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Congratulations to Satomi and Evan who were married last Saturday!  The two of them met when Evan was studying over in Japan and fell in love!  This was actually their second ceremony as they were married once already back in Japan.  The ceremony this time was in a Jewish Temple, Temple Beth Or, and the blending of cultures throughout the day was beautiful.

Satomi was a gorgeous bride:

No pictures were allowed during the actual ceremony, so we recreated some shots just for the camera.  Here Satomi and Evan are practicing their acting skills as they drink from empty glasses:

I liked the fact you can see the silhouette of all of Satomi’s features in this shot:

The reception was at the beautiful new Renaissance Raleigh North Hills Hotel.  As it has just opened, this was my first opportunity to shoot there, but I look forward to many more as it was gorgeous!

The first dance:

And then much laughing during the parents’ dance:

I haven’t laughed during a reception quite as hard in a long time as I did during the Horah, the traditional dance where the bride and groom are lifted on chairs:

Here they were trying to pass the napkin back and forth, with limited success:

Next it was Satomi’s parents turn.  You have to give them serious props for being very good sports!

And then Evan’s parents.  Based on the coordinated arm movement displayed, I think they’ve done this before!

All of the bride’s maids took a turn as well:

A lot of times at receptions when the boquet and garter tosses are done, there will be a lot of enthusiasm from the women, but the men make a big show of trying to stay as far from the garter as possible.  This wedding was the total opposite.  I don’t think they have this tradition in Japan, because if you look at the picture below, you’ll see the bouquet actually in the air, but half the bridesmaids are looking in different directions, and one even has her arms crossed:

Here’s the surprised reactions when the bouquet came down and was caught:

Now the men on the other hand were totally jockeying for position:

And triumph: