SARAH + JOE. KOREA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013 at 3:46PM 
Sarah first contacted me over a year ago to inquire about pre-wedding photos. We had a great chat over coffee where she began to tell me a bit about her story with Joe, who was busy fulfilling his Korean military service at the time. They had met and started dating stateside, but when it came time for him to begin his required military service, she decided to move to Korea as a teacher so they could be near. It was the winter of 2011-12 then, and since I didn't offer studio pre-wedding coverage, she ended up hiring someone else, which seemed to be in both our interests.
About six months later, she contacted me again, this time for her wedding photos. She told me that she kept returning to my work because it looked uniquely different than most wedding coverage in Korea. Indeed, weddings in Korea can often be very business-like, most of them in "wedding halls", the whole affair lasting all of one to two hours, buffet included. Show up, hand over a money envelope, partake in said buffet, and be on your way. I've always had a more photojournalistic approach to weddings. Korean-styled weddings just don't fit my narrative style, so I tend to politely pass them off to colleagues.
When I learned that Sarah and Joe would be getting married in the church that his grandfather built, and that they'd have both Western-style and traditional Korean "paebaek" ceremonies, I was hooked. (If you know me at all, you'll know that I also have a well-worn soft-spot for international couples, coming from one myself.) I feel lucky to have been there to witness two incredibly warm and generous families come together. Special thanks to my talented friend Ray Khan, who helped out; several of the images above are his.
Reader Comments (1)
the stain glass shot is pure frisson.