Fall weddings are such a treat to photograph and Victoria & Brian's wedding was no exception. The colors are always so beautiful and the temperature is just perfect. Victoria & Brian staged their wedding day preparations at The Benson Hotel in downtown Portland where we were able to quite simply walk across the street for the ceremony and reception at The Treasury Historic Ballroom.
Following the ceremony, as guests began taking their seats for dinner, I began hearing a bunch of popping noises. There was a bunch of chatter amongst the guests followed by tremendous amounts of laughter. The room became filled with laughter and jokes -- really, really bad jokes. Such as:
You see, each table setting had its own individual Christmas Cracker. Christmas crackers are an integral part of the Christmas celebrations in the United Kingdom and elsewhere (such as Victoria & Brian's wedding)!! A cracker consists of a cardboard tube wrapped in a brightly decorated twist of paper, making it resemble an oversized sweet-wrapper. The cracker is pulled by two people, and, much in the manner of a wishbone, the cracker splits unevenly. The split is accompanied by a small bang - much like that from a cap gun. In one version of the tradition the person with the larger portion of cracker empties the contents from the tube and keeps them. Typically the contents are a paper hat or crown; a small toy or other trinket and a joke or piece of trivia on a small strip of paper.
As more and more Christmas Crackers were opened, the room began to fill with guests wearing the most amazing paper hats. At one point, everyone in the room was wearing a paper hat and it reminded me of Max from Where the Wild Things Are.
Victoria & Brian's wedding was an absolute blast. Guests had the time of their lives and the dance floor was exploding with all sorts of amazing dance moves and celebrations. Congratulations to Victoria & Brian!
Following the ceremony, as guests began taking their seats for dinner, I began hearing a bunch of popping noises. There was a bunch of chatter amongst the guests followed by tremendous amounts of laughter. The room became filled with laughter and jokes -- really, really bad jokes. Such as:
Why did the banker rob the bank? He needed the dough.
Why did the apple cry? Its peelings were hurt.
Why did the apple cry? Its peelings were hurt.
You see, each table setting had its own individual Christmas Cracker. Christmas crackers are an integral part of the Christmas celebrations in the United Kingdom and elsewhere (such as Victoria & Brian's wedding)!! A cracker consists of a cardboard tube wrapped in a brightly decorated twist of paper, making it resemble an oversized sweet-wrapper. The cracker is pulled by two people, and, much in the manner of a wishbone, the cracker splits unevenly. The split is accompanied by a small bang - much like that from a cap gun. In one version of the tradition the person with the larger portion of cracker empties the contents from the tube and keeps them. Typically the contents are a paper hat or crown; a small toy or other trinket and a joke or piece of trivia on a small strip of paper.
As more and more Christmas Crackers were opened, the room began to fill with guests wearing the most amazing paper hats. At one point, everyone in the room was wearing a paper hat and it reminded me of Max from Where the Wild Things Are.
Victoria & Brian's wedding was an absolute blast. Guests had the time of their lives and the dance floor was exploding with all sorts of amazing dance moves and celebrations. Congratulations to Victoria & Brian!