Julien & Laetitia: 18 Sept, near Brussels
Who? Julien is Jason's second cousin once removed - if I understand these things correctly! He is the son of Jason's mom's cousin Nigel. We had Laetitia and a friend of hers as a houseguest for about a week when we lived in NYC; she was studying medicine in Canada.
Where? As it says, near Brussels! Actually about an hour outside of town, in the town of Court-St-Etienne. The ceremony was at an unassuming church, but the reception was at a beautiful chateau that held one of the most magnificent reception rooms I've seen in all my wedding-going days. Brick pillars supported a high wooden ceiling, and the room was accented down its lenght by chandeliers hanging with dozens of votive candles. A very elegant effect.
What was unique? Well, the ceremony was easily the longest wedding ceremony I've been to - but that's because it was a 2-in-1 ceremony! First came the Orthodox Greek ceremony (the bride's family is Greek), followed by the Catholic ceremony. I suppose if you can't pick one, combine! The 2 officiants did not conduct the ceremonies together, but rather they came & went for their turn. So - combine 2 1-hour ceremonies and you get... 1 2-hour ceremony in Greek & French, except for the reading done by an English relative in the last 10 minutes of the event. The mix of cultures and languages made for some very touching moments during the speeches at dinner, as various members of the family aimed to reach out to the other in their native tongue. And - the traditional Greek dancing during the reception was a sight to behold, for sure, with all generations really getting into the fun!
Word. The word of this night was family. We met many relatives of Jason's who I certainly didn't know, and whom he had met only once or twice before, and not since he was at least a teenager!
What else? As usual, we took a little extra advantage of being somewhere different. Jason and his mum took the Eurostar to Belgium on Thurdsay and spent a night & day up in Antwerp (pictures in the album) before coming back to Brussels where I met them on Friday. And before we left on Sunday, we met for brunch with our friends Willem & Matthias, who we know from London (Willem works for Unilever), but who returned to their native Belgium earlier this year. Always nice to see familiar faces in a foreign country!
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| From the Greek part of the ceremony (note the symbolic headgear) |
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| Carole & Jason enjoying the cocktail hour |
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| Setting off Chinese lanterns (we are not sure if this is a Belgian tradition!?) |
Hayle & Monica: 16 October, Skytop PA
Who? Hayle and Monica are both friends of ours - I met them both in my first week at NYU Stern (business school) as they were in my block. I have traveled with them around the world - Brazil, Croatia, and Korea to name a few of the places I've been with one or both of them. Hayle is also one of my fellow Curlers, from back when I did that sort of thing :)
Where? Skytop Lodge in the Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania. Hayle grew up in nearby East Stroudsburg, and the setting was resplendent with autumn foliage. Luckily the weather cooperated at the last minute, after threatening not to up to about an hour before the ceremony (the skies turned from the past 48hrs grey into bright blue, and the whipping chilly wind died down mercifully for the outdoor ceremony).
What was unique? Hayle and Monica had a Korean ceremony at their rehearsal dinner on Friday night - complete with the piggy back riding and date throwing to predict offspring which we remembered fondly from Jed & Jenny's wedding Seoul a few years back. This was followed by BBQ - both Korean & American style... I have to say I stuck with the Korean food, which is always a treat! What else? Well other than capping the night with several hours worth of karaoke (a favourite amongst both Koreans AND the NYU crowd), during Hayle and Monica's traditional ceremony we were introduced to the concept of the 'truce bell'. Evidently an Irish tradition, they were both asked to ring the bell several times during the ceremony, and to keep it in their home. If an argument arises, one of them is supposed to ring the bell and they should recall their wedding vows. What a nice tradition! Someone suggested that Hayle may be well off just wearing it around his neck tho...
Word. If the last one was family, then this one should definitely be friends. Of all the weddings this year, this was the only one in which we were a part of the (very) vocal majority - one of the big party contingencies present! We had a blast catching up - and partying - with many old friends & classmates. (Although notably missed were Hal and his wife Lisa, with Lisa having just given birth to their first baby 2 days before the wedding!)
What else? We were graciously hosted in New Jersey, driven to / from the Poconos and to/from Newark airport, and joined as roommate by our good friend Jill - who has just decided to move to Chicago! I'm so sad Jill won't be in NYC anymore when we get back, but it was awesome to spend so much time with her before she left. Thanks Jill - see you in Chi-town sometime soon!
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| Beautiful setting |
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| Veronica, me, and Jill |
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| The Kind and Queen, being serenaded by their court |
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