Sunday, July 25, 2010

Swedish weddings are crazy

I'm tired. I'm so tired I nearly fell asleep every few seconds on the train even with this big dude next to me breathing so loudly that it sounded like he was snoring and I could hear it through my iPod, blocked out only by the incessant swedish announcements.

I'm so tired it took me until 5pm to realise I am wearing the same underwear as yesterday and havent got changed yet. I wonder if I brushed my teeth this morning? This afternoon? Will I ever find out?
This morning I went downstairs (outside through the rain and wind) in my pyjamas to open my suitcase, forgot what I was opening it for, removed the padlock and took it with me up to my bedroom, where I may or may not have gone back to bed. I still don't know why I did that.

I even gave an un-Amy-like comment to my unfriendly taxi driver when he announced he had no change. And then he went into the hotel to get change. And then I felt very relieved to go into the hotel too and notice that it's a big commerical chain hotel where no-one really cares about you and its a bit dirty because who cares it's an airport hotel and you'll only be here one night anyway, and you can go and eat all the food from the minibar and fill the bin with your trash because they don't know who you are and you don't know who they are, and if you want to complain about something you can do so in a loud voice and you will probably get some standard line that the receptionist reads off the computer screen and a token gift to bribe you such as maybe chocolate? Mm commercialism.

Anyway I was saying I'm tired.

Erg. Ok last time I was in Copenhagen..

Yeah so I went to Nassjo on the train and it's pretty nice being met at the train station I guess when you are used to travelling alone. Met by the lovely Karoline herself on the day before her wedding!

I stayed at their place the first night with the parents and sister and brother in law and Paraguayan parents (the Dad is a musician and singer of the classic Paraguayan variety and gave me a CD for my Dad since he used to live there - remind me when I get back... no idea where I put it...)
Evenings filled with eating and a kitchen overflowing with 3 languages and poor Karoline being the only one who can translate for everyone! Very very very nice and warm welcoming people and yes I love Swedish food what did you expect?
Went to shops with K inlcuding a homewares shop with Godis (Goodies/Lollies) down the back. Soon as I stepped in the door I knew what it was because it had the Swedish Godis smell. Oh did I mention I got some godis. Mm.

The next morning I had the extreme honour and priveledge of going with K to the hairdresser salon at 7.30am to get her hair and makeup done. The salon was closed for the day except for the girl doing Karoline. To my delight she said that since the place was otherwise empty I could use any equipment of products liked, including products from the whole wall of makeup. So that kept me happily occupied not to mention being sweden they had bowls of candy scattered all around the funky salon.

After that some quick jobs at the Pingstkyrkan in Nassjo where the reception was to be held, and then off to Eksjo for the ceremony. These are both small towns in Southern sweden not that different to Jonkoping I don't think.

I was lucky to meet a friend called Rebecca who visited NZ a few years back and we met because Karoline helped connect us, and here she was again, translating for me, woot! So I had a buddy.

It started to rain the day of the wedding and inspite of recent heatwaves can I point out it was a whopping 10 degrees celcius outside at 1.30pm before ceremony! Yikes. Raining cats and dogs.

Ceremony: Different to NZ. For a start the couple enter together - not just the bride with her dad. So the only person waiting at the front is the minister dude. I found that strange because I guess we usually think of it like the groom gets to see his wife-to-be for the first time when she's walking up the aisle, and thats what makes it special. But for the Swedish it's more like they are coming together to the church, with a choice they have made together to make a promise, and we happen to be there to witness it. So I guess it's just different ways of looking at it.
It was more formal than NZ weddings because instead of being MC-ed, we just followed through the programme in the booklet, which reminded me a bit of maybe like an Anglican church mass thing where they read through the things together etc? I don't know much about that tho so I'll shut up.
There was lots of singing and on the couple's way out of the church, a nice happy song came on and they even did a little dance on their way out which was one of my favourite moments. I think the song was like "Tell everybody I'm on my way" sung by some of the girls.

Then we waited outside under umbrellas and were given little sachets of rice to open and throw on the couple. Couldn't really get it past the umbrella's I'm afraid! And everyone lined up and went to personally hug both the bride and groom outside the church. Then mad scurries to cars to go immediately to the reception.

Reception was VERY different to NZ weddings. Without going into lots of detail, I guess I'd say that whereas the cermoney was more formal, the reception was much more INformal. Very lighthearted and happy and TONNES of games and skits and videos and speeches and tributes and plays and photos and singing (both performances and the whole group together - Swedes LOVE to sing) and more games and more singing and slideshows and intermissions.

AMAZING buffet food including a million kinds of salad (I love swedish salad because it's never based around lettuce like boring NZ salad) and endless whole smoked salmons and pies and cheeses etc. Every time a platter got half-empty to host's whipped it away and replaced it with a completely full one. So no matter when you approached the table it was piled high with food.

Followed by more games and quizzes from our little booklets and then dessert which was served indivually with a cup of raspberry-vanilla pannacotta for each person. Along with coffee galore and bowls of royal Swedish chocolates along each table.

More games songs slideshows etc and then:

EIGHT wedding cakes.
You heard right. Each and every one was a proper Swedish torte which we would call gateau. I think Strawberry cream flavour. Like Princess Cake but white. Alongside that were bowls and bowls of candy because of course this is Sweden, and Swedes are one of the few European countries that really do candy (as opposed to just chocolate).

By this stage it was 1.30am and we had been going non-stop 11.5 hours. I'm not kidding. They really love to celebrate and have fun. The bride and groom were called on stage to do various funny tasks and basically make fun of themselves and be gifted by the love and attention of all their friends who had put SO much energy into all this entertainment.

Some parts reminded me a little of a 21st actually. Like all the tributes and embarrasment and childhood stories etc.

I met some girls who I was to go stay at a place with that night - none of us knew what it actually was but after we found it, in the rain and dark, we discovered it was a very very old cottage with a toilet in another building at the end of the yard, and the only way to get to the bedroom is to go upstair outside. We were quite excited and scared and lots of squeals of discovery haha. Think of the house from Pyscho, with 3 girls, and a storm outside.

We huddled under blankets and in the morning I woke up with the most intense headache which I'm sorry to say was a Migrain.

All this time avoiding Migrains and I got hit on my second-to-last night in Europe! I popped 2 magic migrain pills but they didn't work and I was shaking with nausea and pain when the others left.

Anyways, long story short, it got better, I made it to the second half of the wedding lunch, enjoyed great leftovers, hung with these lovely people, and then got a train here to Copenhagen airport. Where I'm sleeping nearby tonight.

I dont know if this post made sense... I'm very tired.