At last I am in America. Long correspondence is over as well as meetings and
long
separation, paperwork and visa acquirement. The day of the wedding had already
been
established and we had to finish off the last minute preparations.
My wedding was truly fantastic!!! It took place in the house and backyard of my
husband.s brother, George. George and his wife had probably been preparing the
house
and the garden for our wedding for a whole month. They had to clear off enough
space to
accommodate about one hundred relatives.
All my husband.s sisters came the morning before the wedding to decorate and
arrange
the garden for the ceremony. I was not in the house at that time because the
tradition
goes that the bride and the groom are not supposed to meet before the wedding.
At that
time I was with my sister and her husband.
Two hours before the wedding we arrived to George.s house to get dressed and
prepared
for the wedding. By that time the garden was decorated wonderfully. There were
garlands, ribbons and flowers all over. The garden was lit with lanterns. After
my
sister helped me put on my wedding gown, a priest came into our room to announce
that
the groom had already arrived, that he was excited, and that it was time to
start the
ceremony.
An altar was put up in the garden; all the guests sat down on the chairs
arranged in
rows, and the wedding ceremony had begun. First, came the groom with his best
man. Then
slowly and gracefully my sister followed with a bucket of flowers in her hands
dressed
up in a long dress. She was the maid of honor. I was the last to go down the
isle
accompanied by my sister.s husband who played the part of the father who was to
hand
the bride over to the groom.
The priest said the prayer and married us. We swore our love, exchanged the
rings and
kissed under the applause of the guests. The whole wedding was recorded on film
by my
husband.s numerous relatives.
My husband Edward ordered for me a huge cake with live flowers and a water
fountain
inside. Edward.s older brother invited a Mexican Mariachi band. Dressed up in
national
costumes they sang and played almost all musical instruments. The music was
lively and
wonderful and the singers had the strong, clear and beautiful voices. Edward and
I
stood and listened. Everything was like in a fairy tale.
Now let me tell you how people drink and eat at American weddings. Self-service
is a
custom. Everybody came up to the buffet line, took whatever he or she liked and
later
disposed of the plates. Alcohol was not served during the meal, only
refreshments.
There was no overeating like it often happens at Russian weddings. Once everyone
ate
they began to dance and have fun. Edward and I sat at a separate slightly
elevated
table. It was placed on the open verandah of the house while the guests were
seated in
the garden. Edward.s son and daughter from his first marriage brought us food.
Light
alcoholic beverages were offered later: champagne, wine, beer and cocktails. Of
course
there were no overly drunk guests.
However, according to the Russian tradition, the hosts poured Edward and me some
vodka.
We drank and everybody cried .gorko. (.bitter.), but of course in English, and
we
kissed to everyone.s delight. The guests did not drink vodka, they weren.t
offered, and
as a matter of fact they don.t even know what it is. Many people didn.t drink
any
alcohol at all because it was against their religion, but everyone had fun.
Later I was tossing a bucket of flowers into the crowd of single girls and the
one who
caught it was very happy. According to the belief she should marry soon. After
that my
husband took a garter off my leg and tossed it into a crowd of single men. I
wanted my
step-son to catch it because Edward said that it was time he got married, but
someone
else got lucky that day.
I have to say that people in my big and friendly family are very kind and
fun-loving.
Everyone danced and socialized because they gather together like that only for
special
occasions. I would like to say a few words in particular about my husband.s
mother,
sisters and brothers. All of them were sincerely happy that I became part of
their
family and told me: .Welcome to our family.. Edward.s mother met me very warmly
and
told me that everybody liked me and that I should say .thank you. to my mother.
Of
course I did not expect such warm welcome and I was truly happy.
When the wedding was over I regretted that it passed so fast, like a dream.
However to
prove that it was all real we received a marriage license, many pictures and
video
tapes. I am very grateful to my husband and to all of his family, which now has
become
mine as well, for arranging a beautiful wedding which I will never forget.
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