Summer weddings

Well, i am back at work and there isn't much exciting happening in my life. It is raining, and has been now for almost a week. The only excitment i have had is going to Liana and Matthews wedding and trying to drive up slippery muddy roads without sliding back to the bottom.

So, since there are no nice photos of driving up muddy hills i thought i would share some nice pictures of Liana and Matthew's wedding.

Liana and Matthew got married in a 6th Century church just out of Kapan. It is a beautiful old place where the doorways are only 5 foot tall! Liana is Armenian and Matthew English, so there was a fusion of traditions happening though out the day. Matthew's parents and sister had just arrived from the UK and were still looking like stunned mullets. No amount of prior warning can really prepare you for this place! Liana wanted everyone in the church when she arrived, which is a little unusual in Armenia, but we all managed to do as asked! The ceremony was conducted in Old Armenian, so no one understood it, there was singing, chanting, waving a bible around while circling the pulpit and sticking some funny look crowns on and facing each other... fairly standard really!


The wedding photos didn't quite happen as planned, the usually beautiful sunny weather dissappeared, but i like the misty look inthe photo below!


There was no dancing at the reception for the first hour, this was very strange for the Armenian contingent (normally you start dancing even before eating at an Armenian wedding) and the Tamada (toastmaker) compared the wedding to the 1 year anniversary of a death he had attended earlier that day- saying that the anniversary was more lively than the wedding! Still once Liana and Matthew had completed the first dance together there was plenty of dancing to keep everyone happy.