Wedding Weekend

Saturday, 10.08.19 & Sunday, 11.08.19

On Saturday it was time. After a long and late breakfast, we all started slowly preparing for the wedding of Timo and Liara. Since all the men are Timo's groomsmen, they had to be at the location for a photo shoot at 2:30 PM. The girls had until 4 PM to relax and get ready.

Around shortly after 4 PM, we all met again at the location. The men had already been provided with blush pink ties and flowers by one of the wedding planners. There was going to be a free ceremony, so eventually the women were asked to take their seats. The men had another task and had to walk in. One by one, they were the first to walk in as Timo's groomsmen. They were followed by Timo with his mother, Timo's father with Liara's mother, Liara's bridesmaids, and finally the bride with her father.

The ceremony was printed in paper form in different languages so that everyone could understand it. The speaker mainly spoke in English during the ceremony, but summarized everything in Portuguese as well, as Liara's parents do not speak English. Before the ceremony, we were asked not to take photos and videos, as four photographers were booked for the celebration. They were always in the same spot to take photos, which unfortunately often obstructed the view of the bride and groom.

After the ceremony, we went to the "garden" of the location where a reception with small tapas awaited us. It was very beautiful but incredibly cold. When you think of a wedding in Portugal in August, you think of everything except freezing. Fortunately, blankets were provided for all the women. After congratulating the bride and groom, the men had to go for another photo shoot. Then finally, it was time for dinner. The tables were beautifully set in the courtyard. Unfortunately, it was also very cold here, so even the men were freezing in their suits. The menu included an appetizer, two main courses, and a dessert, and everything was very delicious. Unfortunately, just before we received the fish dish, the men had to go for another photo shoot, so we women had to eat alone and asked the waiter to take the men's food again and keep it warm. Shortly before dessert, it started raining and we took our blankets and went inside to have dessert and start the party. We had a lot of fun, laughed, and danced until the DJ stopped playing music around 3 AM. We drove home and spent time on the terrace of our house until 4:30 AM.

The next day, we were all very tired and spent the whole day just hanging out. The only exciting thing about this day was that we found out that the tanker truck drivers in Portugal would go on strike indefinitely from Monday, so eventually the gas stations would run out of fuel. So we quickly went out again to fill up the car. After visiting all the gas stations in the area and finding only gasoline but no diesel anywhere, we got nervous. With our fuel, we would just be able to make it across the border to Spain, but certainly not with a detour to the Algarve. We discussed what to do and decided not to panic for now and wait until the next morning. In the evening, we ordered pizza and played Rummy until we all fell asleep very early and tired. Tomorrow it continues for everyone! Johannes flies directly home, Elvia and Hauke will first go to Lisbon for a few days and then explore Portugal with a rental car, and Lisa and Matze, just like us, are continuing their journey without much planning.