Wedding Day

Thursday was wedding day. Most of the day was spent by the family doing prep work with the wedding event starting around 6pm. The actual marriage ceremony took place around 8pm and was preceded by an amazing spread of appetizers (sorry-no photos again...).

Here's a photo of the bride and groom during the ceremony:


There were three things that were different from any other wedding that I have ever been to. First, the actual marriage ceremony was chaotic in that it took place while the "crowd" gathered around (and didn't really stop talking). I think if you blinked, you could have missed it. It was a very nice ceremony though.

Second, the guys here dance with each other...a lot. It's almost a complete role reversal from what you see in the U.S. In the U.S., the girls feel perfectly fine dancing together, holding hands, and so on. Here, it's the guys who dance together. It was nice to see them enjoying themselves so much. To me, the guys enjoy the wedding way more than the girls do. Here's an action shot of the dance floor:


Third, I got a ride back after the ceremony with the bride and groom. Yes, just me and the two of them in the car back to the hotel. Really, it made sense but it was unusual. I just tried to pretend I wasn't in the car...

One other thing that I should mention. The food at this wedding was amazing. Actually, it was almost a religious experience. Thanks to the family for having me at the wedding. I enjoyed it very much.