ETHIOPIA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

Documentary Wedding Photography in Addis ababa & Ethiopia

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Ethiopian Wedding Photography
Ethiopian Wedding Photography
Ethiopian Wedding Photography
Ethiopian Wedding Photography
Ethiopian Wedding Photography
Ethiopian Wedding Photography

Because Ethiopian weddings are always grand, they can be quite exhausting to fully cover. Usually, the events will take place over several days. As a result, there will be a lot of energies throughout, and long hours of dancing. Many group shots too. But most likely it will be very rewarding! Above all, locations, people, traditions are among the most photogenic a wedding photographer could think of. Bagi and Henock’s wedding was filled with those moments. The bridesmaids were always super enthusiastic and happy, the bride and groom danced non-stop, the guest laughed out loud. For the couple session, we flew up North to Lalibela — one of Ethiopia’s holiest cities with churches carved into the rocks. Brilliant!

Discover the Traditions and Culture of Ethiopia

Learning about the culture and traditions of Ethiopia is a good idea and will help you get the most from your visit. Understanding what you should expect and how people interact ensures you will make the right choice and have pleasant interactions during your stay. Those who live here take family life and friendships seriously, and they often use formal and courteous greetings. While Ethiopia has many cultures and religions, Christianity is the most common. It’s normal for children to move back in with their aging parents to help support them once they are no longer able to care for themselves. Certainly, the families of married couples pull their resources together and go out of their way to care for each other.

Top Wedding Venues in Addis Ababa

Before you plan your trip and decide where you will stay once you arrive, learn about the top venues that Addis Ababa has to offer. You will find a range of hotels from which you can choose depending on your goals and needs. The Nexus Hotel is a great option if you are on a budget. Talk to your Wedding Photographer Ethiopia about it. On the other hand, you can stay at Hilton Addis Ababa or the Sheraton Addis Ababa for a couple hundred dollars per night. And you can enjoy all of the high-class amenities for which the chain is known. Staying here gives you access to several museums and attractions that you won’t want to miss. If you are up for the challenge, you can embark on a guided tour through the forest and travel through historic towns along the way.

Ethiopian wedding
CONTACT

Email: chris.viseux@gmail.com
Tel: +971 56 11 66 894

Message Christophe on WhatsApp

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Addis Ababa is the practical base for most destination weddings in Ethiopia, along with the Rift Valley lakes, Bishoftu (Debre Zeit), Awash and the southern highlands around Arba Minch and the Bale Mountains. The capital offers international-standard hotels, Orthodox cathedrals such as Holy Trinity and Bole Medhane Alem, and jacaranda-lined streets that photograph beautifully in November. The northern historic circuit — Lalibela, Gondar, Bahir Dar and Lake Tana — is extraordinary but currently sits in areas several governments advise against travelling to, so we plan around your own security advice and your venue’s guidance before committing to a location.

An Ethiopian wedding is rarely a single day, so coverage is built around the sequence rather than a fixed number of hours. It often begins with the shimglina, the elders’ formal engagement, then the telosh, when the groom’s party arrives with song and dance to collect the bride. The Orthodox teklil, the crowning ceremony in church, is the spiritual heart of the day. The melse follows, usually the day after, with the couple in habesha kemis and traditional dress, and the smaller kelekel closes the celebration. We coordinate a schedule with your family so nothing is missed and the church’s own protocols are respected.

October through February is the ideal window: the rains have finished, the highlands are green, and the light is clear at Addis Ababa’s 2,300-metre altitude. The heavy kiremt rains fall from late June through early September, and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church does not hold weddings during the major fasts, including the fifty-five days of Abiy Tsom before Fasika and the Filseta fast in August. Most Orthodox couples marry after Meskel in late September or in the weeks following Easter, which makes those periods the busiest — worth confirming your date with your priest early.

Yes — we travel internationally and handle our own flights, visas and equipment logistics, so nothing lands on your family. Most nationalities obtain an Ethiopian e-visa online in advance. Photography inside Orthodox churches is at the discretion of the priest and needs to be agreed beforehand, and heritage sites charge their own camera fees. We carry full backup bodies and lenses and back up every card the same evening, which matters when you’re shooting somewhere replacement gear isn’t available. For dates in peak season, three to six months’ notice is sensible.

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