To begin with, I saw this site out my living room window one afternoon.
You have to admit - this isn't something you commonly see. There was only one thing it could be, and you've guessed it - it's part of the bachelor party.
This "conveyance" was made by the groom's friends who were dressed alike in T-shirts. I guess they were actually proud to be seen with this thing.
They decorated it with rubber chickens - not quite sure what that's supposed to represent.
After getting his ride ready, the groom's friends pick him up, put him in a chicken costume and then proceed to take him to the four village bars and get him as drunk as possible.
They achieved their goal. By the time they got to Burschi's several hours later, the last stop on their "village tour," the groom, Mario, could barely stand up.
The bride's friends were a little more sedate, I think, but then I didn't see them at the end of the evening.
This is her carriage. From the flags and pictures, I assume she took a recent trip to Great Britain.
The ladies prepare to pick up the bride.
And here's the bride, Claudia, ready to be conveyed around the village.
Here's the group. Claudia is in front, and our friend, Ljuba, is in the kneeling row on the left.
There was about the same number of guys celebrating with Mario, but I never saw them lined up nicely like this!
American women would be disappointed, but I never saw any engagement rings in Austria. Actually, now that I think about it, I don't recall any diamond wedding rings either. Everyone seemed to wear plain bands made of metal (usually not gold). When I say "everyone," it's kind of a misnomer. It seemed to us that very few people get married in Europe; they just live together. And if they do marry, it seems to be after several years of cohabiting. We asked why and were told that they just "don't see the need for it." If they're Austrian or Croatian, they're Catholic and wear rings on the third finger of the left hand; on the other hand (literally), Orthodox Serbs wear it on the right hand.
So there were less weddings than we expected. We got decent pictures of three village weddings and offer a representative sampling.
Sometimes there would be a member of the Austrian Police (no local departments) before things got started.
The village band plays at many events during the year and are hired for all the weddings. They are led by people, usually friends of the bride and groom, carrying pitchers and glasses. They lead the band; first they go to the maid of honor and groom's homes, then the groom's house, then the bride's. They pay the parents to open the doors, but that is just symbolic nowadays. They offer schnapps every place they go, like at every event in Austria. Since I could hear music in the distance, I guess the band plays, too.
This is another group leading the band at another wedding.
And a third wedding. The blond woman leading the band at this wedding is Claudia, the bride at another one.
Notice that the bands are walking from right to left in my pictures. Wherever they live in the village, they gather at Schoko's and head uphill to the Gemeindeamt (city hall) for the legally-required civil ceremony. It's performed by the Standesbeamter, the Austrian equivalent of a Justice of the Peace. The guests all crowd into the city hall.
The bride is being escorted by the Austrian version of best man (not by her father in the American custom), followed by her groom with the equivalent of maid of honor.
The bride and groom's parents lead the rest of the guests.
All the guests, including those in wheelchairs, make the 1/4 mile trek with them.
A second wedding follows the same pattern. The bride and groom are Claudia and Mario, from the bachelor and bachelorette parties.
The bride and groom's families
Two of the guests at this wedding were familiar to us. Two of Burschi's sons, Thomas in the middle in the gray suit, and Stefan, on the far right, attended with their ladies. It was a misty day; note that many of them are carrying umbrellas (usually toted by the men - as it should be).
A third wedding party
Everyone, even the kids, walk at the same measured pace.
The number of guests seems to vary only slightly. They seemed to have 75 to 100 guests each.
About an hour later, the band leads everyone back down the street to the church for the religious ceremony.
The bride is still escorted by the best man and the groom likewise by the maid of honor. I don't get that since they are now legally married.
The guests trail them back down the street.
The band leads another wedding party from the Gemeindeamt to the village church.
I don't know why Claudia is carrying the basket. It could have held flowers or bread, I suppose. These women always wear the traditional Austrian dirndl.
Another bride with the best man
Almost there. Schoko's, on the far right is where they originally started; you can see the steeple of the church around the corner where they're heading now.
The ceremonies are finally over. About an hour-and-a-half later, the band leads everyone back up the street to Ivanschitz for the reception (across the street from the Gemeindeamt). Ivanschitz is the largest restaurant in town and hosts most of the wedding receptions and other events.
The bride and groom finally get to walk together. The last 1/4 mile trek - I wonder what kind of shoes these brides wear.
The maid of honor and best man follow the bride and groom.
They're still walking at that slow pace, but I'll bet they're really looking forward to the food. The whole shebang started around 1:00 pm, and it's now after 4:00. The reception will last till after midnight. Sometimes, there will be some fireworks around ten.
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