Malawi : Eddie + Mwai's Wedding Day!

September 26, 2009 | 8:18pm

Well, today was the day. The reason we've traveled so far and been inoculated so many times. :) Wedding day. We were up at 5:00am. I showered while Nic went with Mwai's mom to meet up with our bride. An hour later I was picked up and taken to the house where Eddie was getting ready with his groomsmen where I hung out and shot until we left for the church.

Apparently this beautiful church does several weddings every Saturday, so we had to hang out in the parking lot to wait for the earlier wedding to finish up. The wedding started almost immediately once we got inside. It was a long ceremony and a bit confusing, since just about everything was in Chichewa. :)

It's here in my journal that I begin complaining about the local photographers that were also shooting the wedding. I will sum it all up right now by saying no one wanted them there, they were always in the way, and at one point Eddie had to do a little threatening to get them to back off. Enough said.

After the wedding we took some photos at a beautiful house and then drove to the "resting place" for more photos, food, and a little guidance for the couple from their elders. Then we were off the the reception which was held at the College of Medicine. The reception was very much like the wedding shower we shot the day we got here. Lots of dancing, music, speeches, and tossing of Kwacha (bills). They even had Nichole and I hold the money baskets for a dance with Eddie and Mwai. Everyone said how happy they were to have us there and specifically how Christian of us is was to follow Mwai and Eddie all the way from the States for their wedding. All the while, all we could say was how honored we were to be there!

Once the reception ended, Uncle Pat drove us back to the house. On the way we stopped by the Superette for snacks and water. And that's when it finally hit me: I am in Africa. I don't know why it took so long for it to sink in, but that was it. I was sitting in the back seat of Uncle Pat's car, Nichole in the seat in front of me. My window was rolled down, wind in my face, listening to African hip-hop mixed with music from the States and somehow that did it. :) I wanted to just soak it all in. It was such a great feeling. We have had such a great trip - even though my hands and feet and back and neck are all killing me right now - it has been so incredibly amazing. Tomorrow should be another lazy day, which I am completely looking forward to. I see lots of editing in my future! More tomorrow, I am beat.

Here are just a few images from the day (isn't their ring bearer Sly the cutest kid EVER???):
















xoxo,
Amy