Glitter and gold and getting home again

Just when you think you have nothing to blog about, you get invited to a wedding! My roommate's friend's sister got married last night, and I got invited to go along as the roommate. This was my first experience attending a Turkish wedding, and it seemed to live up to all the stories I had heard. In case you're wondering why I went to a wedding on a Wednesday, Ramadan started today, and people don't have weddings during Ramadan. So all the brides-to-be rush to get in a wedding date before they have to wait another month.

To be more accurate, I didn't see the actual wedding ceremony. The actual wedding is a civil ceremony at a government building. Everyone attends the reception, which has its own set of customs. My roommate and I got all dressed up and rode the bus to a wedding hall downtown. The wedding started at 8, and we got there a little late. In typical Turkish fashion, people were strolling in until 8:45 or so. Our friend greeted us, dressed like it was prom as is appropriate for the immediate family of the bride. She was a great hostess and looked after us all night.

At around 9, the bride and groom entered with great fanfare. About a dozen people stood on either side w/ sparklers and threw confetti. Our friend included us in this part, of course :)

After that, the bride and groom had a requisite slow dance. Then other couples joined the floor for slow dancing. After that, the music picked up and the party really started. The dancing resembles vaguely what you see at parties and clubs in America, except with that belly-dancing flair. And of course, no boys and girls dancing together for this one. The bride and groom danced in the middle, with a crowd around them clapping. Ladies from the crowd would move into the center, dance with the bride, get their picture taken, and then move out. Of course, my friend made me get in the middle. I enjoyed it, and hoped I wasn't embarrassing myself.

After a while, they cleared the floor, brought out the cake, and let the bride and groom feed each other. They cleared out the cake, and the couple did some belly-dancing in the middle, while people threw money on them.

The children cleared out the money, and the floor was full of dancing again. Finally, at 9:45, our roommate and I asked special permission to give our wedding gift early so we go home before it was too late. Instead of the wedding gifts you give in America, people here give gold and pin it on red ribbons on the bride and groom. My roommate and I bought a gold coin together and pinned it on the bride.

When we went to leave, our friend escorted us to the bus stop to wait for the bus with us. There was some disagreement on where we should catch our bus, and then our bus drove by without stopping! Our friend flagged down another bus, talked to the bus driver, told him to take us to a park where we could catch our bus home. The bus driver didn't ask for our money. We rode the bus for a while until we came to the bus station, the end of the line. The remaining passengers got off, so we started to. My roommate asked the bus driver about our bus, and he said it wasn't here. He said he was taking us to the park. She said "but we're lost." And he said "don't be lost, go sit down." Sure enough, they took us to the park, and the bus driver waited for us until we caught our bus home. God provides. We got home at 11, tired and relieved, but glad to share that experience with our friend, even if getting around isn't always simple.