My Weekend in Pictures

Ahhh, wedding weekends. I both love and dread weekends where we head to weddings. Love because we get to get all dressed up, hang out with a bunch of friends we often haven't seen in a while, and drink more than is socially acceptable on most other days of the years. Dread because Micha and I stress out at entirely different moments while preparing - him when we get started, me about 5 minutes before we need to be in our seats and I'm still not ready - and it drives me batty. But luckily, as soon as we're seated with friends and the music starts, the fun wins over and all is good again.

The picturesque ceremony setting

This weekend we headed to somewhere in Brandenburg nearish Frankfurt Oder (close to the Polish border), for a wedding for two of the craziest friends we have, Inett (my birthday twin; well, the non-biological one) and Andreas (who Micha met in his mandatory year of army service many moons ago).

My new dress | Dapper father and son | Axel and Inga, always the best smilers

We were a bit frightened for this wedding, to be honest. A result of the fact that those two can party. In the sense that they put pretty much any of my four years of college long nights to shame. And they don't take well to people leaving their partying early, which leads to loooooooong nights and painful mornings.

The lovely bride and her dad

I still find it weird that the couple has to sit with their back to you throughout the ceremony in Germany...

It was fabulous, though. All 12+ hours of it. (Yeah, Germans mean business when they get married and make sure that the party lasts all day and all night long.) The weather cooperated - which is quite a shock this summer - for the outdoor ceremony, the wee munchkins played and giggled merrily around us, I bonded more with baby Hanna (further solidifying my favorite auntie status :), and we woke up on Sunday without a hangover! Wedding success!

They are being taught well

Hanna's favorite position - how adorable is the little diaper butt?

Inga would hate me for this picture but it's the only good one of the pretty sky! | Again, dapper Aron

A hilarious turn of events came about when Micha convinced Dreschi to drink just one beer during Kaffee and Kuchen time (we detest that sugar- and caffeine- filled tradition and opt for hoppier beverages every time), which meant that he probably wouldn't be able to drive back home later than night with little Aron.

See? Coffee and beer hour is a much better alternative...

Man, I wish I could make my hair look like that every day...

Micha looks like a weirdo out of a Vin Diesel movie holding that cute little nugget

Which is how we ended up with four of us snoozing in our room that night. Funny how the times change and instead of packing as many tipsy girlfriends together in a room as you can fit (and not pay extra for), you end up packing in a toddler in a travel bed instead one day... The little guy proved once again why he is so awesome and slept in just as long as we did the next morning. Can't say I wasn't fretting about being woken up at 7am by a cheerful munchkin, so sweet valley high, was that a relief.

Best picture of the day? I think so!

Can't you just see the love on little Hanna's face? ;)

As is also typical of German weddings, there were plenty of ridiculous and fun games and activities for the guests and the couple throughout, including a somewhat spontaneous strip show that I honestly can't remember the reason for... Probably better that way, no?

Oh yes, there's photographic evidence of the groom's flash dance

The rest of the night, well, let's just say you had to be there. Fun was had! And after a leisurely breakfast the next morning, we took a walk around the lovely lake with Inga, Axel, Kerstin, Hendryk, and Hanna to walk off some of the booze and enjoy the scenery and sunshine. And weird scenery it was, check out the crazy Entengrütze! (Funny story, Entengrütze, which is basically pond scum, was one of my and Natalie's first German words. And one we will never forget...)

Wow, I stand attractively...

Random side note: I finally finished A Clash of Kings, the second book after A Game of Thrones, and aaaagh! I can't believe I have to wait two more days until my colleague lends me the next one. Have you read them yet? So good. I'm trying to get Natalie hooked too.

And how was your weekend?