Let me state this first, I did not get married! But saying my sister's big fat Armenian wedding just doesn't sound quite right. But let's move away from technicalities and get to the meat of the matter. My sister (beautiful, confident, smart, lovely sister) has married the boy of her dreams last Sunday and I could not be happier. It's just amazing to me that it is over. You plan something for months and months and then BOOM, it is done. And now my sister is a MRS! That has to be the craziest part for me. I can remember us talking about what we dreamed about our wedding being like when we were kids. We were very taken with the idea of having a rainbow wedding where each bridesmaid would where a different colored dress and her partner in the groom's party would have a matching vest. Can you tell that we were children of the 80s? And that we may have been thinking of the ideal wedding for Rainbow Bright?
Needless to say that idea did not come to fruition at her wedding. The bridal party wore deep navy blue cocktail dresses, with pockets, with the boys looking dapper in dark suits. The flowers were shades of dark purple and blue, and the overall theme was "effortlessly elegant".
What had to be the most interesting part of this whole experience was the blending of 2 cultures. You see, my new brother in law is Armenian and is very active in the Armenian community in Glendale. Some people have not even heard of Armenia or know where it is so I will enlighten you. Armenia is a country that has had a pretty war torn and bloody past (and I will not assume to be an authority), but geographically it lies between Turkey and Georgia. It also shares similar food, dance, and culture with Greece. And if you weren't sure if there were is a connection between these two countries you would have realized it after this wedding.
I wish I could convey the tastes, the sounds, and overall joy that was emanating from this event. But as my favorite subject is food I think I am just going to stick with that for the moment. Let's start with cocktail hour. Honestly I did not see much of it as I was in a special room for the bridal party, but I did sneak out for a bit a what I saw was pretty mind-blowing. Trays and tray of appetizers, a dessert table with baklava, home made fig newtons, dried fruits and nuts, bowls of sour gummy worms, and other sweet treats, and a full bar with top shelf liquor to imbibe on. Seriously? This was only the cocktail hour. You are supposed to whet your appetite, not make a meal on dried dates and neon gummi worms. But who were we to deny ourselves?!
In the actual reception each table was stocked with wine and champagne, had platters of hummus, baba ganoush, taziki, and red pepper dip, along with baskets of bread, charcuterie, and cheese. Oh were we in trouble! And the thing is you are starving. You have been waiting for a nibble and now it is like a kid in Christmas Day and you are just too excited to stop yourself. Well then a salad came out and after that we each had a plate of dolmas, kibbeh, and some type of fried cheese stick (but not quite like a mozzarella stick).
And while all this food is being put in front of you and taken away you still have a platter of delicious, creamy hummus in front of you that you cannot stop yourself from dipping into and the champagne is consistently being poured; and that's when you realize that you are stuffed. But then you hear that that plate with kibbeh and dolmas was just another appetizer and dinner is going to be served in just a few minutes. WHAT???!!!! But we had dessert at cocktail hour, enough hummus to fill a bathtub with, and fried kibbehs that just put me over the edge. Yet another plate comes out with salmon, filet mignon, and some kind of starch that I could not even comprehend as I was in such a food daze that nothing was making sense anymore.
What is funny about all this is that amount of food that was being served was very toned down for an Armenian event. Traditional Armenian weddings have food served family style with just platter constantly being brought out. My brother in law told me that after the Armenians suffered genocide and starvation they just want to keep eating when they can and any affair from the Sunday family meal to a wedding is stocked with enough food to keep you fat and content for a good week. Well after all of the food I engorged I could definitely live off the fat of the land for awhile (but you know I wouldn't actually done that!) Heck, I stuffed my face and still put a few bites of wedding cake down my gullet.
My only solace is that we danced. We danced to Black Eyed Peas, and then to traditional Armenian music. We danced with lots of hips and booty shaking and then arms high in the air while you delicately swivel your hands and not much else. It was a literal dance off between our families. Not sure who would be the Sharks or Jets, but everyone was bringing their A-game to the dance floor.
In other words, it was a success. Everyone had fun, thought the bride was beautiful, and did not want the night to end. I can only hope if I ever get hitched that I will have such a great party.
