Lucky indeed! After months of anguish, stress and waiting for the government to bring out the new restrictions about August weddings during quarantine, the country of Hungry lifted the restrictions enough for our friends to get married but we still do not know how long the window will be left open with the second wave of COVID-19 expected to hit again late summer early fall of 2020.
The new restrictions on weddings in the countryside include respecting social distancing of 1.5 meters between guests, making sure buffet style food service changes to table service to help stop any transfer of virus in the group. These changes apply to groups of people less than 200.
The numbers in Hungary have been under control with strict rules about masks, shopping times for the most vulnerable in the mornings before noon and most people are sticking close to home for the summer.
The wedding itself was so very lovely. Every girl dreams about the perfect wedding; the detailed lace dress, the three-tiered cake, the walking down the aisle with your father, the official ceremony, ad of cure the first dance. since Barbie and Ken acted them out in our rooms, I am sure every girls dreams of that happily ever after moment marking the next phase of life.
Usually weddings are for the people getting married, to proclaim their union and commitment to one another, but these guys have been together for over nine years, so their commitment is obvious. This moment was about starting an actual marriage, getting ready for the next step which is children, and to start planning their life living as a partnership.
I love how their clergyman was this cool young guy, long hair tied back in a pony, shaved underneath and he spoke about the hard road ahead; the realistic parts of marriage. He wished for them a lot of very energetic and loud children, and told them how marriage is the first not last step. He wanted them to know that this is for the long run, the rest of their lives and to prepare with that in mind. It was a beautiful and great talk, not preaching but having a discussion with friends. I wanted to talk to him about my own struggles with God but decided to leave it for another day, a less stressful day.
I also looked around the room and at every corner I saw signs of my friend; a little hand picked bouquet of wildflowers, a arts sign, her favourite colours; it was as if she took her dreams and painted the picture of her idea of what a wedding would be like. It was exactly her imprint on the place and us; it felt we were celebrating something very special, with two very special people.
