Well as you can guess it was a big weekend for us. On Saturday Gorgeous Husband had some much needed play time with the girls while I did some much needed housework. The girls were then picked up by their Grammy to stay the night as we had a wedding to go to.
It was my cousin who was getting married but the truth was that besides a few short notes on facebook, I hadn't seen him since my own wedding back in 2000. He was there with his new wife and she actually caught my bouquet ( I guess that means that that old wives tale is not true). And because it had been a while it did make it seem strange to be there as I didn't really know them and yet there we were sharing their most special day with them. It is funny how we can not see someone for so long and then we go to their wedding and then go back to not seeing them again. One cousin made the comment that they felt they should come to his wedding even though he too hadn't seen him in a while because the next thing you know is your meeting up with them again at a funeral instead.
I just found it all very strange but both my cousin and I both agreed that we didn't want to wait so long again to get together as we are family and family is important.
The wedding itself started off in a cathedral in the city, a traditional ceremony.


And then we moved on to the reception venue where they had the Iranian ceremony. I must say it was interesting to watch, there is so much joy and noise involved. They ask the groom if he takes the bride to be his wife and he says 'yes' and then they ask the bride and she says 'no' so then the bride's mother has to talk her into it and then she says 'yes'. The wedding is really dominated by the women of the family. Then they present the bride with jewelry, not just a few trinkets but some serious jewelry.

At the reception they had a belly dancer perform and she was amazing, she could shimmy and shake like you wouldn't believe. And with the cake cutting all of the young female relatives 'tease' the groom with the knife, they dance (quite suggestively) and he has to bribe them with money, in the end the bride is given the knife.


It was just an amazing wedding to watch for me but I must admit I understood when my cousin and husband were talking and saying that it is a most intimidating customs for the men as they has just been married and there is a lot of women then dancing suggestively around them for the rest of the evening.
On the Sunday we met up with our gorgeous girls at church and then had lunch with some of our church family and sibling family. Then we had dinner with all of my mum's side family from the wedding- cousins, aunts and uncles and celebrated my brother's 33rd birthday. Happy Birthday!
Whew, I am happy for a day at home where I can relax, clean, feed, entertain, wash, fold, hang and blog.