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Leslie, married on a day of drowning rain, wears sneakers on her feet and carries her shoes while a flower girl carries her veil. There is a popular saying that to be married in rain forecasts a life together in sunshine., Katrina Thomas's notes: Whether newly arrived in the U.S. or American citizens, resident for generations, the greatest number of marriages adheres to the Anglo-American model, promoted by a powerful wedding industry. Wedding coordinators and bride guides are consulted. With nothing left to chance, planning often takes months. The wedding can be officiated by anyone licensed to marry -- a member of the clergy, an interfaith minister, a civil marriage celebrant. The bride usually wears the most extravagant white dress she or her father can afford. Wedding party attire is color coordinated with the floral decorations -- bridesmaids in matching dresses, groomsmen in ties of the same color, even the two mothers often agreeing to something similar. The marriage may demand a fairy tale wedding, which seeks to be memorable and unusual in a climate of sameness, often incurring considerable wedding debt. In contrast, the procedure of an upper class Anglo-American wedding, held most often at the bride's home, recognizes family traditions. Most of my pictures depict the varied customs kept by this group, the sons and daughters of my WASP or Jewish friends and other couples to whom I have been recommended.

From her dowry chest, Susan brings gifts for the best man, her maid of honor, the master of ceremonies and for others who helped plan and conduct her wedding., Katrina Thomas's notes: Perhaps one million Lithuanians now live in the U.S., the greatest number in Chicago, and have been emigrating since the 19th century. Most are Roman Catholic; some are Lutheran. The first wedding I photograph keeps the most traditions, the bride wearing national dress which was woven, embroidered, and sewn especially for her. The newlyweds enter the feast under traditional handwork, a bridge of embroidered sashes, held by their attendants. For them, special dances are performed, and there are customs welcoming the bride to housewifely duties. They share a spikey wedding cake, baked over a fire. Recalling the past in the old country, the bride may carry a symbolic flame from the hearth of her childhood home, which after her marriage she might never ever visit, to the conjugal home where she will live as a wife. The newlyweds leave their celebration through gates formed by the wedding guests, exchanging kisses as they pass.

The principal activity of the wedding feast is the bifoni, for extending good wishes and marital advice from every pair of guests, all of whom are married. The newlyweds respond by kneeling several times with their hands on the ground, at this moment before the bride's parents., Katrina Thomas's notes: These dissenters refused to accept liturgical reforms imposed on the Russian Orthodox Church in the 17th Century and were forced to flee persecution. Seeking to preserve their religion as a way of life, they moved first to outlying regions of Moscow, eventually fleeing Communism in both the Soviet Union and China to colonize countries around the world. In the 1960's, several groups reached Oregon and have remained. Although they are reclusive, with luck and persistence I manage to photograph unique customs at two weddings of a people who live much as they did in Old Russia "as God made them" without using make-up, or cutting their hair, or shaving. They wear peasant dress and play no musical instruments. Their music is liturgical chant, sung in unison in church by both men and women. At receptions, wedding guests dance to singing by women. No photographs are permitted in their churches. Nevertheless, despite faithfully honoring centuries-old customs, they cannot withstand completely the influences of U.S. wedding culture.

To begin the "bifoni, the bridegroom's parents are first. Tasia and Patrick fall to their hands and knees in front of them and receive money to start their new life. Standing alongside are the couple's five married bridal attendants., Katrina Thomas's notes: These dissenters refused to accept liturgical reforms imposed on the Russian Orthodox Church in the 17th Century and were forced to flee persecution. Seeking to preserve their religion as a way of life, they moved first to outlying regions of Moscow, eventually fleeing Communism in both the Soviet Union and China to colonize countries around the world. In the 1960's, several groups reached Oregon and have remained. Although they are reclusive, with luck and persistence I manage to photograph unique customs at two weddings of a people who live much as they did in Old Russia as God made them" without using make-up, or cutting their hair, or shaving. They wear peasant dress and play no musical instruments. Their music is liturgical chant, sung in unison in church by both men and women. At receptions, wedding guests dance to singing by women. No photographs are permitted in their churches. Nevertheless, despite faithfully honoring centuries-old customs, they cannot withstand completely the influences of U.S. wedding culture.

Wendy and Scott's older unmarried sisters, wearing pink bridesmaid dresses, drop their brooms, hoping to be rescued by dance partners and to be married on another day., Katrina Thomas's notes: Predominantly Roman Catholic, Cajuns are descended from French colonists expelled in the 18th century, primarily from Acadia (Nova Scotia). Most of them live in southern Louisiana, dwelling in the bayous and still speaking a French dialect. They are noted for their spicy cuisine and zydeco music, and maintain some unusual customs at their wedding receptions.

Toward the end of the wedding reception, Montserrat's husband Fernando holds her bridal bouquet, while she throws a nosegay to her unmarried girlfriends, who are eager to catch it., Katrina Thomas's notes: A great many Puerto Ricans emigrated from the Commonwealth in the 1940's and 1950's to New York City where their culture is convenient to me because they live in East Harlem, known as El Barrio, close to my own apartment in Manhattan. Most of them are Catholics and keep no special customs. If bridal portraits are not taken in a picture studio, the newlyweds like to pose in the country setting of Central Park, which is not only handy but available at no cost, if the weather obliges.

Larissa, accompanied by Myroslaw's groomsmen, leads the procession, which is followed by wedding guests, up steps to a hillside church for the nuptial rite. Her five bridesmaids have preceded her., Katrina Thomas's notes: Ukrainians number perhaps a million today in the U.S., and even more in Canada. When the Ukraine was under Soviet subjugation, those who settled abroad were determined to revive their culture in a new land, and pass on relevant customs to future generations. To this end they establish Plast, their scouts organization, to which both boys and girls belong, and which fosters relationships that may end in marriage. Although most embrace the Orthodox Christian faith, the weddings I am able to photograph are Eastern Rite Catholic. Before the nuptials, the parents bless their children, using bread or icons. A bridal procession follows, and at the feast, instead of sharing a white wedding cake, they have their own ritual breads, korovai, which are decorated with twigs, herbs, flowers, and symbols in dough. The celebration ends soon after the maiden bride accepts the Slavic headgear of a married woman. However, today this rite is often omitted. Ukrainians, seeking a better life, still come to the U.S.

Eva and Vaios are married in a tiny church, which is not much wider than a typical row house in Queens, NY. Named for St. Markella, it is decorated with Greek flags., Katrina Thomas's notes: The Greek Orthodox nuptial rite consists of two parts: the Betrothal and the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, during which ancient hymns and chants are sung while various rituals are performed three times, representing the Holy Trinity. The couple makes no vows. The best man or sponsor, the koumbaros, exchanges their rings three times as well as their wedding crowns, known as stephana, three times over their heads. The rite is finalized by the priest leading the couple three times around the altar table. On the table is the Gospel, the Cross and koufetta, bittersweet fresh almonds, symbolizing that marriage has both good and bad in it. Coated with sugar, they are distributed to guests in the hope that the couple will have more good luck than bad.

Dominika still wears her maiden wreath, while men in twos or threes put their arms around her, singing their marital advice, which ends with all dancing in a circle. After her wreath is removed and she is capped, she will be released to her husband.

During a rehearsal dinner, held the evening before a wedding, toasts and songs introduce the two families, the wedding party, and close friends to one another. Lisa's bridesmaids provoke laughter, when singing of how she led her life when dating other men., Katrina Thomas's notes: Whether newly arrived in the U.S. or American citizens, resident for generations, the greatest number of marriages adheres to the Anglo-American model, promoted by a powerful wedding industry. Wedding coordinators and bride guides are consulted. With nothing left to chance, planning often takes months. The wedding can be officiated by anyone licensed to marry -- a member of the clergy, an interfaith minister, a civil marriage celebrant. The bride usually wears the most extravagant white dress she or her father can afford. Wedding party attire is color coordinated with the floral decorations -- bridesmaids in matching dresses, groomsmen in ties of the same color, even the two mothers often agreeing to something similar. The marriage may demand a fairy tale wedding, which seeks to be memorable and unusual in a climate of sameness, often incurring considerable wedding debt. In contrast, the procedure of an upper class Anglo-American wedding, held most often at the bride's home, recognizes family traditions. Most of my pictures depict the varied customs kept by this group, the sons and daughters of my WASP or Jewish friends and other couples to whom I have been recommended.