Day 181 Today is the wedding

Early in the morning, the alarm clock rang because we had to get ready for the wedding and were picked up at 7:30 am.

Our taxi arrived on time and took us to the hotel where part of the ceremony takes place and where the couple stayed.

The first appointment where something happened was not until 9:00 am, so we watched the bride as she got styled. Then we went to the wedding suite for a photo shoot. We didn't actually need to be there yet, but it was nice to see numerous photos taken from all perspectives and with all imaginable persons.

After the photo shoot, the groom was allowed to see his bride for the first time, but he had to go through a game organized by the bridesmaids.

Just before we drove to the church, Cornelia didn't feel well and was sick. She decided to go back to our hotel and lie down for a while, hopefully to be fit again for the afternoon celebration. So I went to the church alone to witness the wedding ceremony. The fact that Cornelia was not there made the whole thing even more special. Because I only knew the bride for two days and didn't know anyone else. Cornelia had all the contacts. But I was treated as if I had always been part of it and was promoted to the first row next to the family in the church.

The wedding ceremony was similar to a European wedding. This was mainly because it was a Christian wedding, which is probably similar all over the world. I didn't understand the church service because it was in Indonesian. I simply imitated the others when it came to standing up or kneeling down.

The only thing that was slightly irritating were the 6 photographers who were constantly around the couple throughout the ceremony.

After the wedding ceremony, there was another photo shoot with the couple and the guests in the church. I'm also in some pictures now, hopefully they will remember me in a few years, otherwise they will have to wonder all the time who that stranger is in the picture.

After the church, we returned to the hotel where the bride and the bridesmaids first had to get ready. For me, that meant finding a way to pass the time for 2 ½ hours. With a German guy who was also at the wedding, we went to a bar and spent the time drinking beer.

Then one of the traditional moments of the wedding came. The couple had to pour tea for the older, already married relatives. I observed the whole activity from a safe distance.

Cornelia wrote to me that she was feeling a bit better, but she didn't feel capable of coming back to the celebration. And so the ceremony started at 7:00 pm at the hotel without her.

The parents of the couple proudly led the small group that solemnly marched into the ballroom. The couple itself was the final part. Gracefully, they enjoyed the procession through the crowd.

As I learned in advance, this was only a small wedding with 500 invited guests. Normally, there would be around 1000. On that day, I repeatedly asked myself how one can have 1000 guests. I definitely don't know that many people. After the procession, the wedding cake was cut, or at least it pretended to be, because I found out that the cake was made out of Styrofoam.

That was followed by the wedding kiss. With that, the celebration began and food was served. No alcohol was served, so there was tea and water to toast with.

The celebration was already over at 10:00 pm. The couple seemed to be glad about it, as they looked quite exhausted. No one could blame them, as the bride had been on her feet since 4:00 am and had been working hard all day.

I found it to be a beautiful day and enjoyed it very much. It was a great honor for me to be able to attend.

Too bad Cornelia couldn't be there.