26 May 2013

A Mexican wedding

One could tell from the women’s dresses that this was no poor man’s wedding. That the beautiful church of Santo Domingo in Oaxaca, Mexico, had been kept open so late at night – it was nine o’clock on that Saturday evening – could also only mean that something special was going on. In itself, discovering the church in the evening light was a treat: just give a look at the richness and the colours of the ceilings – I would in fact not be able to observe those blue and pink tints during daylight. But that was not all.

Dancers in multi-coloured traditional attire and monsters – the lack of fear in children’s eyes led me to believe they were in fact disguised people – were patiently waiting on the forecourt in front of the church. But when the newly-wed stepped out, they all started to twirl to the sound of live music, leading the way to the closed-off reception.

After having not-so-successfully played with my camera in that low light setting, I was tempted to follow the party. Ninety minutes of running around with my heavy lens and six hours of long drive from Mexico City had tired me out. That’s when I realised I needed a shower and that I probably wasn’t wearing the best of outfits – not at all was I discouraged by the fierce looks of the bouncers at the entrance of the reception. Or was I?!