Finnish weddings are great. They are far more relaxed and under-produced compared to many cultures, and the church portion is short, with it only lasting around 20 minutes. People still dress up and the style has improved in this regard, as when I first came here, there were some very questionable wedding guest attire worn - as some of it seemed more like lazy day gardening wear, than Sunday best.
But, I can't talk.
I am wearing a tie!!
They are out of fashion apparently.
And as you can see from the picture above, Smallsteps' front tooth is hanging on by a thread, but the stubborn sucker doesn't want to come out easily.
You can also see from that picture, it isn't a very good angle for any of us.
At least two out of three of us look decent, but I am letting the team down. How come no one said that my tie pin was crooked before taking the shot? And, despite the look of the only picture of the three of us together, I wasn't as squeezed into the suit as it appears.
I would have liked to have added some of the pictures of others from the wedding that I took, but I don't have their permission for that, so I won't. However, it was all on my phone anyway, as I didn't take my proper camera. If I had, I think I would have got some nice ones though!
So, after the ceremony at an old country church, we drove to an old country youth center, which was built over 100 years ago. It is essentially a wooden hall with a stage in it for the band, a small kitchen and a couple of random rooms, which could be rented out for the night.
As said, Finnish weddings are pretty relaxed, so even though catered, it is a buffet, with relatively basic, but good food. Salad and salmon, some beef and cakes. And, no bar, but just pour yourself some wine, grab a beer or cider, or some bottles of water.
I was driving.
My wife barely drinks, but she didn't want to drive home on unlit, gravel roads home after midnight. But, it was still a nice night, as I don't need to have a drink to be able to have a chat with people, and we were seated next to a couple (and their adult kids) who we sat with at a wedding last year too. Lots of good conversation. Lots of laughs.
And some dancing.
At Finnish weddings they waltz and tango, at least for the first few dances. I danced a pseudo-waltz with my wife, as I am not much of a traditional-style dancer. It was still nice. But, as the evening progresses and the cover band comes on, the dancing gets a bit wilder, and the Finnish men (who aren't known for their dancing skills), tend to get a bit rowdy - but have fun.
There was predominantly Finnish music played, which is hard for me, because I have no idea what I am meant to dance to. I look to others for a hint, but no two people seem to be following the same instrument or rhythm. It is a bit like they are all listening to different songs, after the flashing lights had caused an epileptic fit.
While I was out of style, my wife looked nice for once (she might read this one day - so I set bait) in a pink outfit she bought for the occasion (on sale) a few months ago. Luckily, the Autumn weather held off a day and it was relatively warm throughout the evening, otherwise she would have been cold colder. She is always cold - like a lizard.
She looked great.
And she seemed to be having fun for once (as she wasn't just stuck with me), dancing a lot and laughing with her family. Smallsteps had a ball too, getting into the dancing groove at any opportunity she could take, even getting in the middle of "the circle" on the dance floor with the bride and groom.
The band played three sets and then before the DJ came on, there was a night snack, which was the left over salads, some sausages, and bowls of chips. As said, these affairs are quite relaxed and by this time of night, people are lubricated and just enjoying themselves.
And, the bride and groom and perhaps a few of their friends, would head back to the venue in the morning to clean up after the guests. Yes - in a typical Finnish wedding like this, they do their own cleaning! They also do their own decorations the day before the wedding.
Finnish weddings are less expensive than most places.
It isn't that they are cheap, but it is rare for a couple to go into any kind of major debt to cover some kind of opulent wedding party, or even honeymoon. This might be changing over the years a bit though, since there is more influence coming from the media to spend more, but people like my wife's family, are slow on the uptake.
My wife and I didn't have a wedding at all, we eloped. But I was saying to her that in a couple years we will have our tenth anniversary, and perhaps we will organize some kind of little party for our friends to mark the occasion. Perhaps take them out for hot wings.
Weddings are nice here... there is far less pomp and formality, and they are more intimate, with close friends and family mostly, with very few "have to" invites. Far better.
What are weddings like where you are from?
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]