A Berlin Wedding

Recently I had the pleasure of photographing Yuka and Karsten’s wedding in Berlin. It was a beautiful morning in Schoeneberg; the few drops of rain were already disappearing before the couple approached the Schoeneberg Town Hall. It was going to be a sunny day and everyone was in good spirits.

Rathaus Schoeneberg is a very large structure with labyrinthine halls and long corridors. I arrived early in order to navigate the halls to speak to the right people about the order of events. I like to be fully prepared for the day’s photography. As a documentary wedding photographer, I need to know all the details of the day: the ceremony, the marriage hall, where I can be during the Big Show, etc. After finding the marriage hall I was pleasantly surprised by an English speaking German woman who told me that I could go anywhere and move around and basically do whatever I need to capture the best images which go into the photo story of a wedding day. I said “I like you!” and with that, I continued the shooting I had already started when the couple arrived: friends and family greeting one another, the anticipation of the Big Day, the smiles and hugs and all of the warm emotions that make me glad to be a wedding photographer.

The ceremony went very well; nobody forgot the rings or their lines and I was free to move around and capture the events. Afterward, we went outside to be greeted by a shower of flower petals and cheers. A man played accordion as the happy newlyweds were each handed a pair of scissors and were set to work on a white sheet decorated with a giant heart shape with their names in the middle. They each cut the cloth heart along the red lines and after a short time they had a nice heart shaped cut out in the cloth. Karsten stepped through the heart-shaped threshold with Yuka in his arms. It was beautiful.

After taking some portraits in the nearby park, we all headed down to the Center of Town for champagne toasts and hors d'oeuvres on the rooftop of the Reichstag. They couldn’t have picked a better spot; the view and the atmosphere were tops! After some more portraits and documentary shots at the Reichstag café, we proceeded to Brandenburger Tor, the icon of Berlin, for some more portraits. In a nearby hotel they held the reception and cake cutting.

Once again I would like to thank Yuka and Karsten for choosing me to document their wonderful wedding day in Berlin. For more samples of my wedding photography work, please have a look at my website.  Thanks!