Each country has a completely different approach to organizing and shooting weddings. This is due to many factors: mentality, standard of living, climate and traditions. Photographer Nina Gorshunova talks about her work experience and the differences between weddings in the UK and Belarus.
It's worth starting with weddings in the UK. The British, in particular Londoners, because of their international population and different cultures, instill a kind of creative atmosphere in all areas of life. Their weddings are varied and unique, as is photography in general. Absolutely different techniques and processing are used here. That is why it was extremely difficult for me to single out any one prevailing wedding trend, since all people first of all want to show themselves, not copy someone else, and the wedding provides an excellent reason for this.
If we talk about my experience of working in London, I have some weddings. I filmed a classic hotel wedding, a dinner with parents and a walk around the city, and a stylish painting in a designer suit eating oysters in the market. The second format is quite unusual and very different from what we are used to seeing. The guys wanted to visit their favorite places in the city: from simple cafe to the local market.
Due to the pandemic, all my weddings in London were postponed to 2022, in Belarus I wanted to shoot something unusual and creative, as it was in the UK. I wanted clients who do not imitate other weddings, but create an event that is unlike anything else. I was very lucky and such clients found me.
Already in Belarus, I filmed a wedding for two on the roof with cool floral decoration, in a completely different, classic style, the wedding of a prince and a princess, as well as atmospheric family evenings. I really want couples to see that there are completely different formats and there should be no rules other than “exchange rings”. Even without the opportunity to fly away to celebrate in Europe, here, in Belarus, one couple managed to recreate the atmosphere of a small cozy Italy and celebrate this day in the way they always dreamed of. This is why I believe there are no rules or boundaries. It is important to do what you like.
In general, I often hear from couples that they do not want to celebrate the wedding. Surely this is due to the fact that they simply did not find their format. It is necessary to celebrate the wedding! And I really want to be a photographer at those weddings when the guys choose something that is close not only in stylistic directions, but also in the general mood of the wedding day.
