blonde photo :: have more fun!

in love in lamu.

lusungu + jason :: married! lamu island, kenya.

kipungani is a secluded, remote area of lamu island located on the southwest side, and separated from the mainland by a peaceful, mangrove lined bay. the beach is an endless stretch of white sand, speckled with palm trees and strewn with delicate sand dollars, facing out onto the indian ocean. traversing the 15 miles from either of the two main settlements on the island, lamu town or shela village, takes approximately 3 hours on foot, 1.5 hours by dhow (sail boat) or 25 minutes by speedboat.

for lu + jason’s wedding, guests flew in from nairobi and landed on the manda airstrip, just across the channel from lamu island, and traveled by speedboat to kizingoni beach. kipungani is a very small village, and kizingoni beach is a collection of privately owned, stunning swahili houses, with a full staff to accomodate guests and arrange meals, activities and excursions, as well as plan events + weddings.

guests flew in from all over the world to spend the week exploring the island with lusungu + jason — sailing, snorkeling, and soaking up swahili traditions. there were sumptuous swahili style meals, trips to lamu town, manda toto and the takwa ruins, a sunset dhow cruise, and even a henna ceremony for the ladies! lamu is simply a fantastic destination and an incredible setting for a wedding celebration! lu + jason absolutely love lamu, and it’s easy to see why…

having been in shela for the three preceding weeks, i jumped on a speedboat and joined the wedding party on the tuesday before the wedding. i loved being part of the week’s festivites and spending time getting to know lu + jason’s family + friends. i’m not sure i’ve ever encountered such a diverse, talented and truly brilliant group of people in one place before! it was a fascinating mix of international journalists, teachers, artists, UN workers, and authors…in fact, jason *just* published his book Dancing with Monsters — which details the political, social, and moral issues of the Congo, and is being hailed as an “impressively controlled account of the devastating Congo war.” incredible!

the wedding ceremony took place on the afternoon of november 27th at the mary mother of jesus catholic church in lamu town — followed by a brief stop in shela village for portraits, and back to kipungani by speedboat for a beach ceremony at sunset. following a series of wonderful speeches, poems, an even a song written by one of their good friends, guests reveled in a bonfire on the beach, dinner by candlelight, and dancing under the stars.

lusungu + jason :: CONGRATS! or more appropriately, in swahili, HONGERA! i adore you both and will cherish the memories of your wedding celebration always.

enjoy!