WEDDINGS IN THE AIR, CHIANG MAI,
Those who managed to rise early enough on Saturday 8th March 2008 to watch the wedding balloon launch are unlikely to forget the spectacle.
In the half-darkness of daybreak, balloon pilot and event organiser, Yut Wanichanond (left) shares a joke with some of the elegantly-dressed balloon pilots before the launch
Of those who did, many arrived arrived around 05.00am to gratefully sip the hot coffee provided, and sense the developing drama permeating the pre-dawn air. A single balloon launch is impressive enough - the canopy is spread out on the ground, the mouth opened, and air forced in with an engine-driven fan sufficient to expand the fabric and make room for the eventual hot blast from the propane burner.
Pilots, spouses and friends line up for the camera. A descriptive list of the pilots is available here
This makes makes a distinctive noise, and with 14 of them now in chorus, the air was tinged with excitement an emotion which that morning expanded proportionally as one by one, the flames were lit, and the balloons came swayingly to life, like a slow motion birth of huge, alien creatures.
The wedding couples line up in the background. (With so many compelling images all around them, photographers are unsure where to point their cameras next!)
Niki and Sherry Prachensky - a well known local couple - prepare for launch - and a kiss before.......
