We previously shared a morsel of Kalia’s
pre-wedding bash, so here are some nuggets of the civil ceremony wedding and
reception. The breath-taking venue is the Villa
Mordoch, built in 1905 by a Turkish administrator, bought in 1907 by Jewish
merchants, it now houses local authority administration offices. I
rather like the juxtaposition of the modest bridal car parked next to the great
mansion. On this balmy evening the ceremony took place outside and was all the more
impressive for it being atop the marble staircase.
Proud
parents express their joy now the deed is done, the knot is tied, the couple is
wed. The lovely bride sports a 1930s
waved do, set off with a lace and feather headband – stylish!
Later we attended the reception in the
Thessaloniki port area. The welcome sign was in English to cater for the guests
from multi-lingual backgrounds. The actual venue is a former warehouse, as you
can see from its bare-bone structure. But that basic state is its real boon in
that it offers a blank canvas on which to design your wedding reception of choice.
This fine
spread welcomed us in the hallway: home-made
grappa, accompanied by huge chunks of parmesan
cheese, freshly transported from Italy. For those with a sweet tooth, loukoumi
(Greek delight!) formed tempting
, sugary mounds.
These
stalwarts, long-term buds of Dimos, were on duty dispensing his grappa – and having
a wee sample … or two!
In keeping
with both Thracian and Arab traditions, the couple is escorted into the reception
with clarinet and some heavy-duty drums. Later pipes and lyre were added to the
ensemble, making for a very dancey atmosphere. Below the bride is flanked by a proud Dad –
despite his wounded foot – and his sister in an initial sirto.
Fortunately, Mum and her sister were on hand to
fan and dab dry the glowing bride when she - rarely - came off the dance floor.
The generous buffet meant that, despite
our best endeavours, we couldn’t dance off the calories we readily consumed! A
wonderful touch was that a small ante-room had been set up as a studio, where
the bride welcomed guests - with a dress-up box- to strike poses. The
photographer then developed her shots, one set for the guests, and one set in an
album, with inscriptions entered alongside. Unusual touch, no? I love this retro one.
Here we are
outside the venue – looks like we are escaped prisoners from the name!
Footnote: Sorry about the pun! Fortunately,
Dimos had a bad foot as after the wedding he went to have dressings changed and
the doctor did not like the look of things in general. Tests showed immediate treatment
was required, so within the week we visited him, recovering well from
open-heart surgery!
We wish Dimos and Eleni - and the happy couple -
continued good health, deriving - as always - joy
from the bounties that life has to offer!
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