What Is a Wedding in the Czech Republic? | K & H

What happens when I change countries and photograph a wedding in the Czech Republic

Well, this is basically what happens when I change countries and photograph a wedding in the Czech Republic… Not only do the locations and settings change, but so do—or rather, I discover—new customs, new features, and completely different light.

This is one of the most special weddings I have ever experienced. Not only because it was the first wedding I had covered outside Spain, and therefore outside my comfort zone, but because it was completely different from everything I had done before. Although there is no enormous cultural clash between the Czech Republic and Spain, certain parts of the day unfolded slightly differently from the way we—or I—are accustomed to seeing weddings in Spain.

To begin with, although it was a very sunny day that could easily have reminded me of any Spanish summer day, the light is different, and it is that light that I think gives a different touch to all the photographs you can see below these lines. By the way, I love the light in the Czech Republic.

Even so, and although I do not want to spoil everything that happened, the truth is that it was a wedding as incredible and beautiful as it was intimate and family-oriented, and I cannot help giving you a brief summary to put you in context.

They began getting ready at home, in a large, open-plan and wonderfully bright room overlooking Olomouc’s main square, where Kristýna did her own makeup and her friend Zuzka styled her hair. It was a relaxed morning that flew by among the final preparations, laughter, the occasional tear, plenty of koláčky s tvarohem—homemade pastries that the bride and groom traditionally distribute to their acquaintances the week before the wedding—and, as could not be missing to calm the nerves, shots of Jelzin, a traditional Czech liqueur, just before leaving by bicycle with her bridesmaids for Konvikt, the garden where they got married.

When we arrived at Konvikt, I was quite surprised to see Honza waiting at the altar alone, completely apart from all his family and friends, who were at the entrance waiting for Kristýna to arrive. Another thing that surprised me—and although it may seem silly, I do not think it is at all—was how well the guests organized themselves to welcome the bride and groom, forming a perfect aisle… No phones! (Well, one.) No one in the way! Something that was completely normal to them, and that I could not believe.

There is little I can tell you about the ceremony because, as you can imagine, I understood practically nothing of what was said, which does not mean that I did not understand what was happening there. Once again, and in a good way, I was surprised to see that sometimes you do not need to know a language to understand. Sometimes words fall short and, as Paulo Coelho describes in his famous book The Alchemist, there is a universal language that transcends languages and can be understood in any country by anyone—a language of the world. Although I will not lie: during the banquet they held a quiz, and there I did not understand a thing. The rest of the day, as you can see below these final lines, was one big party.

Finally, I have to admit that when I first read The Alchemist, I did not entirely believe in this concept, but now I can attest that the language of the world exists, and it is beautiful.