May 22nd, 2010~
My first time witnessing a Spanish wedding. Now, having only been to one wedding since age 3, I didn't know what to expect, and if overall it would be any different. The order of events was church, lunch and party. Okay, seemed like the usual deal.
I wasn't wrong about that. But one thing that stood out a lot? There certainly was a higher decibel of sound, with lots of cheering ("Long live the newlyweds!" or "Long live the parents of the newlyweds!" or "Long live the brother of the friends of the parents of the newlyweds!"...you get the idea), singing (folk songs, pop songs and football team chants), clapping and dancing. Not surprising, given the Spanish passion and enthusiasm for everything social. :)
First off, the ceremony in the church of Astillero, about 12:30pm arrival for guests:
The bride is here--let the day begin!
Everyone waiting eagerly for the ceremony to begin
The little ones were supposed to carry a basket and walk down the aisle--a lot to ask for such tiny kids, but they managed, sort of gracefully :)
Cristina's dad was very nervous when they got out of the car, but he seems very happy as he walks his daughter down the aisle
Officially married and waiting happily at the front...do the parents look relieved to you? :)
The boys armed with different things to throw at the newlyweds
The priest said that throwing rice was forbidden (since he had to clean it up) so instead, what you see flying above their heads are....pasta!!! I'm sure he didn't love that smart-aleck alternative. Luckily no one had an eye taken out! ;)
Luis the photographer ducks the onslaught of confetti and others pick out bits and pieces from their clothes.... ;D
Next, we drove out to Escalante for lunch (bear in mind this is Spanish lunch and it was about 3:30pm):
The hotel, San Roman de Escalante, with it's lovely outdoor area for mingling and munching
Lovely garden setting for a calm start to the meal
A lovely shot in the sun, after some drinks and canapes to start it off
The "party" table of guys, with a 3 extras joining for the photo
The newlyweds arrive to applause and cheers
The lunch menu--I think I translated everything below correctly... ;)
Warm cod salad
Monkfish (rape in Spanish) with prawn and velvet crab (necora) sauce
Grilled steak (what do you call this, a ribeye or something??) with some potatoes
Double chocolate cake with strawberry ice cream
Cutting the cake (it was already in little pieces rather than a giant tower!)
Happily sipping on sorbet between courses
About 14 tables or so (I don't remember exactly) of happy folks enjoying the meal and the festivities
The newlyweds have their dance
Sort of like a conga-line, but with different music and it was a bit disconnected as people weren't really keeping rhythm so well..
Up goes the groom....
...and now for the bride....
Lunch, singing and dancing was over by about 8:30 or 9pm and then we hopped on a chartered bus to Noja for more revelry in a bar that was partly reserved for the wedding party:
More singing as we ride the bus to Noja, for more partying and spending the night
On Sunday, we went for a walk along the lovely beach in Noja
To get a real feel of the atmosphere of it all, a few videos for your viewing pleasure:
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