The Despedida 3: Be My Wife and Share a Life shows me saying that “I, Geoffrey Alan Hirsch, take thee, Francia Marchan Villar, to be my wedded wife, to share a life, as long as we both shall live.” It’s the same concept as “’til death do...
The Despedida 4: With This Love, I Thee Wed shows us at about the time we together proclaimed, “With this love, I thee wed.” Looking on are bridesmaid, Flor Andes, PCV groom, David Briscoe, the bride’s father, Quirico Villar, and Reverend...
The Despedida 5: “are now husband and wife.” It’s official! Jeff and Francy are legally married, a few people thinking to the contrary notwithstanding!
The Despedida 6: The Newlyweds shows newlyweds Jeff and Francy Hirsch leaving the Bicol Teachers College (BTC) Little Theater. Well-wishers in white are BTC students (future teachers). The two children at right are fourth-graders in the BTC...
This picture was taken on July 16th, 2011, in a village in Bulgaria. Kay and Tyler are the bride and groom, and are accompanied by a few of the many babas (grandmothers) in this small village. Kay and Tyler met during pre-service training (PST),...
Moroccan weddings are an event that can include the entire town. Early in the morning, family members of the bride wake up and march through the streets singing and chanting to let everyone know that a member of the community is about to be wed....
Host families; Weddings; Pre-service training (PST)
This photo is of our pre-service training host family granddaughter, six year-old Talia, while waiting for the start of a wedding ceremony on July 9, 2011. Our host parents' nephew was to be married that afternoon in San Ignacio, Cayo Distrcit,...
This photo was taken in January 2007 in Tibati, Cameroon. We had attended a wedding. Wedding attendees have the option of buying and wearing a specific patterned fabric. I obviously stand out for several reasons, one of which being that I was too...
My students held up a message for me to photograph. It wished my brother and his wife good luck in their marriage. The children loved being photographed and having a different activity then their normal drill. It took many tries.
My host sister got married, and the festivities included 5 days worth of celebrating and 10 days worth of preparation. In this picture we are making the dessert Mathai.
This photo was taken in a village near my post. I was invited to a wedding there- my first time attending a wedding in Cameroon. Everyone was dancing around the bride and I was just spectating until some of the dancers called me to join them. I...
This photo was taken at an Indo-Fijian wedding. Suva, Fiji- May 2011. The celebration last more than nine hours. This shot was a rare moment of interaction between the bride and groom...when most all of the ceremony was very solemn.
I took this picture during a wedding in Moldova on 7/22/2010. In the picture is a young man and two ladies dressed in Moldovan traditional dresses. Most weddings in Moldova will have professional traditional dancers dressed in traditional dresses...
I took this picture in Ciorescu, Moldova on 7/22/2010. The picture was taken during a Moldovan wedding. In the picture, the bride is dancing with some professional traditional Moldovan dancers. They are dancing the "hora", Moldova's national dance....
I took this picture on 7/22/2010 in Moldova. In the picture are dancers dressed in traditional Moldovan dress during a wedding. They are dancing the "hora," Moldovan national dance.
I took this picture on 7/22/2010 in Moldova. On the picture is a a young man and a lady dressed in Moldovan traditional dressing. This picture was taken during a Moldovan wedding and it is customary to have a group of dancers like the people in...
This is another photo I took of Kay and Tyler's village wedding, hosted by the gracious community of Gorno Dryanovo, Bulgaria. It is customary for the bride and groom to parade down the street, dancing the traditional horo, and celebrating their...
Viorel Sandu, a godfather, listens to a Romanian priest during a wedding ceremony inside a church in Barlad, Vaslui, in Romania on Aug. 23, 2009. Next to Sandu are (from right to left) the groom, bride and his wife.
This photo was taken at the traditional Peulh wedding ceremony of a fellow Peace Corps Response Volunteer, on June 2, 2011 in Mamou, Guinea. The bride changes costumes several times throughout her wedding ceremonies - this is the second of three,...