Meine Erste Deutsche Hochzeit (My Frist German Wedding)

Rather than explaining the whole event from start to finish, I thought it would be more interesting to give you a list of things that were similar or identical to American weddings, and things that were different. However, as many of the guests there told me, this wedding was a little bit different than normal German weddings. The bride and groom belong to an extremely innovative church called Freiraum (Free Space), and therefore, they put a creative twist on many of the components of a traditional wedding. I'll start with things that were the same or close to what we normally do in the States.

Similarities:

• The father walked the bride in.
  
• Everyone stood as the bride entered.
• The bride and groom exchanged vows with each other. (Although, I was told this is uncommon, and that they got this idea from watching American movies.)
  
• There was a reception following the ceremony.
• The father of the bride gave a toast during the reception.
• We danced. (This could go either way.)

Ok, time for things that were not so similar. I imagine this list will be a little bit longer.

Differences:

• The bride and groom have only one attendant apiece.
  
• The pastor and his wife tag-teamed the ceremony, dividing up the responsibilities evenly.
  
• The pastor wore plaid pants and converse.
• A rock band covered songs from Hillsong in English. Everyone stood and sang. (I doubt this is traditional.)
  
• The bride and groom were allowed to sit off to the side.
• The "you may now kiss the bride" part was not the end of the ceremony. It fell somewhere in the middle.
  
• The bride and groom both knelt to receive a blessing.
• The father of the bride got the first dance, not the groom.
• We ate a four course meal at the reception.
  
• An hour-long video of the both the bride and groom's childhood was shown.
  
• There was no wedding cake.
  
• We danced to two hours of techno.
• There was a pool in which we swam after dancing. If someone had forgotten to bring a bathing suit with them, they swam in their underwear.
• The whole event lasted 11 hours. We didn't get home until 5 a.m.
  

I enjoyed myself immensely, switching back and forth between German and English as I mingled with the guests, introducing myself to new faces, and seeing people with whom I've already had a lot of contact with. I was deeply honored to have been invited to celebrate with the bride and groom on such an important day for them and their families, especially since I was just this foreign kid hanging around for the summer. Very thankful.

I wish we had 11-hour weddings in the States. I love weddings.