If we ever order a second round of bourbon one day I will tell you of the spooky long hallway that led down to our room, and how I examined the door lock thrice before slipping into bed for the night. I’ll tell you of the guy nodding at me from under a baseball cap while we checked in, wall leaning against the right shoulder, stompie hiding under the left hand. I’ll tell you of the damp stained green carpets and the loner in the big hall staring down black and white movies on a big screen at midnight, cigarette smoke twirling patiently from the coffee table in front of him.
The drive there was ominous. It was darker than usual and a little late. It was raining. My windscreen has never been the clearest thing in my life since I bought the car however many years ago now, so I was squinting and swaying my head from side to side trying to pinpoint a clearer view in front of me. We were racing against the hour as the accommodation that was booked for us had a closing time, surprisingly, and it was in the wrong town, and in the wrong direction (south) from where we needed to go (north). Then the road simply disappeared. It sounds exactly like something I could get myself into and alas. It was I who booked the room for us, and it was I who did it the night before we left for Duncan & Jessica’s wedding, naturally.
The wedding was also a little threatening, if only as far as the weather was concerned. Duncan agreed that this was COLD, even by Harrismith standards. Jessica and the bridesmaids were clearly expecting spring weather, but they all had shawls as armour against the slashing wind. Afterwards when zooming in on one of the photographs I noticed however that they had left them behind the chapel on the way to the photoshoot. No pain no gain I guess.
The rest of the wedding was in stark contrast to our accommodation for the night. The camaraderie amongst the guests was warming. Loud chatter, long hugs, beer kegs, and exotic G&T’s. That sums it up. We simply had an amazing time photographing all of this.
I usually aim for around 20 images to share, so following are just over 40 of my favourites of the day.
Kiss your bourbon, stoke the fire, and enjoy.
