A Turkish Wedding

Last weekend, I was able to go to the wedding of my teacher from UW Muge's sister. I was great for Muge to invite us, and we had an amazing time. We left campus, and caught a ferry in Besiktas to go over to Kadikoy on the Asian side of Istanbul. Kadikoy has a lived-in feel, and was fun to walk around before meeting up with Muge.

The groom(Mehmet), bride(Filis), and Muge (above)


When we got to the wedding, we were amazed at the set-up: a huge sit-down dinner for 200, with great food, wine, and raki. The bride and groom arrived for pictures, then departed while the last guests arrived. We all had meze and drinks, and then the couple came down for the ceremony. The ceremony itself lasted all of 5 minutes. The couple sat at a table with a judge and two witnesses. The judge asked basic questions, like who their parents were, where they were born, and if they came to this union in agreement. The judge then had the couple and the witnesses sign the forms, and then she left. The only thing that made her look like anyone "official" was this bright red "robe" she wore.

After that, the couple danced between fireworks, and then started their "rounds". They would go from table to table, getting pictures taken with all the guests, and at the same time, they guests would give them their presents. Presents came in two forms: gold, that was either a bracelet or a medal that they would pin on the bride, or cash, for which the bride had an expandable purse to load up. I was told that all of the gold would be sold for cash, so ultimately cash is the wedding gift of choice--no big bridal registries in Turkey.

All in all, an amazing night. Meeting Muge's family and friends was great fun. My new favorite line in Turkish, from Muge's cousin, translates as "are we in a mosque or what?" and is used to get everyone to toast repeatedly.