Relu and Dana's Wedding

My first Romanian wedding...where to begin??!

up early in the am; cakes, cookies, and wine; accordians and clarinets; lots of KISSES on my cheeks; more food than I've ever seen in my life; Romanians can literally dance the night away; homemade Transylvanian wine is one of my loves and vices (especially when it's made by Domnul Cornea); my Romanian is improving; did I mention the food or dancing yet??; Whiskey, Cognac, Tuica, Wine, Vișinata, Beer...yeah I did it all-->moderation is key folks! ;)


I had an amazing time! I had heard about all the traditions --the godparents, processions of cars and people in and out of the house/apartment in the morning, the special bottle of tuica to offer to those we pass, kissing portraits of saints on the wall of the cathedral, crowns on the heads of the bride and groom during the ceremony, dancing and drinking...but what I loved most is that I really got to see just how much the people I've grown to love over the past year have come to love me in return! So much of my heart is back in Indiana, but I have no reservations about calling Tarnaveni home as well! The Tara that was scared to strike up conversations in Romanian, to walk up and kiss strangers on both cheeks, to dance and spin in circles...she is gone!

I was asked a million times how different weddings in the States are from the wedding I'd seen so far in Romania. I gave an arbitrary percentage, but I think it's probably pretty accurate; I said 90% is different. Don't get me wrong! There are similarities, but the big differences really overwhelm the subtle things they have in common. Most of the differences stem from the traditions of the Romanian Orthodox church. They hang on to traditions and culture...this is something I greatly respect because I feel like, in America, we just let go of things sometimes.

The inside of Catedrala "Sfantul Treime" in town was gorgeous, so now not only is it my favorite building in Tarnaveni because of it's exterior but also because of its interior! I loved the traditional dances and the children stealing Dana's shoes so they could get a 25 lei bribe from one of the godfathers. Relu and Dana took dance lessons, and they did a beautiful Viennese Waltz. I've mentioned the food, but I enjoyed every bit of it even if I was completely shocked that they brought out sausages after we had already had cake!

I could literally tell you thousands of things I loved about going to a Romanian wedding...but I'll save those for all the conversations I can't wait to have when I return home!

Check out some of my pictures from the wedding and reception!

Relu & Dana's Wedding Relu & Dana's Reception