This just came out both really posed and really disoriented and sweaty, on account of the heat and the drinks, but we were so happy! And I think this picture captures that.
It was a great wedding, with just enough dancing to tear open all your old blisters, and because I ended up getting a ride with Seriy, an old friend of both Yura and me, I didn’t even have to brave the city by myself at 2 a.m.
I was glad to note that few people blubbered. I kind of wanted to. I’m one of those people who always cries at weddings; I cried at my godfather’s, cried at my friends’ wedding in Virgina, and I only just held back the tears for this one, because Tanya’s friends, whom I was seated with, would have thought that was weird (and probably decided I was drunk or something).
I drank vodka with the boys because I had too much champagne in the last few days, and you know, it’s nice to be able to drink it in mixed company without anyone cracking any “alcoholic” jokes (because it’s as if everyone who drinks vodka drinks it to get drunk, which can’t be farther from the truth). It’s also nice to have pickles on hand, because vodka is a drink you take with food (many people don’t realize that). I’m pretty sure that a good time was had by most, there were fire-works and no weirdness, and a couple of men even break-danced in their suits.
I really hope that Yura & Tanya will live together for many decades, with harmony and love and lots of funny pictures (Yura & Tanya are king and queen of funny pictures, as evidenced by Yura’s hard drive). It’s rare that you come across genuinely happy couples, even at our age, and these two have it made. Совет да любовь.
And the one thing that was great about this occasion, aside from the fact that this commitment was being celebrated in front of everybody, was how it was not cloying or artificial. There was no BS about it being “the happiest day” of anyone’s life. The entire thing wasn’t in any way Disneyfied. The toasts were sincere – both practical and good-natured. There was lots of suggestive humour without anyone being sleazy. A relative from Brussels delivered a soliloquy in French. The bouquet fell apart whilst in the process of being thrown, and every unmarried girl, including me, ended up with a white rose.
Also, on a more materialistic weasel-type note – Tanya had a beige dress accented by pearls. That was, in one word, sweet. I must take note. For future, ah, reference.
Natalia A. 
So glad you had fun- even tho you didn’t know anyone! And yes- beige with pearls, very pretty, and classy
natalia – it’s posts like these on this blog that make me wonder if you can eventually see the benefit of Islamic societies. Muslim men don’t have ex-girlfriends. and an ex-wife will not attend a wedding to a new wife, just as an ex-husband won’t do the same thing either. i don’t doubt that your intentions were probably pure, but what you are doing here……this man’s friends were teasing him about you but you went ahead and took that picture anyway and even posted it on your site. no matter how the new wife acts, the truth is nobody would be comfortable in this situation. you should think about the damage you might have done to their relationship. on their wedding day. i know that all of this seems very innocent, but it isn’t and the consequences of our actions can come back to us.
As a general aside, that is probably one of the most naive things that anyone has ever said in the comments of this blog.
To suggest that I was trying to “damage” anyone’s relationship or special occasion is pretty out there, even for you.
Of course Yura’s friends were going to tease him about me. They teased him about practically every woman in the room. It just that these people have something called a sense of humour. I know it’s an alien concept for you, but maybe one of these days you might grasp it.
I care about Yura a lot. He’s been a rock. And I’m grateful for the fact that even when he met someone like Tanya – someone beautiful and smart and perfect for him in every way – he still chose to honour our friendship. And that Tanya, instead of suspecting me to be some sort of evil slut, wanted to be friends with me too. Is that hard to understand from the post I wrote?
You know, it’s you puritan types who have to insist that every action, every thought, every friendship is dirty and wrong. That’s because you’re the real perverts. You can’t conceive of a world where people don’t think about sex 24/7, and this perception colours everything.
The idea that every failed relationship should be treated like a dirty secret is dumb as hell. Not everyone breaks up or divorces under scandalous circumstances that result in years of anger and acrimony.
CL: You must be deliberately parodying yourself in order to add to the good humor of Natalia’s post.
“Muslim men don’t have ex-girlfriends” — How do you know? There are something like at least 500 million Muslim men in the world, and you think that all of them are strict Wahabists?
“This man’s friends were teasing him about you …” [capitalization added] — Unlike you, CL, the groom’s friends have a sense of humor appropriate for a wedding.
You talk as though Natalia is walking kryptonite who threatens relationships simply by showing up.
CL, when I recall the history of your comments on this blog, I can’t help suspecting that nearly all of your comments here are intended as some kind of humorous performance art. Your phrase “teasing the Arabs” back in December 2008 was too good to be taken at face value. You should start your own blog where you can show your talents full-spectrum, so to speak.
If one pretty ex turning up at the wedding threatens a marriage, then it wasn’t going to last anyway. I think the happy couple showed themselves to be well-balanced and sensible people, who thoroughly deserve a long and blissful union. I’m glad your misgivings were unfounded, N.
CL: you are a prat of the first water.
Christ, why with the arseholish comments? No one’s interested.
It sounds wonderful, I love to hear about weddings like that. Seriously I feel allergic to even the mention of marriage sometimes, so it’s nice to allieve my negativity with tales of genuinely joyful unions rather than stress and drama. 😀