German-Australian celebrations in Berlin
This Friday in August started early and ended late. But it was one of those days that passed by quickly because there was so much fun to indulge in. As a wedding photographer I am of course primarily a service provider (with an artistic approach). I keep an “emotional distance”, to have an overview of everything that happens and always be ready. But sometimes the action really pulls me in emotionally…like at this wedding at Clärchens Ballhaus
I met Franzi and Flu (Foluso) and their best friends at their hotel in the morning. They wished for a first look shooting, i.e. wanted to get dressed separately and then meet for the first time. Generally as a photographer I am not exactly a huge fan of staging moments at a wedding but in this case I have to say: it was great. So while the couple and their crews were getting ready I scouted the hotel for a good spot and found the rooftop terrace. Once they were dressed, Flu came upstairs with his boys before Franzi joined and he turned around.
Probably sounds a bit kitschy and surely isn’t a thing for all couples. But when two people have such strong affection for each other and the opportunity arises to “tickle” their emotions a bit: why not? By the way, exactly this is actually part of my approach for wedding photography when it comes to moments that do require a little direction. I am looking for the (spontaneous) moment after the (staged) moment.
Since the afternoon schedule was fairly tight, we moved the couple portraits to the late morning. Eleven of us jumped into the minibus and which took us to Museum Island and then to Brandenburg Gate. The temperatures hit the 30 degree mark around noon already, but everyone was keeping up. A cool beer in between (and many liters of water for me) seriously helped ;)
The ceremony in St. Bonifatius church in Kreuzberg was followed by a reception in the backyard. During a small break for the guests, a few close friends took care of the last preparations for the party at Clärchens Ballhaus and the three of us headed to their hotel. They dropped their “occidental” clothes and put on their (freaking awesome) traditional Nigerian outfits, in reminiscence of Flu’s family roots.
We used the walk to the location for another improvised shooting before the couple entered the ballroom and the wedding party erupted in applause. In between the dinner courses was time for several moving speeches by parents, friends and (slightly tipsy) best witnesses. The Angolian DJ easily managed to make everyone go wild on the dance floor and party till the early morning.
List of vendors:
Wedding location & food: Clärchens Ballhaus
Videographer: Kutte2K
Bridal dress: Hochzeitshaus Berlin
Grooms suit: Monokel Berlin
Bow tie: Katy Tarrant Dressmaker
Flowers: Live Lindner
Rings: 123 Gold
DJ: Lito Bolt
Papeterie: Sendmoments
I’d be happy to show you one or more entire weddings so you get a real idea of what a wedding documentary looks like. If you’re interested just send me a short email to mail(at)tilmanvogler.com.
You can learn more about me and my work here.