And… we’re back! Part two continues the story of Kyra and Ian’s day. In part one we left with Kyra stepping out of the Rolls in front of St. Michaels Orthodox Church into a beautiful floral-festooned chapel. The architecture and artwork is amazing there, gilted in gold, lit with chandeliers, with broad beams supporting them and the roof.
Kyra and her dad making their way up the aisle, doesn’t she look radiant? All the work over the past few months has led up to this moment:
Exchanging rings. Orthodox weddings have a flow to them unlike other Christian weddings, things just move along, from blessing of the rings, to exchanging of them, to the crowning, communion and march around the altar – beautiful amazing rituals. You have to pay attention or you’ve missed it. 
At the rehearsal the night before, a story circled the group of a recent wedding where one of the bridesmaids had fainted, hitting her head on a step and bleeding all over the place. Everyone decided they’d bend their knees occasionally to relieve tension and fight off any chance of the same fate. I think this image is when they figured they looked like members of the Lollipop Guild bobbing up there 
I *told* you it was a beautiful ceremony, eh?
One of the many unique traditions in the Orthodox church: The bride and groom are crowned with thin crowns, or “stefana”, which are joined by a white ribbon and have been blessed by the priest. The crowns symbolise the glory and honour that is being bestowed on them by God, and the the ribbon symbolises their unity.
They also drink from a common cup and walk around the altar three times – rich symbols of their beginning as a married couple. Here’s one that’s common to other faiths:
Bazinga!
Onto the reception! We arrive at the Beaumont Botanical Gardens where Kyra and Ian are announced and glide across the floor.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house by the end of Kyra’s dance with her dad.
One of the Groomsmen toast the new couple:
The Beaumont Catering Company performed masterfully – from the great food and spirits, to the hot chocolate bar with monogrammed cups at the end, everything was perfect… and very tasty!
mmm… Cake!
There’s a lot of trust built in this moment, I have no idea why
One of my favorite scenes of the night – something about a long-time married couple dancing in each other’s arms at your reception, it kind of puts a nice stamp on the event.
Wow, the entertainment at the reception was outstanding! Jimi Jams always does an excellent job with DJ’ing/Emcee’ing an event, but the band “Stereo”, well-known on the local blues and jazz scene tore it up:
They both had the crowd dancing until their shoes just had to take a break:
After a quick pick-me-up with the hot chocolate bar, it’s time for their great escape – many bird seeds died to make this possible:
Beautiful day
Ceremony Venue: St. Michael’s Orthodox Church
Reception Venue: Beaumont Botanical Gardens
Caterers: Beaumont Catering Company
DJ: Jimi Jams
Band: Stereo
Second Photographer: Marius
by Allen
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