Meggy & John
Schedule
Friday, June 7, 2019
Holud- Cocktail and finger food style
9:00 pm
39 Aktis Saronikoi, Methana, 180 30, Greece
Cocktail Attire: Wear cocktail dresses, LBDs, dressy jumpsuits, and Slacks and casual shirts or polo shirts. We encourage people to wear red, orange, or yellow colors
The Gaye Holud, also known as a turmeric ceremony, is a traditional Bengali ritual that takes place before the wedding ceremony to bless the couple. A procession of relatives and friends, traditionally in matching clothes (mostly orange, yellow or red in color), opens the celebration. Two fish, decorated as a groom and bride are displayed. While the couple is seated on an altar, family and friends go up to them in procession to apply a paste of turmeric and essential oils on the couple, feed them sweets and fruits and give them blessings for a happy marriage.
Saturday, June 8, 2019
Making of the bed
10:30 am - 11:30 am
39 Aktis Saronikoi, Methana, 180 30, Greece
Casual Attire: Anything goes, from sundresses and sandals to jeans and tees.
Friends and family are invited to attend the making of the bed in the room in which the couple is going to stay after the marriage (γάμος). The bed is made from single women including the future bride (νύφη). When the bed is ready, they call the future groom (γαμπρός) to inspect it. If he doesn’t like it, he removes everything from it and tells them to do it again. This is done a couple of times until the groom eventually likes it. When finally the bed is ready, the guests are invited to the bedroom. The visitors drop money and rice on the bed. The money is to help the couple to begin their life and the rice is to wish to the couple to make roots and stay together forever. At the end, if there is a boy or a girl or at best an infant (βρέφος) among the visitors, then they put him or her also on the bed in order to wish for fertility (γονιμότητα). It is said that the first child of the couple it will have the same gender of the one that was in the bed.
Greek Wedding
6:00 pm
Methana, Greece
Cocktail Attire: Wear cocktail dresses, LBDs, dressy jumpsuits, and dark jackets and slacks.
The greek wedding ceremony occurs over half to one hour with the active participation of the priest, the couple, and the koumparoi (the couple's sponsors). The couple exchanges rings three times with the assistance of the koumparoi, who also ‘crown’ the couple; in this ceremony, two crowns tied together with a ribbon, the Stefana, are swapped over the heads of the bride and groom three times before they are placed on the couple's heads. This symbolizes the union of two people into marriage, and is a physical demonstration of the spiritual bonding of the koumparoi to the couple. The priest blesses the stefana, pours wine into a single glass and gives the couple three sips each symbolizing the shared life and experiences they commit to living together. The “Isaias dance”, or marital walk follows, where the priest leads the bride and groom to their first walk together as a married couple, performed by circling around the altar three times.
Wedding Party with dinner
8:00 pm
39 Aktis Saronikoi, Methana, 180 30, Greece
Dinner will be wedding style, separate tables will be set for vegetarians and pescetarians.