My Brothers Paper Wedding: Šarūnas & Viktorija // Vilnius, LT

Congratulations to my big brother and his beautiful wife today - it's been one year since both replied "I do" and agreed on binding their paths together into one. Now - it's their first, the Paper Wedding Anniversary. A year ago I was there to dance and drink, laugh and eat, and also grab upon my camera once in a while, this way preparing my very personal gift for them. Weddings within a family circle are something different than friends weddings. Other thoughts cross your mind when you see a groom-brother waiting for his wife to be at the altar - families get connected, blood merges and the in-love-smile of your brother means so much more to you than anyone else's, you kind of feel in your molecules and start imagining what your little nieces and nephews are going to look alike.. But everything on that topic has to wait for its own given time. But for now - here comes a dash of a sweet sunny summer memory, with bright lunchtime sun and two people so in love under it. Chin chin to the paper-weds!

Quick note over here: Love is... is THE ultimate chewing gum of every post-soviet child in Lithuania. You could get it in every kiosk, some kids were collecting and exchanging the papers with little comics within, which broadly explained, what Love actually IS.

Gentlemen attributes..

..and the Ladies attributes.

I remember this little cabrio ride through the weekend city, with the newlyweds drive-dancing in the front and us two photographers Egidijus and I in the back, listening to this song of the incredible ODESZA out LOUD.. seriously, the ultimate summer time Vilnius ride with ultimate summer time soundtrack. Maybe you should listen to it while observing the rest of this post I strongly recommend, just to catch the awesome vibe.

It was a neat modern Lithuanian style wedding, including the parents greeting the newlyweds with black bread, rough salt and a shot of home made vodka for each - has something to do with good luck in their lives, of course; Lithuanian live music - good old pop and some folk; a whole lot of funny games involving the guests; and a present from the couple for their guests - fireworks at midnight. Singing dancing clapping - there was plenty of all. I wish every few years we could celebrate a wedding like that! so THANK YOU!

PS: You can read more about the beautiful late baroque style St. Johns church over here. Or even better - go over and visit, Vilnius is overall blooming with culture!

Warming Up for the Wedding of Agne & Marius, Klaipeda, Lithuania

in the late summer weeks i left my daytime office job on the island for a short holiday. more than ever i was excited to visit my home country Lithuania - apart from family and a great lithuanian summer time there were two weddings waiting for me. the first one of Agne and Marius.

there is a story about me and Agne - she is like my sister, undeniable relative always and forever. we grew up together and she was the first girl i saw on my first day of school, totally impressed by some kind of strength energy around her which you could sense from across the big school hall. ever since, our friendship - sisterhood - grew. with a two more gals we became 'the four' throughout the twelve school years. with big dreams, lots of dancing, teenage adventure, tears over boys, make-up experiments, birthday surprise parties on roof tops with candles, house parties, fights over nothing, cafe club plans and friendship pacts for life building our relationship as of stone bricks together. days past, years past, we are all in different cities even countries now, with different agenda. but every time we talk - there it is, a sense of an invisible cable connecting us, like a blood twine, whatever we talk about. we changed a lot, of course. but there is a deep love there within. i guess this is meant to happen when your friendship goes back to the days your teeth were still growing out.

with all this and more - to photograph a wedding becomes more fun, way more responsibility, much more feeling. here you see a girl you love in love with a new friend for life that she found, her husband to be. but before we come to the wedding story there is this evening before the wedding, a warming up with long time not seen friends from the same school and childhood playground, in our awesome home town of Klaipeda in it's most beautiful cozy colours than ever. in a dimmed sun light we talk, hug, eat, drink, till the sun finally leaves us in safety with many home harbour lights to pet the eye.

its a moon over the ocean.

thank you Agne and Marius for the awesome vibe of the evening. and thank you Meat Lovers Pub for hosting us and making this vibe more possible. next post - the Wedding! ,-)

all shots with Nikon D7000 + Sigma Art 35mm f/1,4 DG HSM