Deutschland – Tag 3 (Hochzeit)

Today was the wedding of Michael and Susana.  I again went to the bakery (this time with all the Americans) to pick up breakfast…the usual bread, meat, and cheese.  I then put got cleaned up and put on my lederhosen for the wedding.

First we headed to Kraiberg am Inn for photos. Photos were almost all just the couple, although a couple of us onlookers were in pictures as well. Micheal and Susi then left in an old MG convertable to head several blocks away to the city center where lies city hall.

The city hall ceremony is primarily for immediate family. It is a relatively short ceremony where the wedding certificate is signed with the wedding couple and two witnesses...and us other onlookers. It was neat to be able to watch this part of the ceremony that would typically be reserved for family.

At the end of the city hall ceremony, we drank champagne and chat for a bit. When leaving, Michael's band was in the atrium area and began playing as the couple looked over the balcony. It was a surprise for Susi. The band marched to the city center fountain and continued to play for the couple. More guests arrived and eventually we walked across the square to the church for the religious ceremony.

The church ceremony was very similar to catholic ceremonies in the US; however, in this case I didn't understand most of the words. I do know that the entire band also played in church and two singers also participated and it was the best music I heard in church. After the ceremony everyone walked out under a ribbon and could donate money...didn't have change at this point and I am not sure what this represented (this is where I nod and slap on my American tag).

After leaving church, papa Franz soon indicated that we must get in the car and head out. Michael and Susi left in the car almost immediately and we were to follow. So, we drove to a nearby town where the rest of the ceremony would take place and honked horns all along the way. Once we arrived, everyone was to stand on a set of bleachers to take a group photo; which is customary. (Later we found out that everyone has the option to buy the photo...I look forward to this arriving)

After the photo a gymnastics routine was performed. Yes, you are reading correctly. Susi teaches and participates in gymnastics groups, so her students and eventually her own group performed on the lawn and in the hall. It was neat to see some of the balance acrobatics. We sat at the "neighbors" table, which including Carola (who was hosting Dawn and me). We were able to order beer (Hell, Hefe-Weiss, or Weiss bock [dunkel]) and a buffet of meats and desserts. This is the appetizer before the meal in the evening.

The band also came to the reception, so they played songs for the couples, then added the parents, then the "people from america", then others. I also danced with Susi's Schwegemutter (mother-in-law). I have no skills at the waltz-ish dance; however, she was very nice and forced me to follow proper customs, which includes walking her back to her chair arm-in-arm and then bowing. I'm glad she asked me to dance.

during one of the later gymnastics routines, the various poses represented parts of Michael and Susi's life together. They neaded to guess the poses. When correct, they received various pieces of wood, which ended up making a new garden bench and table in the end. It was neat to watch and a neat way to present a gift.

A slide show was presented, which was portrayed as an interview. They displayed the questions, such as "How many children would you like to have?" and "How long was your first time together?". I was amuzed by the questions and even more so by the answers. I later discovered that the questions asked when it was recorded where different than the questions displayed - it all made a lot more sense :-)

We ordered our meal from a menu and received a colored chip. Once the meals came out, we exchanged our chip for the meal. The beer was tracked by marking our coaster, which we then paid for at the end of the meal. We introduced our American tradition of clinking glasses to make the couple kiss, which people seemed to enjoy participating in.

Gift giving is more personal. People get in line to personally give their gift to the couple. The couple opens the gifts in private, so the gifts are often wrapped in clear paper (and home made) so the item can be seen when given.

Once dinner was done, the party eventually moved upstairs where we could order wine and water. It was like a small beer hall with tables and benches. A rock band played, including many american pop songs, and everyone stood on the benches and clapped. Many bottles of wine were drank and many of the german songs were fun, including the song from last years Oktoberfest. This continued until the party ended close to midnight. Then we helped bring the presents back and went back to Halsbach (with a Denis being the designated driver) around 1:30am. All-in-all, Germans seem extremely strict about drinking and driving despite enjoying drinking.