Finally, after only 11 years..

Borislav and Nelly have finally tied the knot. They have been dating for 11 years and have finally done it. They are now married. Congrats to them.

I even remember, when I first met Borislav back in training, he told me he had a girlfriend of 9 years. Nine years!!! Since then, I have continually asked, "So, when are you guys getting married?" His answer was always just "soon". Well, soon came 2 years later.

(The wedding party: Borislav and Nelly, and the best man and his wife.)

This was my first Bulgarian wedding. They have been great friends to me here and I was so excited to be sharing their special day with them. A Bulgarian wedding! Wow, I have been waiting for this for 2 years, them even longer. Although, I must say, it was not all that different than an American one. They still have many of the same traditions, but with a slightly different twist.

The day first starts out at city hall. Here they have the official ceremony where all the papers are signed, rings exchanged, and documents stamped. From there, we headed off to the church. This is the more traditional aspect of the wedding. There is a priest who seemed to chant the whole thing. Don't worry, I didn't understand a thing. They held lit candles, wore old golden crowns and walked around the table a few times. They drank wine and took communion. One of the guests even leaned over and jokingly said, the priest is going to be drunk by the end of the day after his 15th wedding. And wouldn't you know it, as soon as we left the church, another wedding party was coming in. It is all a lot less formal too. The church is not closed to the public. Anyone can come in and watch, pray, light their candles, and it is no big deal.

(In the dark and smoky church.)

After the church ceremony, all the guests headed out to the reception, held at a nice restaurant in town. The reception appeared to be like most Bulgarian parties with the Shopska salad and Rakia already waiting for the guests on the tables. The breaking of the glasses initiated the start of the party as well as the start of the dancing. Oh the dancing. No Bulgarian party is the same without the endless dancing. The first dance was had and silly promises made to each other. The bride even throws the bouquet. Only difference, a few men seemed to join the lot of the single girls. A man even caught it, strange.

(My handsome date)

If you thought the party ended there, you are mistaken my friend. Following the reception was the after party for those that could hang after all the bottles of Rakia, beer and wine that were served. A bunch of us went out to another bar...and then another bar...and then another bar...before we headed to the disco. It was a long night of partying and good times.

In closing, I just want to thank Borislav and Nelly for a great party. Truly, an unforgettable experience. I wish them a lifetime of love and happiness. Here is to them, the happy couple!