The big wedding this weekend went really well.

I'm afraid I don't have any pictures to show for it all (if anyone else posts some pictures from Saturday, please let me know so I can link to them); but rest assured it was a great experience, for me, for our family, for all the assembled guests, and -- most importantly -- for Marco and Claudia.  You could really see that they were having the time of their lives, so happy to finally be joining their lives together.  And that's such a beautiful thing to see on a couple's wedding day.  I wish them a long and happy life together.

Officiating the ceremony in Dutch was really not a big deal.  The sermon part, in fact, felt totally normal to me.  It was really only when I read the longer Bible texts and pronounced the official vows and blessings that proved to be a bit challenging, linguistically, because I was reading someone else's words (and formal, kind of old-fashioned words at that).  But really, all in all, I think it came off pretty smoothly.  In case you might be interested, you can even see the text of my English translation of the ceremony...

As for observing the sociological / anthropological / cultural differences, it was interesting to be a part of the Family Dinner Reception.  It was, in certain ways, very similar to an American wedding's rehearsal dinner -- at least in terms of the types of guests who were invited (all of the immediate family and special out-of-town guests, plus anyone else who had some sort of role in making the actual wedding happen) and the fact that a special meal was enjoyed together.  But it was different in that there was no rehearsal of the wedding events themselves (though everything seemed to turn out all right, even so); in fact, it was more like a prelude to the church ceremony.  The bride and groom appeared in their full glory (whereas in America, the "revealing of the bride-in-her-wedding-dress only happens at the church).  And there were a lot more speeches.  And not just dry monologues -- but entertaining multi-media shows and funny story-telling as well.  The Germans seemed to especially love the speeches and sketches. :-)

After the Family Dinner Reception came the photo shoot.  The bride and groom had gotten some shots with just the two of them earlier in the morning (after Marco had come to officially pick up his bride -- another unique European tradition that I won't get into); so the afternoon photo shoot was more for the group shots.  This, by the way, felt exactly like any American wedding photo-shoot that I've ever been too (way too long, awkward jostling of family members, cheesy jokes about saying cheese, etc.)...

Once the photo shoot was over, Marco rode our bakfiets (the mini-van of bicycles) to the church -- with Claudia riding in the front (believe it or not, this is already the second time that our family bicycle has been used as a wedding carriage).  It was quite the sight!  Everybody cheered and shouted congratulations and snapped pictures.  And when they got to the church, we arranged a few last-minute details and then retired to a back-room to pray.  It was just Marco, Claudia, me, and Timo (who was serving as the photographer) -- and I have to say that was one of my favorite moments of the day.  Eventually, the time came for us to emerge into the beautiful old church sanctuary and begin the Church Ceremony.  This had almost all the same elements as other weddings that I've been a part of in America:  music, sermon, vows, rings, kisses, prayers, and such.  But they were arranged a little bit differently.  For instance, the flower girls only played their part at the very end of the ceremony, when the couple was exiting the church.  Also, there was the dual language thing (everything said in Dutch, then translated into German, with English written translation provided for the select guests who couldn't understand either of the other two languages).  But here's one of the coolest things that I've noticed about Dutch weddings (not just Marco and Claudia's):  the couple gets to sit down for most of the sermon!  Isn't that a great idea?!?  Why haven't we thought of that for American weddings, huh?  Anyway, the ceremony was cool.  God was honored.  Marco and Claudia were honored.  It was beautiful.

And then there was the After-Party.  Pretty much exactly the same as an American reception -- except without the formal dinner.  Toasts, a couple of (short) speeches, silly games, drinks, music, and dancing (lots of dancing, in the case of Marco and Claudia's wedding)... It was a lot of fun.

The only other intriguing difference that I noticed with this weekend's wedding (which also seems to hold true for other Dutch / European weddings) is the role of the Ceremoniemeester (Master of Ceremonies).  It's kind of like a cross between a wedding coordinator (in that he keeps everyone on schedule, and makes sure that all the details are taken care of), a DJ (in that he's the primary communicator of any logistical announcements that need to be made), and a groomsman (in that he's a good, trusted friend of the couple who serves as a volunteer rather than as a paid professional).  The person who serves as the Ceremoniemeester occupies a place of distinct honor -- thus it's not just any, random acquaintance who happens to be good with organization -- but it doesn't seem to be quite as "high-ranking" on the honor scale as a groomsman or bridesmaid.  It's hard to explain... but I think it's an interesting (and useful) role.  Another thing that maybe more Americans should consider building into their wedding culture... :-)

So yeah, it was a good wedding.  A good Dutch / European wedding.  I'm glad that I got to be a part of it all.