Big Fat Albanian Wedding

Yes, it really was like "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." It was also like something straight out of "The Sopranos." What else was it? Loud, long, extravagant, crowded, crazy, and fun!

First, let's talk about fashion. I was planning on wearing one of the dresses I posted about earlier. At the last minute I decided I just didn't feel comfortable or confident in either choice, so I chose black pants and a nice light sweater - a very nice outfit for a typical American afternoon wedding. Well, apparently my old prom dress would have been more appropriate. I've never seen more sequins, sparkles, leopard print, or hooker shoes in one place, LOL. Those ladies know how to dress up! Some of the dresses might not be to my taste, but the time and effort they put into yesterday - wow! Regular guests, not just the wedding party, obviously had their hair and nails done that day. My two aunts and I looked at each other and said, we're under-dressed! The men looked like "wise guys." Dark suits, dark sunglasses, slicked back hair, pinky rings galore.

Next, the ceremony. We were apparently running on Albanian time, because they were still setting up the church at 3:10 (wedding was supposed to start at 3:00.) The service was in Albanian, was blessedly short, and no kneeling! I was surprised since it was a Catholic ceremony. I don't think the bride and groom kissed. There wasn't much smiling, but I was told this is normal.

Finally, the reception. The hall was beautifully decorated. Huge swags of fabric hung from the chandeliers. There were flowers everywhere. The tables had plates of food waiting for us, just appetizers. There were cold cut meats and cheeses, marinated green tomatoes, marinated peppers and onions, bread, the most delicious dark purple grapes I've ever had, and strawberries. The second course was (I thought) the best - tomatoes and cucumbers, feta cheese, olives, roast beef, some sort of seasoned sour cream dip/sauce (really good!), and what looked like a country-fried flat meatloaf, but I'm not sure what it was. From my description I was told it might be a kibbeh. The food was very Mediterranean. The music was so loud, but it was fun. Lots of dancing which was great to see. I wanted to yell "Opa!" LOL. I wish I could have danced but I'm not that coordinated. There was a famous Albanian singer they flew over just for the wedding! On every table was a huge bottle of Italian red wine (too sour!) and a bottle of Hennessey cognac. Beer was being pushed by the waiters. Let me tell you, these people know how to par-tay! We had to leave about 5 and 1/2 hours into the wedding, but they still had a few more courses of food to go. We wanted to stay until the cake was cut (as is usually polite) but at the rate everything was going, that would have been midnight!