A MN Camp Wedding to kick off a year of gratitude
What do I say about a wedding that happened in the before times? Before the shut downs, and the emergence of smaller weddings, and a focus on flexibility in events?
About all I have to say is thank you.
I feel extreme gratitude for all the learning and growth and survival of this past year, and also grateful for so many amazing celebrations that buoyed me through.
We can continue to celebrate like this – in the woods, on the lake, with laughter and fire and water, This celebration is constant.
A MN Wedding as a collective celebration when we need it the most
In the US, we just don’t have a lot of collective ceremonies – rituals that mark transitions to another phase of life.
It is probably fair to blame many aspects of American history. I’d like to point the finger at prohibition, which put our drinking culture into a “abstain or over indulge” mentality, and so we drink instead of celebrate, we party instead of commune. But regardless of the why, I’ve always envied the may pole dances, the new years celebrations, the carnivals, the communal fasting and feasts of other places.
Weddings are so important because they are one of the few shared ceremonies that we see as a culture. We understand them as a transition time, we understand them as a celebration, as both an end and as a beginning. We can see our past traditions and our future generations all in one shared ritual of marriage.
Beyond the details and expression of personality they have come to represent, weddings join us together with our community in ways that we seldom find in modern life.
Which is not to say that Haley and Andy didn’t have a party, because there was dancing and laughter and lightness.
But also in many ways it was an end and a beginning together.
We’ve been having a lot of those since.
More about MN Camp Weddings
I’m a former camp counselor, and I love to talk about camp weddings. I’ve written some of my thoughts about photographing camp weddings and recommendations for photography.
Location: YMCA Camp Miller
Planning a camp wedding?
Oh, if you are planning your wedding at camp lets talk about your photography! I will always get in the canoe, bring my own bug spray, and want to document the amazing moments that come with a celebration in the woods!