Maksims and Nastya [Riga, Latvia]

During the Australian wedding season break I travelled to Europe to photograph my first international wedding in Riga, Latvia. Maksims and Nastya found me through the magic of the internet and asked if I would be willing to travel overseas to shoot their beautiful modern Russian-Latvian wedding. As this year is my year for saying ‘yes’ to new experiences I didn’t hesitate to accept the offer. And what an experience it was. Riga is such a beautiful and historically-rich city, the capital of a country that has only recently reached independence again. It was such an amazing opportunity to spend a few days exploring and learning about the city and country, visiting monuments and running in to locals for a bit of a guide to all the spots to look out for.

After five days exploring it was time to celebrate Maksims and Nastya’s wedding. The wedding was held at Rāmavas Muiža (Rāmava Manor) a manor with a history dating back to 1745 including at one stage being the residence for one of Mayors of Riga. Portraits were taken both before and after the ceremony with locations including Jūrmala, Old Town in Riga’s city centre and on the grounds at Rāmavas Muiža.

Though Maksims and Nastya threw a relatively modern and non-traditional wedding I noticed a few interesting traditions that were fascinating to witness. At the end of the ceremony each guest congratulated the bride and groom and presented them with a bunch of flowers as a gift. The MC played a more pivotal role during the whole wedding then many of the weddings back home, with his main duty keeping the guests entertained over the course of the night. The MC hosted games throughout the evening and the reception started off with the guests being treated to a magic show. Yes, there was a magician! The coolest thing ever!

Later in the reception the bride was ‘kidnapped’ leaving only her shoe behind. The groom and men at the wedding had to perform tasks as ransom to win her back (including a lot of hilarious dancing and song renditions).  And have I mentioned how much vodka was consumed during the night? I probably needn’t mention this. Just take a look at the pictures. Again Maksims and Nastya thanks for allowing this Australian to come visit your country and for taking good care of me. I hope to return again, perhaps for a little longer next time.