small stories, photographic or otherwise, was the wedding of Christos and Alexandreia at the Vlachogianni Estate in Peania in July 2017. The couple lives permanently in Florida. Christos is of Greek origin and Alexandreia of Peruvian. Their wedding was filled with vivid Greek touches. Many expats feel this way and it is very moving to see that hunger for their homeland in their eyes. You see it everywhere: the way they look at their parents and embrace them, the way they shake hands with friends and relatives, how focused they are on the ceremony and how solemnly respectful they are of it. How they dance a traditional Greek dance and take pleasure in sharing the dances with the guests. How can you describe a wedding rich with so many large and small stories? Even if you do manage to portray the couple just the way you’d like, how can you do it with a few lines of text and 20 images? Well, I can tell you it is nearly impossible, but to give you an idea, I’m posting some of my favourite wedding photographs, some treasured moments that the light helped me record and share with you.

As part of this post, I want to make a special mention of the Vlachogianni Estate (though I have no personal stake in it), for the beautifully decorated reception venue and outstanding service. They had arranged about a dozen round tables bathed in candle light to create a beautifully joyous but emotional atmosphere throughout the dinner.

Christos and Alexandreia, thank you for your trust and your hospitality.Vlachogianni Estate