The wedding day arrived. We took it easy in the morning, because in the letter Ariana had sent to the guests she wrote, "Be ready to dance all party long, and yes, a light breakfast on this day is also a good idea, as the wedding menu is exquisite and has courses that span many hours." She also warned, "If you get tired and want to return to the hotel earlier, please find Maria Ester, our Wedding Assistant, and have her arrange for car to take you from the Lowlands to the Ulises and be prepared for a lot of teasing on Monday re: your stamina."
At 11 two busses picked up the wedding guests and drove us Temple Dr. Max Nordau. It was really fun to drive through the residential neighborhoods of Argentina, where tourists rarely go. The Rabbi, who performed the ceremony in a mix of English, Spanish, and Hebrew, was the bride's cousin and got so chocked up at one point he had to stop and compose himself. The bride herself looked great in a Grace Kellyish dress--no big bridal poofs here. The couple actually lives in Rochester and went on their first date in Genesso, which the rabbi mentioned. It was kind of thrilling to hear the name an upstate New York town on the other end of the world.
After the ceremony we returned to the busses and went to The Lowlands, originally a club for Scottish ex-pats that now hosts receptions, etc. It was a beautiful building. The eating and drinking started immediately. During the cocktail hour, there several kinds of food to choose from, including ravioli, mini corned beef sandwiches, and sushi. Ariana's mother warned Neilson and me, "You must be very careful at weddings in Argentina. There will be food for hours. Don't eat too much now." Soon the dancing started with the Hora. We had all expected it to come later in the evening, but it got the dancing off with a bang, and the bride and groom managed to stay on their chairs.
And then the sit-down meal began. We sat with the same NYU group as at the lunch. (Apparently the groom had wanted tables mixed, so everyone met new people. The bride won out, and friends got to sit with friends.) The first course was sweetbreads wrapped in filo dough, which wasn't overly popular at our American table. But it is an Argentine specialty (they like to use the whole cow!), so we all at least tried a bite. For the next several hours we went from the dance floor to the table to the dance floor. Groove to Madonna (a favorite of the bride), eat some steak and cheesy potatoes, drink some champagne, boogie to some Motown classics, eat some chocolate marquis, get down to some more 80s rock. Along the way there was a slideshow of the bride and groom's lives and toasts in English and Spanish (including one in which Ariana's brother said he never thought this day would come, which the rabbi also said during the ceremony. Strangely, this is the second wedding I attended this summer in which skepticism about the bride's marriagability was a central topic of conversation.) After the first dessert, the Dulche Table (the sweet table) came out-or make that sweet tables. There were at least four or five tables covered with almost any sweet you can imagine--gelato, dulce de leche crepes,puddings in at least 3 flavors, cakes and cookies of all shapes and sizes.
The dancing slowed as the guests consumed more and more food. That is, until a waiter distributed absurd hats to everyone, along with rattles in various shapes, including soccer shoes and hamburgers. Apparently it is a Argentine tradition that all weddings include a Carnivale near the end. And it is a great idea. Because once you have on a ridiculous hat, you no longer worry if you look ridiculous on the dance floor. Soon a conga line snaked its way around the room, up the stairs and back down. All that dancing worked up an appetite in some people, and waiters and waitresses walked around distributing the final course--mini chorizo sandwiches. I couldn't eat another bite, but Dan and Neilson both managed to eat a few.
Near the end of the wedding, the bride and groom cut the cake, but it was reserved for a party the next day. Good thing, as the Dulche Table had almost done us all in.
At long last the party was over. It was only around 9:30, but, as the party had started at 2, it seemed much later. Back on the bus and to sleep.
