Arab Wedding

We were sitting quietly, admiring the elegant surroundings, when suddenly there was a flurry of movement everywhere and loud music filled the room. Guests started clapping because the bride was coming. What a night! The wedding invitation was a small booklet with a padded cover and a tiny amulet hanging from it with Terry's name; of course I accompanied her. The invitation was engraved in gold Arabic calligraphy on white satin, which according to the translation we received later had the location (a hotel), time (8 p.m.) and a blessing. Not wanting to miss anything we arrived promptly at 7:30 and the wedding began promptly.... at 9:30. We lived in Mexico for a while and are comfortable with cultural differences regarding time so we settled in, enjoyed the fresh fruit juice we were served, and noted cultural differences like ash trays and bottles of water on tables. This wedding was an event and the word "elegant" is apt. Suddenly everyone rose and started walking out, signaling us to join them. A band of musicians in long flowing robes and Arab headdresses, playing traditional musical instruments like flutes and drums (and a bagpipe!), serenaded the bride and groom. Then the musicians danced the couple (who like all Muslims married earlier in the day in private) down the grand staircase. Everyone clapped. There was ululating (a trilling sound made with the tongue and common in the Middle East). The bride and groom, without a single break, danced until after 11 p.m. with everyone gathered around them clapping. I didn't expect to see the bride wear a modern sleeveless white wedding gown as her mother was covered all but her face. When the music stopped, and lights came up, the bride and groom left (we learned later they eat the first meal alone). We were escorted to an outdoor atrium holding a large buffet. There were several types of salads, Italian food (pastas, lasagnes), beef stew, an entire roasted lamb which a chef cut and served, different types of Arab breads, vegetables, and fish. The sweet table had small squares of cake, something similar to bread pudding, creme brûlée, jello, German apple strudel, a variation on cheese cake, chocolate mousse, and a chef cutting kanafeh for the guests. The wedding cake was 7-tiered and had white whipped cream as frosting with fresh peaches between white cake layers. Then the lights dimmed and the musicians, playing traditional drums but in different flowing robes, danced the groom in from one side of the room while a group of young women danced the bride in from the other. The men in the room danced around the groom and the women danced around the bride. Throughout the evening guests stopped by to welcome us, which was consistent with how we've been treated since our arrival. The big cultural surprises, aside from the bride's gown, were that covered women danced, there were no dancing breaks until we ate, we ate close to midnight, and that, frankly, we even got to experience an Arab wedding in Jordan.