Weddings

Okay, I confess that I am a romantic at heart. I make no apologies for this. I believe in LOVE in all its forms and its power to change everything. So this past weekend was about many things, but most importantly it was about love and love's triumph. It was about celebration of all the wonderful things that make life worth living - love, friendship, marriage, joy, discovery.....

I haven't been able to post much while we were away and there is so much to share. I have puzzled about how to break the weekend down into bite size chunks and I don't know if I have it right, but as I have posted a few photos of the wedding I thought I would continue with one part of the day.

First, let me say for a woman, the wedding day can be the transforming moment. Not only do you change from single to married, but you have a valid reason to be the center of attention and to transform from ordinary woman to princess. It is not just the dress, hair and make-up but the focus of all the love and care of those around you that helps the bride to glow.

Now on Saturday morning in heavy rain (more about that later) we left Kyoto at 7:15 to be at the shrine in Uji. The ceremony was at 11:00. The journey takes 30 minutes. The rest of the time belonged to the bride bar a brief twenty minutes for the groom.

From 8:00 to 10:30 Yumi was transformed from a beautiful woman into a stunning bride. The process was a work of art and I am sure each step in the process had meaning. The end result was breath taking.....

I just want to say thank you to her for letting me be there and record the process. As she was finally turned to us fully dressed I fought back the tears. I remembered my day almost eighteen years ago and all the love that I felt. All that wonderful emotion was clear to see on her beautiful face.