Groom's parents wearing traditional Norwegian costume
Saying good-bye to the bride and groom at 1:00am
Having friends from all over the world allows for such unique and interesting experiences. Two friends from our time in Switzerland last year married on Saturday in Prague. About 25 people from IMD joined other friends and family members of the couple to celebrate this happy occasion making the weekend feel like a mini-reunion. We began the weekend by piling on a boat for a river cruise with the other wedding guest. This allowed us the chance to catch up with our friends while taking in the beautiful city of Prague. Afterwards, we made our way to a local restaurant for more laughter and stories, especially related to events from last year. We loved seeing all of those friendly faces surrounding us again and realizing that IMD brought so many lifelong friendships.
The wedding began at 3pm inside a beautiful baroque cathedral and ended with the ringing church bells signaling the start of a new marriage. Since the bride is Czech, the groom is Norwegian, and more than 15 countries were represented by the guests, the ceremony was performed in English, Czech, and Norwegian. We enjoyed watching 2 very different cultures come together and blend their distinct traditions. The Norwegians love to make toasts at the reception while the Czechs do not. So, they made a compromise to limit the number of speeches…to which we were also grateful. The Czechs have an amusing custom of breaking a plate and then seeing whether the bride or groom cleans up the mess. Although unsure that the results of this ritual will last, the female guests were still pleased to see the groom sweeping the broken glass into the dustpan. The Norwegians introduced us to their entertaining tradition of sneaking kisses with the bride while the groom was conveniently sent away to another room. Naturally, several men took advantage of this unique opportunity. After an interesting Czech inspired meal and lots of dancing, we arrived back to our hotel at 1:30am. Needless to say, we ended the night exhausted (and with swollen feet) but also feeling energized from time spent with great friends while experiencing a wedding through the eyes of other cultures.