An Ankara Wedding Under New Normal Conditions – Gizem and Emre
I was very curious about the answer to the question “How will be a wedding day” in these “new normal” days when we try to get used to corona virus life. It was very important for me to observe and photograph this. I think the documentary photographer reflex is something like this. Just in this mood, my dear friend Orcun Yalcin called me. You can find the photos I took on this blog post. Turkey Coronavirus Wedding Photos
Orcun was on vacation in Kuşadası and said, “Let’s drink a coffee and chat if you are around here.” He would also photograph a wedding in Ankara two days later. My answer was as follows: “Let me come to the wedding as a volunteer second photographer and let’s chat and drink our coffee during the travel”. Thanks to Orcun, he accepted me and we went on a great adventure together.
Before the Day
We met with our beloved bride to be Gizem the day before the wedding and talked about all the details. Basically she wanted us to have a lot of fun during the wedding day. We were so happy to see such an attitude and character. The only effect of the new normal was that we could not get inside the the bride’s house. She did not want to risk her parents, because of Covid 19. Meanwhile, Gizem is a great screenwriter and serial actress. The profession of dear Emre is also quite interesting; ice hockey equipment supplier and hockey track manufacturer. Both are really great characters.
Wedding Day
On the morning of the wedding day, we met with Gizem and her friends at the hairdresser. An unusual bride hair is made, a dreadlocks! Best of all, she made her own makeup. The next location was the house of the bride’s family in Maltepe. Many guests and relatives were waiting for the bride and groom’s at the door of the house. Then Emre with his light blue suit and Gizem with his extraordinary wedding dress and veil appeared on the door of the apartment. Accompanied by applause, they were sent off to the couple’s car.
Soguksu National Park
Our next stop was the mountain house of Emre, where the wedding, dinner and party will be held. This is a cosy place in Kızılcahamam district of Ankara, close to Soguksu National Park with pine trees and bird sounds, harmonious with nature. First, we were in the garden of the house for the ceremony. Of course, all the guests were using medical masks. Since it was the first post-Corona wedding environment I saw, I had both very sad and excited feelings. However, the warmth of the people and the wonderful atmosphere turned this sadness into enthusiasm in a short time.
After the wedding, we went to the open area next to the house for buffet dining and wedding reception. Everyone took their meals by protecting their social distance with their masks and gloves. Hands were constantly disinfected. This is how I witnessed the new normal wedding dinner buffet.
Then a crazy party started until the end of the night, everyone had a lot of fun despite these extraordinary conditions. The warmth and sincerity of both Gizem, Emre and the guests were an extra motivation for us.
My Last Comment
This shot was the first wedding day I wore a mask all day. Obviously it is not easy to wear a mask all day, your ears go bankrupt after a while. On the one hand, there is an extraordinary atmosphere in terms of photography. I frankly enjoyed it and had different feelings that kept me alive. See you in the next “new post-coronavirus weddings”. Endless bliss dear Gizem and Emre.
Turkey Coronavirus Wedding Photos by Ufuk Sarisen
