life along the med: Local Wedding: 3ris

*All photos are courtesy of Jordan!

"All the single ladies" take a pre-wedding picture

We wore modern clothes to this event. Thanks sis for sending the lovely blue dress!

The big day has finally arrived! hehe! Wedding services are more similar to a normal wedding reception in America than an actual ceremony. This particular wedding was scheduled for 3 pm on Friday afternoon. We'd finally learned our lesson and arrived around 4:30, which was perfect timing, because the refreshments were just being distributed. ;)

The event was held in a beautiful, and exceedingly ornate event hall with a live band, dance floor, stage for the bride and groom, and round tables for all the guests. The music only lets up when the band needs a break, but there are no exchanging of the vows.

The stage

Maybe I like food a little too much or maybe everyone thinks like this, but I remember the "order of service" (read in very sarcastic quotation marks) by what foods we were given.

To begin, we were offered traditional mint tea or Arabic coffee. As the guests enter, they greet the bride and groom and their respective families and people they know.

Then a round of traditional sweets are offered while the couple poses for pictures under some intense lighting.

About the time the fruit cocktails come around the dancing usually starts. This was the first wedding where we weren't forced to dance awkwardly in front of all the other seated guests.

More yummy sweets.

The families of the couple give jewelry and display it proudly, signifying that their marriage is official Hors d'oeuvres (of sorts) are served at the end and allude to the fact that they wedding is over. Then everyone goes for a goodbye kiss.