Just Married

Apologies. This all seems a rather brief description of the day, but to detail everything that happened would fill a book.

Up at a relatively normal time (the wedding reception occurring below the room ended at 4am) Follow the arrows to today's breakfast room for a nice breakfast. I decide to go for a walk as the wedding is in the afternoon. I have an Open Street map app on my phone, so there seems to be a nice walk through some nearby woods. I get halfway round, where the path disappears in to a mud hole. Not wanting to miss the wedding due to being up to my waist in mud, I turn around and head back to the hotel.

About 2:00, we are all on the coach to take us to the Archcathedral Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka. I don't have time really to take a photo of the archcathedral as I would have to walk a long way to get a good shot of it. We enter at 3:45 for a wedding service in Polish and English. I keep and eye on the Polish section to see when I should sit or stand. The blip was taken just after they were declared husband and wife.

We head outside so people can congratulate them. Confetti wasn't used, but bird seed, to greet the happy couple as they leave the church. As you can see from Extra 1, bird seed, like rice, stings a bit when it hits. However, unlike rice, bird seed is better for the birds. Then everyone queues up to offer them congratulations. There's a big black cloud approaching. And everything finishes just as the first spots of rain hit the ground. So we all head to the transport and get in just as the downpour hits.

Before the newly married couple can enter the reception, they are presented with two shot glasses, tied together with a ribbon. One glass has vodka and one has water. Tradition says that whoever ends up with the vodka will be the dominant partner in the relationship. My son had the vodka, so that's that theory debunked. ;-)

We have a very lovely meal consisting of several courses, fortunately there is nice wine to help it go down. Speeches are made in both languages, first in the speakers native language, then one of the maids of honour reading a translation in the other language. Vodka is the liquid of the toast (while 40%, it is 80 proof)

The post speech period is more food (I'm stuffed), music and quiet periods where people can talk to each other. There is a very good band providing the music over several sets. The wedding cake is presented at midnight. Then there is more music, food and beer. I do get to dance with my daughter-in-law, which is nice. Twin 1 videos it. The reception ends at 3am.

Not all the food was eaten, but don't worry, it wasn't wasted. It was refrigerated and sent to a food bank for distribution.