On the day of Rachael's wedding we got picked up at her house by cars as part of the wedding parade that would drive the couple miles to Hassan's house where the wedding would be held.
Before getting picked up we all got Rachael ready by doing her makeup, hair, and getting her dressed in her keftan, that was made for her, the dress she would wear all day until the wedding started.
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| Putting on mascara with the window that also acts as a mirror |
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| Aunt Karen doing Rachael's hair |
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| A mother-daughter moment |
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| A pretty bride in white |
We got in the cars and the drivers honked their horns the whole way. There was a pickup truck with probably 20 women in the parade all banging drums and chanting songs.
Once we arrived at Hassan's house we were taken to a room where we were able to hang around all day. We called it the VIP American room. We hung out there until lunch when we were given a large plate of sheep meat (with all the strange and exotic innards that go along with it). It wasn't anything that ticked my fancy however this is the best of the best to offer guests.
We hung out for the rest of the day until about five p.m. when Rachael got dressed again and we all came out of our cave into the open air. This was followed by a lot more hanging out until we ate dinner at 10 p.m.
All this hanging out was so doable because there were 15 Americans to spend time with. When a volunteer gets stuck at a Moroccan wedding as the only American there, hours can seem like days.
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| America's corner |
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| Playing cards to stay busy |
After we ate dinner the real wedding began. The music started and Rachael donned her first dress. She would wear five that night spending only about 20-30 minutes in each.
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| Rachael lifted high in the air, a little nerve wracking |
It was a long night, not ending until about four a.m. We were all so happy to be there with Rachael's family and to be there supporting her at her Moroccan wedding. Rachael didn't have much say in what went on during the whole event. She was just pretty much a pretty doll for all to see. I'm happy knowing that she will get to have her own American wedding which is scheduled for next September where she will be calling all the shots. We tried to infuse some American traditions into Rachael's wedding. She was wearing a blue garter, but that was not ceremoniously taken off.
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| The bride and groom with all the volunteers that came out for the wedding |
