Since Saturday is the most popular day to see bridal parties here in Ukraine, just like at home, I thought I'd show you some photos I've taken this month with a wedding theme. Starting with these decorated cars, from Kiev, I took these last month when I came back.
As we passed this group in the park one of the guys sent a cork flying through the air from a bottle of champagne, and started to pour.
Official weddings take place at a government run wedding office, and can take place any day of the week, I believe that the bride and groom get notified when they have an appointment. Sometimes the celebration will follow that ceremony, and there is up to three days of celebrating with an elaborate dinner at a restaurant with many courses. Many of the evengelical Christian weddings take place at a later date in a church (maybe weeks later) with a reception after, and they consider that the real wedding.
It is a favorite tradition here for many photos to be taken, at parks and other landmarks. When we were in Uzgorod last summer we even saw a bride and groom come out of the dungeon (with torture chamber) at the castle!
A custom in Dnepropetroesk is for the bride and groom to come to this bridge going over to the island (where we went last Sunday) and they bring a lock with their names and the date on, fasten it to the bridge and throw the key into the river... your love will last because you can't unlock it.
There are even a few big hearts hung under the bridge.
Finally last week Saturday as we drove home we passed this wedding party in a limo, and this guy, we assume the groom was standing up with his head out as they drove about 80 km an hour down the highway. That was a first- I have seen them stand up in the limo as they drive slowly through the village honking the horn (a welcome change from the people selling stuff blowing their car horns all through the village streets.)
Update- I knew I should save this post for today!but the uploading of photos was going so good last night I published it anyway. anyway these photos had to go with this post!
Garry and I spoke at Lena's English class across the city by the river today, afterwards we decided to cross the river and go to Karavan (super shopping centre) it's a two story mall, laid out very much like a typical American or Canadian one. Karavan has a beautiful glass-sided skating rink that the food court area overlooks and after one group left (you rent your skates and go for 50 minutes if I remember correctly) and the zamboni cleaned the ice, this bride and groom hit the ice with all these small skaters, it looked like the bride was their teacher for skating lessons and they had rented the ice that hour for some interesting wedding photos. Everyone looking out on the ice was getting a kick out of the sight of a bride on skates.
Thanks for sharing - it was fun and interesting and you took some very good pictures!!! I love weddings!
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