This weekend I did something very unlike me and went off on a spontaneous weekend trip to the beautiful Brussels. Mostly to meet the even more beautiful couple, David and Elvira, who were getting married.
David is a friend from my time in Hong Kong where we took Beginner’s Cantonese together. Fluent in Mandarin as he is, he had no problem learning this second language. Once, he even held a long speech on the little peeing statue that Brussels is so famous for, and if you can do that in Cantonese you can do almost anything!
His knowledge in Mandarin stems partly from the year he studied in Harbin before coming to HK. There he also met Elia, his future Russian bride.
I was so happy to be invited to their wedding. I had never met Elia or even been to Brussels before, and I must say that the trip exceeded all my expectations. I got to live and eat for free at both David’s and Anneleen’s parents’ houses (Anneleen was another exchange student I met in HK), Thank you so much for that!! and all the people I met were so friendly and kind. I had the best time ever and I hope I can come visit again!
But maybe it’ll have to wait til the baby is born – and is able to walk…
As Mark would have put it; because David is such a bastard, he had neglected to inform any of us that his future wife was 6 months pregnant. We had to hear it from his mother, who openly informed us that she was the one who had sown Elia’s wedding gown since it is “so hard to find something really fitting when you are pregnant”. It was a bit of a chock…
Here are some pictures from the happy event:
David and Elia outside the Town hall were they were wed.
The town hall at Grand-Place, so big that it does not fit into the picture. Some of the guests: Rainer, Mark, Anneleen and Antonette.
After the wedding some of us went to do some more touristy stuff. Here I am in front of the Atomium. We were probably the best dressed tourists in the entire Brussels…
We also got to see the European parliament buildings. They were however closed since it was Saturday. Rainer, Erika, Mark and Robert are making up theories of what the picture could symbolize. A bowling man perhaps…
The party was held at David’s parents’ garden that looked something like this. The newlyweds welcoming us.
Elia dancing with her father.
Tossing of the bouquet and the garter took place with male participants more eager than female. Mark was happily unaware of what the game stood for until he himself caught the garter and we all informed him of his upcoming marriage. It was the first time in what seems like forever that I wasn’t surrounded by mere 18 year old girls when “trying” to catch the bouquet…
Russian games were also played. Here is one that is familiar for us Finns as well. The couple is supposed to dress a doll using only one hand each. After the audience showed a bit of scepticism to whether the baby would be alive after the brutal handling, David announced it to be a strong Russian who could take anything.
And beware André and Sofia – I got some new ideas!
Mark tells it like it is: David was a bastard until Elia came into the picture.
The food was amazing and we even got redcurrants (röda vinbär) from David’s father’s garden.
The happy couple.
