My big fat Belgian Wedding

We were greeted by mountains of luggage in Brussels airport, thanks to baggage union flexing their muscles, more pay for the baggage handlers was the main reason for all the vexation. We found our luggage without much stress. Met the friendliest Finn that I know, Jouko, for dinner at a Brasserie down the road from our hotel. He was clearly floored by our humble hotel, said he knows now how the other half lives. I told him we are also very grateful to the nice Mr. Hilton for all the points that I have accumulated and allowing me to use them. The Conrad Hilton was great, fit for a King, but not my style. I got my steak Tartar fix that I have been craving for more than a year. Of course we had mussels and frits for appetizers. All of this with the friendly Finn. Our wedding day started with a 9.15 am pickup from the hotel and drove to Marc's to-be inlaws place for champagne and photos. Many shutter clicks and gulps later, the bride and the groom mount the silver opentop 80's Mercedes roadster and head to the townhall for the wedding registration. The Mayor, who consummated the wedding, officiously welcomed us in and did a great job by keeping the whole wedding party giggling again. Jouko was the official clicker. The wedding was solemnized with rings on a volleyball ( they met at volleyball match), we cheered, the bride smeared lipstick on Marc and the rest stared at the happy couple. Flooded with emotion, we drank more champagne. A bit tipsy and happy, the wedding party gracefully exited the Municipal office and headed to the ‘surprise’ location for the photo shoot. It was in a very old and well run farm surrounded by radish and wheat fields. Some bride and groom throwing (no jokes) and many flickers later, we went down the road towards the fields and clicked some more group photos. I got some great pics of the horses. Looking at the very picturesque wheat fields, I felt like Van Gogh – Inspired (and not thinking of shooting my ear off). An hour and half after noon, we decided it was time for some Belgian lunch. More champagne and very tasty food later we headed to the venue of the evening festivities at about 4. There were 2 receptions, a short round with those who were not going to stay for dinner and the gala dinner. The whole affair was very stylish and the evening festivities were precipitated by a river of champagne that never stopped flowing. We drank some champagne otherwise our host may have felt offended. We were less successful in not offending the wait staff because we kept turning down the entrées, ate too much for lunch. There was a small ceremony for about 45 minutes before dinner. Friends and family told stories about the 2 while a guitarist and solo singer hummed in the background. Friends also sung. Though we did not get much of what was said, it was really personal. The ceremony was closed with atleast hundred balloons released into the air. Filled with all this nostalgia, we just had to drink some champagne. We sat at the INSEAD table for the 5 course meal. The bride and groom danced, the groom and bride danced and then we all danced with the bride and groom. The star of the evening was UDO. Now this guy can sing, he was a finalist in the Belgian equivalent of American Idol. Very nice touch by the parents. Imagine Sanjaya at your wedding? We partied till about 4:00 in the morning, the party closed at 6:30am. I switched to beer after midnight, no more champagne for a while. We have done many weddings this year, this one stands out in my mind for many reasons but most of all was because how friendly people were to us. We met everyone at the wedding for the first time (excluding the INSEADers) though that did not stop Marc’s friends and family giving us company the whole time we were there and made sure that we were attended to all the time. We really felt welcome there. I suspect it has a bit to do with Belgian hospitality.