Wedding Traditions
We are gong to combine British and Romanian wedding traditions so we, and our families, both get to enjoy the special moments which make a wedding.
As Romanian and British weddings are a little bit different we thought we would explain some of the details here:
Romanian wedding traditions
Often at a wedding in Romania only close family will go to the church ceremony and the civil ceremony will be held in the morning, or even on another day. Guests often only arrive for the main party in the evening. If guests do come to both events some people may wear one outfit for the ceremony and another for the reception so don't be surprised if you see some people have got changed.
The reception part of Romanian weddings starts later and goes on longer than at British weddings, particulary in the region where Obi is from. We know some people will want to leave earlier but please do try the Romanian tradition of having a nap before you come to the wedding and then staying as late as you'd like to.
Dancing is a big part of a Romanian wedding and the dances are really easy to join in with - you just follow the person next to you. Our Romanian friends and Obi's parents have promised to lead the dancing and we hope you'll all join in. If you'd like to have a look at what we're talking about there are some videos of the traditional circular 'hora' dances on Youtube.
During a Romanian wedding the food is served in courses spread throughout the night so you can eat and dance, eat and dance. The drinks will continue throughout the evening as well but please, again, take your cue from Romania and treat the wedding as a marathon rather than a sprint...
Please also bear in mind that homemade wine - though delicious - does not come with a guaranteed alcohol level, Tuica, plum brandy, is delicious but quite strong, 40% ish, while palinca, can be even stronger, up to 80% so please be cautious!
The wedding cake is often served late in the day, early in the morning when things are winding down.
At Romanian weddings the best man or the groom's friends 'steal the bride' at some point in the evening. This is a chance for the bride to escape for a bit, and, luckily, the bride can be reclaimed for the fee set by the Best Man or the grrom's friends (usually alcohol related).
British wedding traditions
Most couples in the UK choose a close friend each to be a Best Man, the friend of the Groom, the Maid of Honour, the friend of the Bride, and may have other friends as Groomsmen and Bridesmaids who will wear matching outfits and help out on the day. We will be doing this, combining the Romanian tradition of Godparents for the wedding with Bridesmaids and Groomsmen. Look out for the people in the matching outfits...
At weddings in the UK some members of the wedding party give speeches before, or after, dinner usually, the Father of the Bride, the Best Man and the Groom. We will be keeping this tradition but moving it to before the start of the meal, after the ceremony and also evening up the genders slightly. We will keep the speeches short and we're investigating different ways to translate them!
It's traditional that the groom does not see the bride before the ceremony, he only sees her, and her dress, for the first time at the start of the ceremony as she walks in, accompanied by her Dad who 'gives her away'. We will, hopefully, keep this tradition with a few tweaks.