A community that celebrates stays together, and the rituals around births, death, and union are both the high points and social glue of island life. This summer when our regional director Noba Anderson married, it was an open-door wedding that packed the hall and wove family, friends and neighbors into the ceremony. “We go to a lot of weddings, so we see a lot of different kinds of ceremonies.” says local photographer Darshan Stevens.
“At Peter & Noba’s wedding I actually loved how everyone was crammed into the hall — as a guest, there was no avoiding intimacy. And it really felt like the people at the wedding were a huge part of the ceremony and the bringing together of the couple. There was a lot of audience participation. Peter and Noba had a lot of humor in their vows, and also a lot of realism. As opposed to idealism. It kept the audience laughing and crying in equal measure. ”
Darshan’s images beautifully captured the warmth and love that unified the crowd as they bore witness to the couple’s vows. The pictures showcase the intimacy and eccentricity of the Cortes Community and for many answers the question of why they live here. For more images of the wedding, Cortes and Vancouver Island check out Darshan Steven’s blog at Darshan Photography.
