An American Bride in Germany

There's an adorable German wedding tradition I just found out about, but it's too late to do it... In Germany when a couple has a baby girl, several trees are planted in her honor. When the wedding date is set, the family sells the trees for her dowry. Since my parents never told me about any trees being planted in honor of my birth, I'm assuming this tradition is a bust. Well, that, and nowadays, there isn't really a dowry anymore, at least not in the German and American cultures.


A pretty cool tradition that I hope our German friends are planning is the creation of a wedding newspaper or magazine. Apparently the friends and family of the engaged couple put together a little magazine or newspaper type of thing and sell it either at the Bachelor/Bachelor-et parties or at the reception to help the newlyweds pay for their honeymoon. I'm interested in this tradition, not because of the money, but because of the keepsake we'll have. This is a tradition that I think should be used in America as well. Maybe a bridal shower gift of sorts?

Here is a photo of one done to look like Cosmo:



Buckle up!
Amanda

Seeing as I've been out the the States for over two years, I am a little out of the loop when it comes to music that isn't popular in Germany. For example, no one here has ever heard of Dave Matthews Band, Steve Miller Band, or the Doobie Brothers... Blaspheme!

If you know me, you know I went through a serious DMB phase towards the end of high school into the early college years. While I was researching songs I liked for use at the weddings and receptions, I stumbled across this very sweet song “You and Me” by Dave Matthews Band. If you haven't heard it before, here's a link to them performing on Ellen.

Dave Matthews Band "You and Me" live on Ellen

I really like the lyrics. I know he's not the easiest singer to understand, so, below you will find the lyrics. I'm sure you'll understand why exactly I have fallen so deeply in love with this song.

Wanna pack your bags, Something small
Take what you need and we disappear
Without a trace we'll be gone, gone
The moon and the stars can follow the car
and then when we get to the ocean
We gonna take a boat to the end of the world
All the way to the end of the world

Oh, and when the kids are old enough
We're gonna teach them to fly
You and me together, we could do anything, Baby
You and me together yes, yes

You and I, we're not tied to the ground
Not falling but rising like rolling around
Eyes closed above the rooftops
Eyes closed, we're gonna spin through the stars
Our arms wide as the sky
We gonna ride the blue all the way to the end of the world
To the end of the world

Oh, and when the kids are old enough
We're gonna teach them to fly
You and me together, we could do anything, Baby
You and me together yes, yes

We can always look back at what we did
All these memories of you and me baby
But right now it's you and me forever girl
And you know we could do better than anything that we did
You know that you and me, we could do anything

You and me together, we could do anything, Baby
You and me together yeah, yeah
 
Buckle up, and enjoy the ride!
Amanda

Todays flowers are mostly yellow with a blue guest. I'm contemplating adding yellow to my color theme because, well, blue and yellow look so happy together. First up today is Buttercup, pictured below, which is representative of childishness, which, well, if you know either Andre or me, you know that although we're legally adults, we will always be children at heart.  By the way, if this looks different than the Buttercups you're used to, that's because it's a Persian Buttercup.




Our next yellow contender is Lesser Celandine. I don't know exactly why it's lesser than any other celandine, however, it is pretty and it's meaning, of forthcoming joys, is also very nice.



The last of our yellow blooms today is one I'm sure you're all familiar with, the Dandelion. While most people think of it as a weed, if you knew it represented happiness and faithfulness, you might think twice before ripping it out of your yard. Plus, it's a very cost effective addition to any bridal bouquet.



The blue blossom I promised earlier is the Forget-Me-Not. This precious perennial supposedly embodies true love, memories, and hope. What bride could possibly go without that on her wedding day? Not me!



Buckle up!
Amanda

Since I'll be legally wed in Germany, to a German, it goes without saying that das Bier will flow at both (German and American) receptions.  Some of you may already know that here in Düsseldorf there is a special beer called Altbier. Alt is German for old, but the beer itself is not old, however, the recipe is. If you're really interested in the history of it, you can read about it here at Wikipedia.

Andre's favorite Altbier brewery is Uerige, which I believe I've mentioned before. It's where we're currently planning on having the German reception. Here is a photo to give you an idea of the atmosphere.



There is another Düsseldorf specific beverage which will most likely be consumed on the wedding night, and that is Killepitsch. It is a liquor based on herbs, similar to Jägermeister, but better. Well, my Mom thinks it's just as terrible, but my Aunt Kim loves it because it clears out her sinuses. Anyhow, it's right next door to Uerige, and we may just all have a stop over...



And while many people think it is tradition throughout Germany to wear Lederhosen and a Dirndl (the woman's version), it's actually only a Bavarian custom. However, if I were carrying this much Bier, Andre wouldn't mind.  We are getting married in October after all...



Speaking of Andre's love of Bier, I saw this cake and I'm tempted to have it for the German wedding even though they don't drink out of these mugs in this region of Germany...



Buckle up! (but take a taxi)
Amanda