The bride, Judith, actually worked for Scott's company here in Munich prior to taking a job with an O&P company in Tampa, FL. She and Scott met when she taught a course he attended while in school and she essentially paved the way for Scott's job opportunity here. Judith and Benjamin, the groom, still live in Tampa but they returned to Munich to exchange vows and we were surprised and humbled at the offer to join them in celebrating their big day.
The celebration began at 9 am at the home of Judith's parents. Wedding guests, most of whom were dressed in lederhosen & dirndl, shared a traditional Bavarian breakfast of weißwurst (a veal and pork bacon sausage), pretzels, and beer while a band played Bavarian music (sans the Neil Diamond interlude we suffered through at Oktoberfest, thank goodness). For the first time in a long time, we weren't the only minority given that Benjamin's father, aunt, and best friend, BJ, from Tampa also attended the wedding. We immediately hit it off with BJ and in a strange twist, we discovered that Scott and BJ's paths had crossed over 10 years ago when both were working in New York City. It's a small world, folks! 
After breakfast, the bride and groom arrived and we all proceeded to the city hall for the exchange of vows. Afterwards, we made our way to a nearby community center where the real fun began. In lieu of a professionally made wedding cake, close friends of the bride had each baked their favorite dessert and the result was remarkable. There were a dozen varieties of cakes, pies, and tarts to choose from and it added the first of many personal touches to the celebration. One of my favorite customs of the afternoon was plate-throwing. Several family members wrote messages to Judith & Benjamin on small dessert plates and the plates were given to Judith to toss backwards over her head to Benjamin. Depending on what the message said, Benjamin was to attempt to catch or not catch the plates. For example, one of the plates guaranteed 100Euro to the couple if Benjamin was able to catch it. Another promised years of happiness together if caught by the groom. It was a neat tradition and Benjamin managed to catch all of the plates.
Part of the way into the afternoon, I noticed Benjamin carrying Judith's bouquet with him. When asked why he didn't set it down, it was explained that wedding tradition required that the bouquet never leave the hands of bride or groom. If someone besides the couple ever gets hold of the flowers, the groom will be required to host a huge party in the coming days as penalty.
Another custom is that of family members producing a skit in satire and celebration of the couple. Judith's family had obviously put a lot of time into this, poking fun at how the couple met and what their life in America was like. It was really funny and entertaining and provided another personal touch to their celebration. Traditional music, dancing, games, and skits, accompanied by flowing champagne and beer, dominated the scene from about noon until 6 pm. Next, a fantastic dinner of soup, salad, duck and deer was served and afterwards a couple of the guests took the stage to entertain once the band had departed. A husband and wife duo from Mozambique and Cuba, respectively, brought down the house with an hour's worth of talented piano playing and singing. Scott and I are big fans of Buena Vista Social Club and the wife did fantastic covers of several of their songs, in addition some other Latin-American and German classics.
Exhausted by a marathon day of eating, drinking, celebrating, and making lots of new friends, we finally bid farewell to the couple and other guests sometime after midnight. Overall, Scott and I were delighted at the simplicity and charm of the wedding celebration. Weddings in the U.S. can easily take on an aire of competition as brides attempt to out-do their peers with over-the-top decorating, entertaining, wining & dining, etc. I was struck during my own wedding by people who were mortified at my lack of concern for hiring a professional DJ or spending thousands of dollars on floral arrangements, over-priced decor, and wedding planners. I truly identified with and appreciated the simplicity of Judith and Benjamin's traditional Bavarian wedding. Much like our wedding, their focus was the joining of friends and family to celebrate their happy occassion with lots of personal touches but none of the frivolous decor and fuss of most weddings I've attended. It was a true, unrehearsed, not-for-show glimpse into Bavarian culture and we met some of the friendliest, most sincere individuals I've ever encountered. As long as I live, this will stand out as one of my most favorite experiences while living in Europe. Congratulations to Judith and Benjamin and a sincere thank you for allowing us to take part in such a wonderful celebration!
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