European Wedding Party

I attended three weddings in Europe, and they were all quite different. For two of them, the ceremony was held in a small, beautiful but simply-decorated, church building. The other was much more formal and was held in a large, old church. The first two I attended as just an observer - I did not even know the people who were getting married. The last was the wedding of a good friend, so I was also invited to attend the party afterwards. After the church ceremony is over, the bride and groom stand outside the church (in nice weather!) and greet their friends, who give them bouquets of flowers. Then everyone goes to the party. Sometimes there is a formal dinner, but my friends chose to just have roasted meat and fruit. Friends and family make boxes of delicious cookies for everyone to eat, and cake is also served. People talk and eat and laugh and drink until the early hours of the morning. It truly is a celebration! I very much enjoyed getting a first-hand look at a European wedding party.