An American Bride in Germany

I was going to go with "Tuesday Shoes-day", but I noticed by browsing other wedding blogs, it's been done.  Also, I came across these shoes and had an "ah-ha" moment:



I LOVE these shoes, and it also fits with Tuesday, so, there you have it!  Besides, it's perfect since one of our wedding colors will be blue.  I will probably go all out with the something blue idea, since it is, and always has been, my favorite color.

I'll do the shoes, bouquet, and hair piece:



And probably a blue sash, unless I ditch the white and get an entirely blue dress!



I obviously haven't decided on an exact shade of blue, but it will most likely be on the "lighter" side of the spectrum.  Aqua colors tend to lend themselves better to a beach wedding.  But who knows, I could always change the theme to "Come Sail Away" and use a nautical blue...  We are tying the knot after all!



Stay tunned, and buckle up! (in case of emergency, your seat cushion may be used as a floatation device)
Amanda

I'm trying to come up with a good theme for Monday blogging...  The first thing that popped into my head was Wedding Movie Monday, so here it goes.

The first movie I thought of was "My Fair Lady".  Strange, right?  The movie has NOTHING to do with weddings, no wedding takes place in the movie, and, other than "I'll marry Freddie I will" and "Get Me to the Church on Time", there's not much mention of marriage.  Call me Captain Random (everyone else does), but that movie makes me think of a beautiful wedding.

Maybe it's all the flowers, maybe it's the music, or maybe it's this dress:




All I know, is now I'm re-thinking my theme...  How goregeous would it be to have bunches of violets, paper parisols, and fantastic hats gallore?!  And what girl wouldn't DIE for a cake like that?

In an effort to require myself to post everyday, I will be coming up with themes for each day, Sunday's being "Tradition".  I find this a suitable Sunday subject since everyone tends to have a Sunday tradition.  Currently mine consists of sleeping in until about 10 AM, my future husband bringing me breakfast in bed, then teaching an hour of ice skating to the daughter of one of my English students.


This new Sunday ritual reminds me of my old Saturday ritual with my mother.  We, or at least I, used to spend almost the entire day at Kirkwood Ice Rink.  If I remember correctly, the first public session started at 8:00 AM and went to 10:00 AM, then the Zamboni would do the ice, and we had the whole rink for lessons only from 10:15-1:45.  Then the Zamboni would do it's thing again, then there was another public session from 2:00-4:00.  Then my mother and I would go home, eat dinner, and at 8:00 PM I was back at the rink for the last public session of the day that ended at 10:00 PM. 

That was then, and this is now.  In regards to weddings, many traditions in Germany are the same as in America.  They've incorporated what they've seen in the movies into their weddings, and, honestly, most of our traditions come from the Europeans to begin with.  For example, both in Europe and America, the tradition of wearing a white wedding dress is the norm.  It was popularized by Queen Victoria, and used to symbolize sexual purity.  It is still considered taboo to wear a white wedding dress for a second marriage in both societies.

One German pre-wedding tradition I'm looking forward to is something called "Polterabend".  It generally takes place the night before the wedding, friends and family come over to the house of the engaged couple and smash plates!  It's said to ward off bad spirits, and the plates must be porcelain, not glass, otherwise it brings bad luck.  It's also one of the main reasons why the tradition of receiving china started, since everything was smashed the night before, they would need something to eat off of.  Once everything is broken, the bride and groom to be have to sweep up the mess together to show their ability and willingness to work together.



Another fun fact, although, not a German tradition: we've all heard of "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue".  Did you know there's a verse missing?  "And a silver sixpence in your shoe". 

The Germans do, however, have a similar tradition with the shoe.  The mother of the bride puts dill and salt into the right shoe of the bride so she gets off on the right foot in her marriage.  Still pondering if I should use that or not... 

More fun and interesting wedding traditions to come next week...

Buckle up...
Amanda

On St. Patrick's day 2008, two dorks, unaware of each other's existence, walked into the same Irish Pub in the "Old Town" of Düsseldorf, Germany.  They both sat at the same bar drinking the same beer.  Both had broken up with significant others within the last 24 hours, and were just going out for some time alone.  Both usually prefer to sit and talk with a stranger to sitting alone.

You could call it fate, luck, or thirst, but on that day, I met the man I am going to spend the rest of my life with, and I knew it!  He approached me in English, with an adorable German accent.  He bought me a round, we chatted, got to know each other, and then he dropped the bomb...  He's a fireman!  I was sold!

I knew within the first few months of our relationship that, despite a nine year age gap, he could keep up with me, both in conversationally and actively.  We celebrated my 25th birthday together in Paris, his 34th birthday in Miami, and New Years in Düsseldorf.

Two years later, on St. Patrick's day 2010, he got down on his knees, pulled a box out of his pocket and put a ring on my finger.  A very nice ring, I might add.  Although we've been on many journeys together already, endless more are to come. 

We are now starting our newest journey, planning for not one, but two weddings!  It is German tradition (and law) to get married twice.  First, legally, at the Standesamt (like a court house/city hall wedding in the States), and then in the church.  We have decided to switch it up a bit.

Since we both love the outdoors, we will have our second wedding on the beach, instead of in a church.  It will, in a way, be a vow renewal ceremony, currently scheduled to take place one year after our legal wedding at the court house.  When that will be, is still up in the air.

I invite you to join us on this adventure of culture, costs, and creativity as I scour the world for everything from the perfect dress to the perfect beach. 
Amanda