Another Wedding!

Last night we got to go to another wedding!  (Yes, Monday night.) And this wedding was nothing like the last one!  I guess no two weddings in the States are the same either, but this was very different.  The wedding party in 4 words:  dancing, lights, singer, dancing.

The actual wedding ceremony was a while ago, this was the "Wedding Party."  The invitation said 8pm, and we were told to be there at 9pm (the bride and groom would show up at about 930pm).  Driving and parking is always a hassle, but we made it just before they walked in.

I have never seen a grander entrance!  "Lets go welcome the bride!"  The bride and groom came up the stairs, following the drums and tambourines.  The guests were crowded all around clapping (and I think singing, but I didn't understand a word of it).  So they come into the main entrance and go straight to the dance floor.  The lights in the ceiling and flashing (something something Disney Laser Light Show), the live band and singer are on stage, one video camera is in their faces and the other swoops over the crowd (a la NFL football camera).  In case you can't push past the other 499 guests to get a glimpse of the couple, just look up at the big screen where the live video is playing (MTV would happily show this quality film).

Dance, dance, dance...some food is served.  More flashing lights and singing.  More food.  (I put my fork down to take a drink of water and rest a minute and the waiter snatched my plate!  He was ready to bring me the next plate.)  Then the bride and groom walk around and greet everyone (while dancing and we're all clapping..my hands are pretty sore by this point).  The band takes a break and things calm down for a few minutes. More dancing, more dancing, dessert....we have to leave. (This is like an Arab music video!  The singer, the clothes, the lights, the cameras.)  We stayed until about 1230 - which was early.  But we had to get to work.  So much fun!  The ceilings were about 15 feet, white pillars and architectural details, marble floors, and scenic views of a beautiful garden (it was a picture, but wrapped around where the windows would be...to make you think you're in a garden?)

Final note:  The picture is us and our friend at the wedding.  There was a wide range of clothes worn.  A very few had on really casual clothes.  Another handful had on formal gowns and a few wore all out glittery beauty pageant outfits.  Another group had on sparkly Muslim dresses and hejabs.  Then there was the small group from our work that was in American style dresses.  It was such a mix.  But I guess that is to be expected when you have 500 guests!  Yes, 500!  And that was a small wedding!!  Wow! 

Wedding in Israel

(I think a lot of post could or do start this way - but sorry for the long lapse.)

We went to our first wedding in Israel!  It wasn't the first we were invited to - but it was the first we could attend.  (And it happened to be the first wedding we'd been to since our own!)  A friend from work married an American - so it wasn't 100% an Israeli wedding, as there were many recognizable American undertones.

The whole event took place in old Jaffa - where Jonah left from before he was swallowed by the whale.  The venue was beautiful!  They started on the ground floor with a reception.  The walls and ceilings were stone arches (very arabesque) and there was a nice size patio on the side.  The chefs were Argentine! and made the best ceviche and salmon I've had since we got here.  Once all the guests were there and the time was right, we went up 3 flights of stairs to the rooftop balcony with great views of the sea and of Tel Aviv.  The sun was setting and the bride looked gorgeous!  The ceremony was half English, half Hebrew and I even knew one of the songs!

When the ceremony finished we went inside to the third floor where a dance floor and dinner tables were set up.  They even had a coffee bar!  The food, again, was delicious and it was really fun to get to dance with some of our colleagues and friends.  There were quite a few Americans so we didn't feel out of place at all.

The two different things about the wedding that I'll tell you about here are:  a.) all wedding halls here are Kosher.  This means they can't serve meat and dairy.  Culturally, to show class, you choose meat for weddings (otherwise you'd have a vegetarian wedding).  I guess this fits in our culture too as Paul and about every American man I know would say it isn't a meal without meat!  This is odd for us because wedding cakes are made with dairy.  Yes...this means that if you have a meat wedding, you don't have a wedding cake.  I have only ever looked forward to the wedding cake at my own wedding (because I knew how ridiculously delicious it was!), but this time I was looking forward to it just to see what they would do instead of cake.  (I thought the same thing...why not have a sponge cake, frosting made without butter, a fruit topping, use soy products instead of dairy....But that is just not done here.  I don't know why.) 

I tried every dessert - I had to taste them!  They were all new! And my favorite was a shot glass with an undercooked brownie.  I'm sure they had some fancy name for it, but that is what it was.  Warm and Gewy...I had 2.

And b.) (the other different thing) was this song that just said "Barbara Streisand."  It was so weird.  Judging from YouTube it is actually a popular song...but we all thought it was just weird.  I wonder what she thinks of it.  She should sue like Rosa Parks.