Janet Butler
Artistically inclined? Just love beautiful surroundings? Then you’ll love this colorful “bohemian” wedding with all its fun touches — colored parasols trimming the seating-card table, leopard-print shoes, and a wedding cake with all the spirit of a piñata — as shown here in images from Stephen DeVries. You’ll love the venue as well: the Birmingham Art Museum, its gallery hallways open for promenades and unforgettable pictures. The bride is in marvelous lace, her maids in layered ruffled skirts and gorgeous pastel shawls. The men? They match the wedding cake — something you’re not often going to be able to say. Blue sneakers for the younger party members, with blue, pink, and lavender vests for the rest of the men, make for a striking group indeed. The chuppah is bedecked with flowers and colored light gleams across the back of the room as the couple say their vows.
Posing for photos in front of one particular abstract is inspired: the colors match guests’ outfits. With a graceful walk down a curved marble staircase, the bride and groom arrive at the reception to a hearty hand from the guests; after a romantic first dance, they bring the crowd onto the floor and the fun begins. As part of this Jewish wedding, the guests take part in the Hora, a traditional dance in which the crowd raises the happy couple up on chairs and, connected by a scarf, they hang on for dear life to the chairs (and each other) as everyone dances in a circle around them. The dance extends even to parents — fortunately, without casualties! After a bit more festivity, bouquet-tossing, and a blessing, the newlyweds are sent on their way…with an “artistic” celebration to remember forever.
