Honestly, the wedding was the least of our concerns in the whole German adventure; it was certainly the least stressful thing we did (not that anything was stressful, per se...). Of course, it was the whole reason for hauling eleven other people overseas, but I've watched one too many episodes of Bridezillas to get hung up on the little details. That being said, other people took care of those details so I had nothing to worry about. My lovely sisters-in-law transformed me into a bride, and my uber-supportive former roommates selected my bridal bouquet. Everyone, from the Moms to the people who sneaked away from work to be there, had a similar relaxed attitude.
It was a simple ceremony, which was appropriate. We were married by a Catholic priest but opted to forego the full Mass as Jon is Lutheran. Our siblings were the attendants and Jon's sisters read. The music was beautiful and our Polish priest gave a great homily (sermon) and even remembered to call us Jon and Kristin, instead of "Yon and Kristine" (his accent is fairly pronounced). Before I knew it, the whole thing was over. While I made sure to consciously remember every single moment, it still went by in a blur. Usually at weddings I am very aware, very observant of all that is going on; heaven knows I've been to--and in--enough. However, this time was different (duh). I made sure to focus only on Jon and the sacred vows we were repeating.
And then it was time to party. We were able to find a photographer who was willing to take some additional pictures downtown, so we loaded up everyone back in the van to drop them off at the hotel before the reception so we could begin our photo shoot. (We also had to send a group on the bus--classy, huh?--but they didn't seem to mind as we next encountered them eating some post-wedding doner across the street.) While the entire day was my "favorite part," one of the coolest things was the reaction we received from the Germans.
We had agreed to meet our photographer near the hotel. However, there was some miscommunication about the location, so we found ourselves waiting around in our wedding finery. Apparently not too many people are just hanging out in downtown Bamberg wearing a white dress and veil or black suit--especially on a Tuesday--because we certainly attracted a lot of attention. We were immediately approached by a group of about ten guys who wanted to take their picture with us. Various people of all ages wished us "viel glueck" (good luck) and we had a veritable fan club when we paused for pictures on the bridge.
But we couldn't hang out with our paparazzi forever, as we had people to entertain, pasta to eat, and pinot to drink. Our "reception" was held at our favorite restaurant in Bamberg, an Italian restaurant owned by an Italian-Cuban couple who only speak German, Spanish, and Italian (very impressive). Just as we remembered, the food was amazing, the wine incredible, and the proprietor, affectionately known as "Mama," delightful. Once again, it was fantastic to see our friends and family mingling and having a good time. There was a lot of laughter, yet also a lot of touching moments. That's a pretty vague and general description--just know that the entire event was very memorable and very special.
So, now we're married (again). The celebration has only just begun...
1 comment:
It was awesome to be involved in that adventure!
Post a Comment