Purple Kite Photography
- 3 min read

BRITISH/POLISH FUSION HERTFORDSHIRE WEDDING | HITCHIN | MAJA AND JAKE

Bride and Groom with their backs to camera throwing glasses over their shoulder in Polish wedding tradition

INTIMATE FAMILY WEDDING AND CHRISTENING IN HITCHIN, HERTFORDSHIRE

Jake and Maja had very different plans for their wedding, but then the Covid Pandemic happened and everything changed. Many months after their original wedding date, they scaled back their plans and settled on an intimate wedding in Hitchin, Hertfordshire once international travel was again allowed, meaning that Maja's Polish family could fly over to join the celebrations.

WEDDING CEREMONY AND CHRISTENING AT ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH OF OUR LADY IMMACULATE AND St ANDREW, HITCHIN

The wedding was an extra special affair as they combined the ceremony with the christening of their young son.

VINTAGE CAR RIDE THROUGH HITCHIN TOWN CENTRE

After the ceremony Jake and Maja drove off through Hitchin town centre in a gorgeous cream Beauford Convertible, taking me along for the ride! The children enjoyed the surprise of masses of bubbles produced by the vintage car. We stopped off in a quieter nearby spot for a few portraits and a brief moment for the couple to be alone together before heading back home for the party.

BREAD, SALT, VODKA AND BROKEN GLASS - A TRADITIONAL POLISH WELCOME

When Jake and Maja returned home they were greeted by her parents with bread and salt, as is Polish wedding tradition. The bread symbolizes prosperity, while the bitter salt is a reminder for them to navigate life's challenges together.

Traditionally the father of the bride or groom then offers the couple two shot glasses, one filled with vodka and the other with water. This marks their first toast as a married couple, and the bride has the privilege of choosing one of the glasses without knowing which drink it contains. It is believed that whoever gets the vodka is predicted to become the dominant partner in the relationship! The bride and groom must drink their chosen glass simultaneously and then throw them over their shoulders. If the glasses break, it is seen as a good omen, symbolizing a long and blissful life together. It was a fantastic moment for me to capture, but led to some hurried scrabbling around trying to clear up broken glass before it caused harm to the small children running around - or the barefoot grandparents!

DINNER AND SPEECHES - AND LOTS MORE VODKA!

Food was plentiful - as well as a tremendous hog roast, Jake and Maja had laid out lots of Polish goodies on a hand made wooden bar - an array or meats, cheeses, pickles and polish wedding sausage or 'Kiełbasa weselna' - and of course plenty of home-made flavoured vodka.

The speeches were epic. Full of laughter as well as a few tears, and interspersed with many vodka toasts.

FIRST DANCE

As evening began to draw in, Jake and Maja danced together under strings of festoon lights and paper lanterns while family and friends cheered them on. A perfect end to a wonderful day.

Bride and groom dancing in their back garden which is decorated with lights and paper lanterns

LOVELY WORDS

A professional, flexible and experienced photographer. We used Sarah for our wedding and from the pre-start meeting, throughout the day of the wedding and the aftercare, she has been nothing but professional, reliable and approachable. She was even able to organise everyone so that we could get the shots that we wanted . . . no easy feat with children running around and it being a hectic day. Thank you!