Hochzeit in Bremen

This weekend I traveled with some German small group friends up to Bremen in northern Germany to see our friend and fellow small-grouper Rebekka get married! In German, Hochzeit=wedding.

Carpooling can be an efficient way of saving money and protecting the environment, but when you travel with interesting people it can also be . . . memorable. And fun. Kay and I drove up together, Rico hitchhiked up then rode back with us, and Gerfried took the train there and back.

Most of the time we spoke German, but sometimes we switched to English. In any language, Kay enjoyed speaking in various accents (French, German, Italian, Alemannisch dialect). I started compiling a list of quotables from the trip (translated into English when necessary):

• “Isn’t it sad that the great American company Chrysler has been bought out by the Spaghetti eaters?”
• “Every American is afraid from the Canadians. They pee in the Lake Michigan! Ask a Canadian – why you pee in a lake?”
• “How should I say this. I try it in English. You have a very good relationship to the restroom.” (I didn’t have to make too many restroom breaks)
• “What is green and stinks of fish? Bremen!” (yelled out the window to a random stranger in Bremen)
• “He likes the music. He has rapid eye movement with the fingers” (we listened to classical music while Rico slept)
• “I don’t know whether it’s Rico or the bad weather – the wind I mean – , but we’re going to need to tank up again.”
• “I don’t like the northern German accent. It’s not very sexy.”
• Looking at Bach CDs, Kay said, “Looks good, looks good…” – Looking at a CD of Hilary Hahn, Rico said, “SHE looks good!”

As you can see, the ride up and back was enough of an adventure. But the purpose of the trip was the wedding, my first time attending a German wedding!

German weddings and American weddings aren’t very different; German weddings are just longer. The bride and groom have to sit down in white chairs instead of standing for the whole ceremony. There also wasn’t a long line of bridesmaids and groomsmen. I played a violin solo for Bekki; I also played in the worship band “ganz spontan.”

After the ceremony, the newly married couple greeted every guest, then we filed into a room for “Kaffee und Kuchen” (coffee and cake). I met a few other guests during that time.

Then we all went out to the waiting car . . .

and drove to the reception in a long procession of vehicles!

The reception lasted a loooooong time by American standards, but it was typical for Germany. The reception party is a bit smaller than the wedding guest list, but it was still fairly large.

Here’s a general run-down of the evening (times approximate):

• 5:30 – pictures outside
• 6:30 – to tables inside, drinks served
• 6:45 – appetizers
• 7:15 – main course
• 8:00 – program begins (games, slideshows, skits, songs)
• 10:00 – dessert served, program continues
• 11:00 – first dance
• 12:00 – cutting of the cake
• 12:30 – “Mitternachts-Suppe” (midnight soup)
• 1:00 – flat rate drinks ended, dancing continued
• 2:00 – I went to sleep; most people partied on till 4am.

 The next morning, all the guests had breakfast in the hotel together. After filling up on good food, Kay and Rico and I explored Bremen and headed back home to Kandern.