My unusual Big Day-a photo blog

As promised, I am now posting some photos from my wedding in Romania. I've gone into a lot more detail in my post "Tying the knot", so please read it if these photos interest you. A quick summary...I'm a Scot, married to a Romanian. I was lucky enough to share two wonderful wedding days with my husband (one in Scotland where we live, and one in Iasi, my husband's home town). I
loved being accepted into another culture and will always have happy memories of the experience...

This first picture was taken at my mother-in-law's house. The veil is being attached by my Godmother (equivalent of maid of honour), as is tradition. My Godmother and mother-in-law (not pictured) were singing Romanian songs, and look closely...you'll see my Godfather playing the accordion in the background.
This next photo shows me ready to leave the house to go to the Orthodox Church for the Romanian blessing. I had no idea what to expect, I think the nerves show! My sister looks equally uneasy...not surprising as she was temporarily left in charge of the beautiful (but enormous) wedding candles.
The Orthodox blessing. Incense, a singing priest, crowns...all very strange to me. My husband translated as much as he could for me, my Romanian has since improved, but was very basic at the time. The ceremony was a memorable, and (once the nerves settled) enjoyable experience.





The novelty of two cultures coming together for a wedding also appealed to the priest. This photo was taken at his request, and is one of my favourites. My dad (right) and his friend are the two Scots pictured.










Following on from the Church, we made our way by foot to a photography studio. The men wearing kilts must have felt as though they'd visited from Mars rather than Scotland. They received numerous  puzzled, curious looks walking around Iasi on a warm summer's day. The photos were much more posed and formal than they tend to be in the UK, but we were still pleased with the results.
The next photo shows the "dancing chicken being delivered to our table. The reception lasted until 6am, with numerous courses being served throughout the night. The "dancing chickens" were set alight and served to dramatic music. I was amazed, think my face says it all...
I was very surprised to learn of the tradition of kidnapping the bride at midnight. Some of our friends took me to a popular terrace bar, where we had fun trying to work out what our guests (especially the Scots) would be thinking. By coincidence, there was another kidnapped bride, and to add to the occasion, we temporarily swapped places. I had a new groom, and Florin, a new bride (pictured here).


Florin had to pay a ransom for my safe return. The terms agreed on were a bottle of whisky, and to drink champagne from my shoe. This photo shows Florin just about to start his delicious drink.
One final picture, a group photo showing two families from entirely different cultures coming together to support our marriage.  A very special day...


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