How did an Arizona wedding photographer end up documenting a Zulu tradition at a resort in Cancun, Mexico?? Do I have a story for you.

Fatima & James come from rich cultures across the globe. Fatima’s family is made up of Pakistani and Philippino ancestry. James’ family comes from Zimbabwe and England. You can imagine why nobody was surprised when the destination wedding was made up of people from five different continents!

Traditionally, this Zulu ceremony is a separate day from the celebration and is full of family members from both sides of the aisle (as is pictured here). James told me that the headband and the ceremony are rooted in the idea that a marriage turns a boy into a man– and as a fanatic of love stories, I swooned. From what I’ve read, the traditional Zulu headband is worn only by married Zulu males. The way his culture honors marriage is so damn beautiful.

Because many of James’ family were leaving the morning after the wedding, they decided to honor this traditional ceremony by having a small traditional ceremony while their guests headed to cocktail hour. So, James married the most stunning and wonderful human alive, received marriage advice from the elders in his family and hers, became a man.

Many young people who balance on the lines of their Westernized norms and their rich culture have even more decisions to make during wedding planning. The beauty of it is that you get to choose. You get to take the pieces that feel the most you and honor them during your wedding day.

As a photographer, these are my favorite parts of a wedding day. I’d be honored to tell your unique cultural history, tell your story through photo. I got you boo!

Head to my contact form to chat further.