- Emily Katz
Braids for the bride
photo by Alicia J Rose
Whenever I think of my friend Sara, I think of wine we could never afford but since she worked in the Willamette Valley in the wine business, we drank in ever-flowing amounts, of magical smiles, travel to exotic places, and the courage to fall in love all the way. When she moved to Australia swept up in the arms of her caring, handsome, and utterly devoted Aussie boyfriend, I don’t think anyone was surprised, but a sadness hung over our already rainy city like a bleak lonely cloud. We were losing a bright shining inspiration of a woman. But we all knew we weren’t really losing anything at all, but gaining an example of strength, beauty, and courage to follow our dreams and throw away the fear to take that first step into the unknown for love.
When Sara returned with her wonderfully sweet fiance Julian this summer to celebrate their love with their Portland family, we threw her a Mexican themed feast. We cooked for days, decorated the backyard with handmade Pendelton wool streamers, friends read poems, sang songs and shared their wisdom about love with the glowing couple.
I have been working on a book of braids and I am getting ready to teach a Braid 101 class at the local store Beam & Anchor, and was lucky enough to add a crowning touch on the silky raven haired head of our beautiful bride.
After the evening was over, tears of joy and missing already streaming down our cheeks flushed with tequila and grinning, we knew we had celebrated their love the best way we could, braiding it into our lives, our memories, and reminding us to live life to the fullest.
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Thanks to Alicia J. Rose for the incredible photography.
photo by me