I’m currently on my way to the Isle of Wight, for the second wedding this month.
Two weeks ago I went to a wonderful wedding in the German countryside, in an area called Uckermark (I find this word hilarious), about 1.5 hours drive north of Berlin.
The guests were a mix of locals and an international crowd from London and New Zealand. The people I knew were all from London, so I tended to hang out with the international crowd most of the time. And that made me realise how strange some of our wedding customs and even some of the food are!
If you think that liver paté is a bit odd, try raw minced pork for breakfast! Or ask the poor French people (several!) who put a big spoon of Schmalz (goose fat/lard) in their mouths and started gagging. The fun I had.
There’s also a tradition where the guests smash porcelain in the evening before the wedding and the couple has to sweep up the shards (shards are meant to bring good luck). Or the couple has to saw a log of wood as one of their first acts of ‘team work’ right after the ceremony.
It’s interesting to see those things through a non-German’s eyes. Having lived abroad for several years now, I can really understand how weird some of it must seem!
The venue was a really beautiful castle in the midst of massive fields growing all sorts of crops. There was also a lake really close by where we could go swimming. They also randomly had a Trabi car in which they gave the best man and the bridesmaids a ride as a surprise.
Some examples of the food – barbecue on the first night, then breakfast, lunch and the wedding buffet dinner (not pictured). Very nice!
They handed out personalised handkerchiefs to wipe up the tears of joy during the ceremony. After the ceremony, everybody received a heart-shaped Luftballon which we all let go at the same time. But the highlight of the wedding was that the bride didn’t walk down the aisle but road up on a horse! Hat off to her.
So let’s see how this week’s wedding measures up to this.
All photos are my own.
Hello Rabea 