Casamento Brasileiro (Brazilian Wedding). . .

We attended our first Brazilian wedding on Saturday night. Sergio is one of Kevin's colleagues at John Deere and we were excited to have the chance to celebrate with him and his new wife, Fabiola. We arrived at the church at 7:30p.m., which was the start time of the wedding. Normally, I'd panic because I'm used to weddings starting on time, but having spent a year here, I wasn't worried a bit. I could have put money on a late start (and I would have won)! The music started around 7:45p.m. and the wedding party began walking in around 7:50p.m. I was surprised at the informal formality of the wedding. The women were dressed in beautiful gowns, but none of them matched. The bridesmaids all wore different styles and colors of dresses and the men all wore different suits. I commented to Kevin that the women here in Brazil are so beautiful. I couldn't tell who the mother of the bride was because all the women looked so young. I'm always amazed at how young some of the older women look. The one song I did recognize was "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", which I thought was an interesting choice for music. Later we sang "How Great Thou Art" and though I know that song by heart, it was in Portuguese, so I had to read the words. I smiled when I heard Kevin singing next to me and realized he was harmonizing in PORTUGUESE!! Crazy guy. He's talented! Most of the ceremony was not out of the ordinary (other than being in a completely different language). The couple said their vows to each other, exchanged rings, lit a unity candle (actually they tried to light the unity candle and the thing just would not light, so they eventually gave up and blew out one of the candles and left the other as the unity candle), and of course, they kissed!! The ceremony was fairly short (maybe 30 minutes), but very beautiful. Sergio and Fabiola were stunning and both of them were smiling the entire night! Very happy, very sweet couple!

Sergio and Fabiola

We left the church and went straight to the Campestre, which is similar to a country club here. We sat at our assigned table and were seated with most of Kevin's colleagues, which was nice. As we socialized, I realized there was a video playing on a large screen at the back of the reception hall. I assumed it was for our entertainment as we waited for the wedding party to arrive. I kept watching and thought to myself, Hmm, that's really an odd choice of entertainment for a wedding reception. It was an hour-long video of Chinese acrobatics. Shortly after it ended, the wedding party arrived and a new video started. The second one was a concert of the Brazilian American Idol winners and they sang all their songs in English. I sang with them;)

I absolutely loved this display! Later I was told that the cake was actually just a decoration. It was a form and I'm not even sure the icing was real! Great idea I guess, especially with the heat here. I imagine real icing would have melted off the cake!

Chocolate and cream pudding with sprinkles

Mmm. . . chocolate covered sweets!

I felt like I was getting ready for prom on Saturday night. I had a great time spending hours getting ready for my date! Mollie helped me accessorize my dress with jewelry and a cute purse. I knew it would be appropriate to wear a fancy dress, so I dug through my old dresses. This one is one of my favorites and I haven't worn it for over six years. I was the matron of honor for my sister-in-law and little brother's wedding and I wore this dress. Very fun!! I was also pretty excited that I didn't have to spend any money on my outfit. I wore some shoes from my high school prom, an old bridesmaid's dress, jewelry and a purse from Mollie, and random makeup I found in my bathroom:) I felt so resourceful!! My date picked me up on time and he was awfully handsome in his suit and tie!

Minha amiga (my friend) and fellow American, Mollie

A formal dinner was served, buffet style, and by the time we made it to the line, my stomach was growling. It was 10p.m., which is a very normal time to eat dinner here. I, however, am usually in bed by that time, so I loaded up my plate and inhaled my dinner. Then I just wanted to curl up in the corner and go to sleep! For the most part, I was very comfortable at the wedding and I had a great time. At one point, though, I realized how difficult it is to have a conversation with people on a normal day. With the loud music and new people, I just didn't talk all that much with anybody. That's probably a good thing for me occasionally!

Congratulating the groom. The guys on the right are all part of Kevin's team.

These were the girls sitting at my table and the table next to ours. At one point, Kevin and I were just sitting and talking and then realized we were covered in confetti!

The music was very traditional for southern Brazil and although I liked some of it, at times it reminded me of circus music. I felt like clowns were going to enter the room and start performing for us. Instead, my husband gathered his colleagues and they danced (very silly) for me!! The girls were a little more sophisticated with our train. I always feel so awkward when I join in on the chain train.

The little flower girl was still dancing when we left around 1:45a.m. I watched her off and on during the evening because she reminded me of Emma. She kept twirling around in her dress and I could tell she just felt like a little princess. She was adorable. However, when it came to the frog toss (whoever catches the frog will find their Prince Charming), she didn't stand a chance against the other princesses!

This is the father of the bride, bear-hugging his new son-in-law. And then, I believe I captured a priceless photo of him drinking beer out of a flower vase. Minutes before this picture, this vase was holding a beautiful flower arrangement. I guess it goes to show what happens when too much alcohol is consumed! Brazilians do love their beer.

Sometime after midnight, I turned around to see the bride and groom looking slightly different. I had heard about the masks and other party favors, so I was looking forward to seeing what would come out. Boas, sunglasses and masks were worn by all the guests. Suddenly the party seemed more lively and people were acting even more silly. Kevin and I decided that sunglasses give one the right to make a complete fool of oneself!!

I didn't realize what the drums were for until Mollie explained. Basically, the loud drum beat is part of the Carnival celebration and it's very impressive to listen to. The beat starts slow and gathers momentum until it's a fast beat. Then they stop and start again with a slightly different beat. The bride and groom danced and danced the entire time the beat was going. Mollie's been to several Brazilian weddings, so I asked her if they ever have slow music to dance to. She thought maybe around 5a.m. or so, but she wasn't sure. I didn't hear a single Garth Brooks or John Michael Montgomery (eh hem, I Swear) song the whole night:) Hence, Kevin and I didn't dance together at all. We tried, but couldn't seem to find the right beat.

Silly girls

Frio and Kevin

This picture was taken just before we left the party. Kevin and I were so tired by midnight, but we stayed until around 1:45a.m. We had heard that the reception could last until the sun comes up, and we just knew we didn't have it in us! We had a great time celebrating with the newlyweds and experiencing our first Brazilian wedding.

We arrived home and Diana (our Brazilian babysitter) said Emma went to bed around 9. She said Emma didn't cry at all and she spoke in Portuguese to Diana the entire time. Seriously?? They played and talked and read books and Emma went to bed just fine. I was happy. It's just a really good feeling to know that Emma had a great time, too!! Hmm, I think we might just have to start going out on more dates!!