One of June's highlights was the wedding of our friends Luli and Hannah. Wedding festivities transpired over multiple days. Rain POURED the night of their village dance so the event had to be brought into the kalceto. It also brought the temperatures to a cool, 'refreshing' level -- which worked for Hannah, who would arrive in the traditional, colorful wedding costume of Luli's native region - Kukes. I had no idea their bridal clothing was so colorful! Being that the folks of Kukesi reside at a high elevation, it shouldn't have been a big surprise that the dress included thick woolen knee socks and sweaters underneath the traditional vest!
Another distinction of northern weddings is the unusual duel-ing drums and noisy horn, which sort of sounds like a bagpipe or a vuvuzela. We had nothing but admiration for this band that maintained a consistent staccato drumming and incredibly loud trumpeting for hours! No amplification was necessary -- they could be heard in surrounding villages! (please watch the video below to get a taste of this cultural experience). It was new even to most of our local friends whose origins are rooted in the central part of the country! We could only imagine that we were hearing tunes that have existed for centuries, but may be on the verse of dying out in this modern age and the mountains (with their antiquated infrastructure and limited services) empty of their population.
The day of their wedding appeared to threaten rain, but thankfully it held off!
Ellie was thrilled to provide prelude music for arriving guests. You can hear some of her playing in the video further down in the post.
Nathan was proud to serve as a groomsman and prayed with Luli prior to the ceremony.
Hannah looked beautiful, wearing her grandmother's wedding gown.
Reni and a friend watched the wedding from the picnic tables in the olive grove above small field.
The field overlooked a small pond, surrounded by a restaurant and mini outdoor pavilions.
Our village besties...
click here for some clips of the wedding ceremony (less than 3 minutes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfipEdTNe1o
Then it was on to the reception!
Our ministry team! (minus the Vinascos who had to leave early for their son's bedtime).
The food was ABUNDANT (per normal for local weddings). I'm sharing just a few of the plates of food brought to our table...
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| Cheese and fresh veggies drizzled in a balsamic glaze? YES! |
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| Cheese, meat, veggies and nuts? Also, yes! |
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| Grilled chicken in an herb cream sauce with tomatoes, fresh basic, a grilled mushroom and moist cornbread? Soooo goooood. |
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| My seatmate at the reception. |
The reception venue was a feat of gardening engineering. Green plants growing everywhere, hanging from everywhere... it was incredible.
Evidence that it was a fun party (thanks in part to Hannah's carefully curated song list and fantastic DJ), our entire family joined the fun on the dance floor (we are NOT dancers but we tried that evening).
(I sort of wish I had been capturing video with a highlights reel in mind, but alas, no -- so this is the best I can do, ha ha).
Congratulations, Luli and Hannah! When you guys got acquainted over meals and games in our home in the summer of 2018, we had no idea it would lead to this! Imagine what else God has in store!
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