Wedding

Ann and Michael's wedding was on Saturday the 12th of April. It was quite a cloudy day in the morning, but luckily it cleared up and became nice and sunny during the day. The wedding ceremony in the church was supposed to start at 5pm, so there was plenty of time in the morning to get ready. Stephen drove Michael early to Michael's parents hotel, where he spent the day chilling and getting ready. Ann, Cecilia, Rena and me stayed at home. Paula, their hairdresser friend, came over to do all of our hair. All of us also had an appointment at the beautician for makeup. We had to do everything in turns. Some of had our hair done at home, some of us had our makeup done at the beautician. Stephen acted as a general taxi driver driving us from point A to point B whenever needed. We had a quick lunch at 1pm, and then had to kill a few hours before starting to wear the dresses. It felt really strange, so much waiting. And Ann wasn't nervous at all, you couldn't tell on her that it was her weddingday. She even said that herself. After I had read some of my book and watched some tv it was finally time to get ready. Cecilia, Rena and me were helping Ann into her dress. Dressing up a wedding dress is a surprisingly difficult and time consuming business. You almost need a course in it. After a while we finally managed with all the ropes and tying. Ann looked really really pretty :) The rest of us put on our dresses fast, and then the photographer already showed up and took some family pics at home. Now the anxiety and atmosphere was rising. Everyone was looking forward to the big moment. 

Stephen and me left to the church in the Fenech car carrying all the wedding leaflets, flowers, videocamera, confetti and what not. We were at the church 45 minutes earlier, but so was Michael and some Maltese relatives. We were distributing the wedding leaflets on the benches. Stephen was giving out the flowers to those who needed one in their suit. I was checking when the danes would start arriving. And soon they did, more than half an hour before the ceremony there was a big bunch of danes waiting at the side door of the Zurrieq church. Stephen and me went to meet them, introduce ourselves and welcomed them. Soon they came and sat down on the right, groom's side, of the church. It looked funny, half an hour before the wedding and the grooms side was full, whereas the bride only had a few people sitting there. Time passed and more people came, which were friends of them both and sat down on Michael's side of the church. By the time it was ten to five, a few more Maltese people arrived, but most of them came like five or so minutes before the wedding. That was bizzarre! But I guess if you know the place well enough, you can manage by coming right on time :) Finally, the wedding music started and Ann came in with her mother and sister. She looked really pretty walking down the aisle. The ceremony was a typical maltese catholic ceremony, but luckily for me it was in English. It all seemed to go quite fast. There were some songs, and some prayers, some readings and the sermon. I filmed the entire sermon of the priest, on Ann's and Michael's request. Dorothy, whose brother was presenting Malta at the Eurovision, was singing at the wedding, she had a really beautiful voice! Rena was reading one of the bible texts. The prayers were being read by Michael's sister, Ann's friend and me. All in different languages. Michael and Ann told each other: I do, and exchanged rings. It was all so romantic. Michael was so excited that he could barely speak. It was cute. Ann and Michael thanked their parents and siblings during the ceremony. I really like this part that they have in the catholic ceremony. They also had the holy communion, but since only the Maltese were catholic, only they could go to the communion. So that part was a bit funny. Outside we threw some confetti on Ann and Michael and they had their first champagne on the church door steps. 

The wedding party was at Xara Palace in Mdina. It was a bigish hall with some couches, trees, free space and a bar. The wedding party was a typical maltese stand up wedding. No tables, no sitting down for dinner. Everyone is standing and going around chatting with others. Waiters are going around to give food. The bar is open. Michael did have a speech, which is not typical in Malta. And Ann and Michael danced a danish wedding waltz. After which the danes cought Michael and cut his sock with scissors. Apparetnly this is a danish tradition, where the man is branded of being married, and it gives the wife a chance of showing her sock fixing skills. Ann said she would buy new ones :P Towards the evening they cut the cake, and everyone was throwing more confetti. We all had sparkling wine and coffee and cake. At the very end the maltese carried Ann and Michael upstairs to their hotel room. It was a very nice wedding :)