Day of Bliss & Happiness!

We have been to a wedding! It was, as one would expect, a wonderful ceremony, a great party, the weather was perfect, everyone (especially the bride and groom) were happy on the side of delirious. It could not have been better, I couldn´t think of a better way to spend Midsummer´s Eve.

Far-fetched literary connection: the groom had made an unusual choice of music for the intro and finale of the ceremony (catholic, in church), something I had never heard of (being old and, frankly, fine with that), Game of Thrones. A book and tv series, apparently. Hasn´t registered on my radar, even though I look through the tv programmes regularly to see if there is something interesting to record and, perhaps, watch. Clearly a choice of some profound meaning, and it´s those little touches that makes a wedding personal and particularly memorable, I think. We should all be doing more of that.

Plus, there is something very narrative about the way a wedding is planned, don´t you think? Choreographed, almost. It isn´t just the ceremony, but all of it, the party, the gestures, the dancing, the cheers and the songs and the games. Love it. A tale of love. A lovestory.

But the way the bride held her hand during that choreographed, but very sincere, kiss on the church stairs, that just can´t be foreseen... 

On this particular occasion, a friend and collegue of the bride held a drumming ceremony for the couple when they arrived from church, where she asked for blessings from the north, south, east and west, and her four children stood in each direction blowing soap bubbles! Just sooo unusual and it felt almost like another wedding ceremony, certainly just as solemn and ceremonial. Loved it!

The bride was, as one might expect, totally totally lovely and beautiful and radiant and smiling and just so full of joy and happiness that it could have brought tears to a salt pillar. And the parents of the happy couple were all smiles and laughs and beaming pride and hugs and everything!

There were games to test the couple´s compatability (a bit late in the day, perhaps) and potentially embarrasing, but they passed with aplomb, getting it right every time. The bride identified her groom´s leg among several other men´s legs, the groom identified his bride´s hands among several other ladie´s hands, and they played the game of "Who does what?" and came out agreeing on almost everything.

Now, they say a bit of rain on the day of the wedding means luck for the marriage (or is this a saying invented to comfort those who find their garden parties soaked?) and we had absolutely nothing to complain about, weather-wise. However, one disaster happened - the wedding cake crashed! This amused everyone exept perhaps the poor creature who started moving the retched, wobbly table the cake had been stood on, but I´m sure she brightened up later.

And even if the cake as a whole wasn´t much to look at after that incident, it sure tasted well enough and there was more than enough of it for hefty portions for all! The gent placed at my right got one of the pretty roses and I saved the image for posterity.

And the German contingent (the groom´s mother is a Berlin lass and several families had come from that far away for this happy event) slipped one by one into the kitchen, where stood a television set, because, as you might know, Germany played quater final against Greece in the European Championships! I know  the Greeks wanted to "whip Merkel´s ass", mixing sport and politics as one should not, but they found themselves beaten by 4 - 2, I´m afraid... I think we all routed for Germany and was happy to see them win! 

And the wedding waltz, Strauss, of course!

The wedding ring had been designed by the groom (or perhaps they were both in on it, I´m not sure) to match the engagement ring, an heirloom piece worn on the right hand. And note the spectacularly beautiful nails!

We turned home late, late or perhaps I should say, early, early, and we were met by the rising sun. The amount of sleep I needed to recover is in direct proportion to the success of the party, I assure you: 14 hours straight!