Here comes the bride...techno-style

We've been initiated into Ukrainian culture. I feel like we have arrived. Why is that, you may ask?

We had our first, full-blown Ukrainian wedding experience.

Often, members of my church here choose to have their wedding ceremonies as part of the Sunday services, so our Sunday service was part church and part wedding this week. I have to confess: I had a difficult time focusing on the service because of all the wedding-waiting-to-happen paraphernalia. The church was all fancified, and everyone had a kind of distracted, nervous, excited energy going on.

When it was time for the wedding, the music started, to cue us to stand. Oh wait...back up. The people moving around frenziedly during the offering and annoucements, setting up video cameras and putting out flowers cued us first. The music wasn't actually the bridal procession; it was the wedding march that people generally exit to. Halfway through the song, though, the beat changes to techno. TECHNO. It was hilarious! The couple that got married, Roma and Tanya, are really funny and crazy, so it fit them. It was just totally unexpected.

Tanya and Roma

Again

The wedding ceremony last for about 45 minutes: sermon about the husband's role, the wife's role, women from the Bible, exchanging of rings, prayer by the families, and concluding with songs of blessing sung by the praise team. It was precious.

When talking about submission, they have the bride stand behind the groom as a physical reminder.

After the wedding, we all parted ways for a while until the reception. The bride and groom headed off to take pictures around the city, and we were all to be back at the Christian Center at 4:00. We were...the couple didn't get there until after 6:00...

Ira, Nastia, Amiee, and me posing behing the bridal party table.

Us, wondering where they are

Brief synopsis:
1. There were mandatory, audience participation games.
2. There were skits.
3. There were songs. In Russian. That the Americans were coerced into performing along with the Ukrainians.
4. There was caviar.
5. The bride had her shoe stolen and the groom had to dance in front of everyone to get it back.
6. Amiee got roped into singing "Think of Me".
7. There were two times when the guests were sent outside to mingle while the tables were reset.
8. We were there for six and a half hours.

All-in-all, a very interesting experience.

This is what happens when they make you wait for too long...