Shaina & Itche | Orthodox Jewish Weddings | Pittsburgh
Oh me oh my....I want to introduce you to the wedding day of Shaina & Itche. WOW was this a day to grab onto with both hands and not fall off. And it was such a beautiful day. So many hugs, so many giant smiles, laughs and a few tears too. Not only was this a fun day to photograph but John and I had never photographed an Orthodox Jewish wedding till this day and whoa it was interesting. The day is a very gender-divided day, which was really interesting to watch. What I noticed instantly was how close the women were. It wasn't just walking up and talking, it was walking up, arms around each other with noses almost touching while they talked. And it was much like this for the men as well. Shaina had her events to be a part of while Itche, who is a rabbi himself, had his. They were together for the ceremony, never touching or talking to each other until they were wed. They dined together at the reception, but otherwise were apart as the room is divided into 2 so that men celebrate with men and women celebrate with women. It was even requested that I not come onto the men's side to photograph. So John and I divided and conquered. ;-) Whoooooaaaa and the dancing. Just take a look at those photos! Swinging, "jumproping", standing on chairs, tables and anything else that could hold weight. It was a fun night.
They day starts with prayer for both Shaina & Itche. Then Itche must go through is own ceremony and Shaina is greeted by each female guest to offer blessings. Then Itche is walked to Shaina in a procession to place her wedding veil on her head. Then Shaina receives blessings from the fathers and grandfather. Itche then walks to the chuppah with the men and Shaina is processed afterward by the women. Then it's an all out brawl to get to the chuppah so we could get some photos. ;-) The photo you see of Itche placing the ring on Shaina's finger is the first time they ever touched.
Then we took a bazillion photos and the evening festivities began. I was exhausted just watching it all!
Grab your coffee and have a look at this wedding day. It was lovely, touching and so very emotional. I was part photographer and part spectator for this day and it was awesome.
