Swedish Wedding, Staten Island, NY, 1973

The newlyweds lead their guests into a tunnel of raised arms because Randolph knows the dances, too. Jeanne's father, making the music, is an accomplished musician and accordionist. After his death, his daughter established the Walter Eriksson Memorial Trust Fund to perpetuate Scandinavian music and musical activities through scholarships and support of music libraries.

Katrina Thomas's notes: Most Swedish-Americans are Lutherans or Methodists, emigrating between 1840 and 1910, passing through New York City, to settle the upper Midwest. However, I photograph two Swedish weddings in NYC, one, being a Swedish bride who marries a Norwegian. She wears a white wedding dress. The other couple chooses to wear traditional dress of a particular region. Both brides wear the crown of the Vasa Order, originally a fraternal society for Swedes but now open to all of Scandinavian descent.