by Jason
Today we went to a wedding. It was a lot like a bunch of American weddings you and I have attended through the years. But there were a few subtle differences, and that’s really what made this event interesting. So, I’m going to write about those.
The wedding in question was for the brother of a good friend of mine. We didn’t really know anyone involved other than the brother of the groom. My friend Adam told us about the wedding a few weeks ago, and gave us a printed invitation last week. The invitation said the ceremony would start at 1:30, and that’s where we started asking questions.
So I called Adam last night and asked what they meant by “1:30.” Like, is it really going to start at 1:30, or was that just a suggestion? He said really they call it 1:30 but it would probably be 2:00 before it started. This was helpful, because many weddings here don't start until two or three hours after the announced time, so we at least knew what time frame to shoot for.
We got dressed up in the early afternoon and headed to the church. The groom’s family is Roman Catholic, and the church was Episcopal, but the preacher today was Presbyterian.
I kept a timeline in my phone so we could keep up with what was happening when.
At 1:30, when the wedding was advertised as starting, we arrived at the church. We met the groom’s father out in the courtyard. We met his mother inside before we sat down. There were 20-25 other people already sitting in the church.
1:39, the musicians started practicing in the sanctuary. There was a keyboard and guitar, and both players were singing.
1:40, mother of the groom is walking down the aisle visiting with family and friends.
1:55, mother of the groom walks back up the aisle, talking on her mobile phone, giving someone directions to the church. For a wedding that was supposed to start 25 minutes ago.
2:00, the musicians do a sound check with the microphones.
2:05, mother of the groom gives her phone to brother of the groom so he could try to explain how to get there.
2:13, brother of the groom takes Sarah Claire out to the reception area to get some chocolate candies.
2:22, we heard people saying “wassalu” meaning “they arrived.” I think they were talking about the bride and groom. 52 minutes after the service was to start. You see, usually the couple will visit a photo studio before the ceremony to have portraits made. I guess they did that about 1:30.
When they arrived, the musicians started singing “How Great is Our God,” while the groom walked up the aisle greeting people. Now this looks like a fairly formal affair: the groom and his brother are wearing tuxedos; the ladies are all wearing black dresses and the men are wearing coats and ties; the preacher is wearing a long black robe. And the groom is just walking around greeting his relatives while the musicians sing!
2:27, the musicians start a second song.
2:29, the bride and her father walk in. At the back end of the aisle, he hands her off to the groom who escorts her to the front of the room.
2:30, a full hour after the announced start time, the brother reads from Ephesians 5 and prays.
Now the rest of the ceremony was pretty familiar. Well, except that there was this double throne thing for the bride and groom to sit on. They sat down for a little, but then while the preacher was preaching, they decided to stand up. He paused to ask what they were doing, but they just said they wanted to stand up. Also while the preacher was preaching, the groom’s father walked up and asked the groom something. And the photographer was wandering around the room taking pictures of everyone, and even walking up on the stage between the preacher and the couple if he wanted a better angle. I don’t think that was allowed the day we got married. Actually, our photographer wasn’t allowed to get any closer than the front edge of the balcony! Oh, and the bridesmaid walked out and back in down the central aisle during the first song.
When it was over, there was a brief, small reception in the courtyard area of the church. There were cupcakes and fancy chocolate candies. Because the wedding was during Lent, there was a separate table of cupcakes and candies for those who were fasting. Adam told us they were made without butter or some other products they can’t have while they’re fasting. I guess at a Catholic/Presbyterian wedding at the Episcopal church, you can eat cupcakes while you’re fasting.
Overall, it was a lovely affair. Our kids mostly played games on our phones, but Sarah Claire also kept a careful lookout for the bride the whole time. She was quite disappointed that there was no flower girl (or "petal girl," as she calls it) in this wedding.
Afterward, we celebrated Arab Mother’s day (21 March) by taking Beth to Outback Steakhouse.
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| Aren't they cute, all dressed up? |
So I called Adam last night and asked what they meant by “1:30.” Like, is it really going to start at 1:30, or was that just a suggestion? He said really they call it 1:30 but it would probably be 2:00 before it started. This was helpful, because many weddings here don't start until two or three hours after the announced time, so we at least knew what time frame to shoot for.
We got dressed up in the early afternoon and headed to the church. The groom’s family is Roman Catholic, and the church was Episcopal, but the preacher today was Presbyterian.
At 1:30, when the wedding was advertised as starting, we arrived at the church. We met the groom’s father out in the courtyard. We met his mother inside before we sat down. There were 20-25 other people already sitting in the church.
1:39, the musicians started practicing in the sanctuary. There was a keyboard and guitar, and both players were singing.
1:40, mother of the groom is walking down the aisle visiting with family and friends.
1:55, mother of the groom walks back up the aisle, talking on her mobile phone, giving someone directions to the church. For a wedding that was supposed to start 25 minutes ago.
2:00, the musicians do a sound check with the microphones.
2:05, mother of the groom gives her phone to brother of the groom so he could try to explain how to get there.
2:13, brother of the groom takes Sarah Claire out to the reception area to get some chocolate candies.
2:22, we heard people saying “wassalu” meaning “they arrived.” I think they were talking about the bride and groom. 52 minutes after the service was to start. You see, usually the couple will visit a photo studio before the ceremony to have portraits made. I guess they did that about 1:30.
When they arrived, the musicians started singing “How Great is Our God,” while the groom walked up the aisle greeting people. Now this looks like a fairly formal affair: the groom and his brother are wearing tuxedos; the ladies are all wearing black dresses and the men are wearing coats and ties; the preacher is wearing a long black robe. And the groom is just walking around greeting his relatives while the musicians sing!
2:27, the musicians start a second song.
2:29, the bride and her father walk in. At the back end of the aisle, he hands her off to the groom who escorts her to the front of the room.
2:30, a full hour after the announced start time, the brother reads from Ephesians 5 and prays.
Afterward, we celebrated Arab Mother’s day (21 March) by taking Beth to Outback Steakhouse.
It was a great day!
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