YUS, I was invited to a Moroccan wedding! I loveee weddings, especially a Moroccan one that is filled with so much excitement, love, and anticipation! Of course there is no alcohol served at a Moroccan wedding, but people dance and yell as if they are drunk... and they last for HOURS. This wedding was from 11pm to 6am. It was on a sunday night, so I ended up getting one or two hours of sleep before getting up for my Arabic class at 8am the next morning... but it was completely worth it.
The weddings are mostly attended by women, with a few close male relatives. Almost everyone is dragged to the dance floor multiple times throughout the night, but thankfully my host sisters LOVE to dance, so it didn't take much effort to get them going... Douina, my host sister, let me borrow her keftan (the traditional Moroccan long sleeved dress) and we all prepared to go.
Weddings are intimate, traditional, and religious... a perfect way to experience the Moroccan culture. When I first arrived at the wedding, I was struck by the gorgeous clothing, and the amount of effort the women put into their outfits. Their gowns were gorgeous, and after living here for awhile now, it is obvious these Keftans can not just be bought in a store. Each piece is put together and designed by the woman... and some were very creative!
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| Getting ready! |
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| Traditional musicians |
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| An example of the colorful keftans |
The bride was another matter all together, she had 6 different outfits that she would change into throughout the wedding. Pretty much the wedding consisted of the guests sitting/dancing and eating and just waiting for the bride to change into another outfit, then parade around the room (either walking, or being carried like you see below), and then returning to a back room where she would change again. The picture below was taken after the bride had changed once or twice, but it was the first time she was carried around above the crowd. Just note the position that the groom is in... it was hard not to imagine that the bride is being shown off as a kind of prize, or trophy, while the groom, with hands outstretched walks in front, touting his winnings throughout the party. All I can say is that at my wedding, if I were to do it the Moroccan way, I would make sure each different outfit would have its own song to dance too so that I could enjoy my own party!
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| Me and my host sister, Sanae! |
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| FOOD! |
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| It was a beautiful keftan! |
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| The ceremonial first public kiss! |
