Jared and Anira’s wedding day overflowed with color, culture, tradition, and joy. The first half of the day took place at their home with a series of ceremonies to honor Anira’s Cambodian culture. It started with with a monk blessing, followed by a groom procession where Jared and his friends and family greeted Anira’s family with food and gifts. After this came the hair cutting ceremony where family members symbolically cut Jared and Anira’s hair to represent a fresh start as husband and wife, then a knot tying ceremony where family and friends each tie red blessing strings around the bride and groom’s wrists while wishing them health and happiness in their life together.
Between each ceremony, Jared and Anira changed into a new outfit, each one vibrant and meaningful. Once the ceremonies at home were finished, they changed again into western wedding attire and kicked off their reception at Vizcaya. They read tearful vows to each other in front of their guests and Jared broke the glass to cheers of “mazel tov” in honor of his Jewish culture.
Their day was a labor of love, a graceful blending of families, and an incredible way to start a life together. I was honored to learn from them and their families and document such an incredible story. Thanks for having me, J + A.
