Wedding Stuff

[jennieh 0]

Yeah especially if its mint tea you know how long that will take to make? I kind of miss drinking that stuff!

[honeyblonde 0]

Sharon, all 3 dresses were rented. I didn't even know it was for me. Abdel and I walked off while they were negotiating the deal for the rentals because the shop owner's daughter was staring at him and it was making both of us very uncomfortable. You can imagine how shocked I was when we got home and I was telling his niece about her when I looked up and the girl was standing in front of the bedroom door watching us. She had come with her mother to deliver the dress for the henna ceremony.

I hated the pink dress because it hung in a way that made me look naked. I call it the naked dress now. It is pretty, just way too revealing in it's fit.

After Abdel's niece told his sister about the girl, his sister told the lady to get her daughter out of the house and never bring her back. The next day the lady practically rushed us through the ceremony to get me out of the last dress so she could leave. She actually stayed as close to me as possible throughout the whole thing to guard all the jewelry. I guess it must have been pretty expensive, but we were just renting it for a few hours.

[MrsAmera 41]

Sorry gals I sorta went AWOL after I posted this! Youssef and I went to visit some family for the weekend. So about our "tea toast," we've been experimenting because it's impossible to make it in a large batch you know? So far we have tried making smaller pots (still larger than their normal pot size) like in a normal teapot here. and mixing it so that it tastes right and that has been working. Then we just transfer it into a large like coffee carafe (you know what I'm talking about what like churches use to serve a ton of cups of coffee and keep it hot). That way even if it cools we can keep it hot in there or re-heat it. We've been practicing and so far so good. THen when it comes time it will just be getting all of it out while it's still hot. Because the tea cups are much smaller than a normal coffee cup we don't need to make "A TON" of tea. Our caterer isn't making the tea - we're taking care of that and then they will just serve it to the guests. *sigh* we'll see how it goes but we really didn't want a champagne toast and so we thought the tea was perfect.

honeyblonde - if you could PM me with the details about the dates and milk that would be great!

Also thanks for the tip on arabic music - youssef is going to check it out later. Keep the suggestions coming!

[landp 0]

Sorry gals I sorta went AWOL after I posted this! Youssef and I went to visit some family for the weekend. So about our "tea toast," we've been experimenting because it's impossible to make it in a large batch you know? So far we have tried making smaller pots (still larger than their normal pot size) like in a normal teapot here. and mixing it so that it tastes right and that has been working. Then we just transfer it into a large like coffee carafe (you know what I'm talking about what like churches use to serve a ton of cups of coffee and keep it hot). That way even if it cools we can keep it hot in there or re-heat it. We've been practicing and so far so good. THen when it comes time it will just be getting all of it out while it's still hot. Because the tea cups are much smaller than a normal coffee cup we don't need to make "A TON" of tea. Our caterer isn't making the tea - we're taking care of that and then they will just serve it to the guests. *sigh* we'll see how it goes but we really didn't want a champagne toast and so we thought the tea was perfect.

honeyblonde - if you could PM me with the details about the dates and milk that would be great!

Also thanks for the tip on arabic music - youssef is going to check it out later. Keep the suggestions coming!

LADIES,

try the moroccan tea bags from stash...it's not the tradtional loose tea, but when you let it steep it takes just like that back at home - of coure you wanna sweeten it. Go to www.stashtea.com and look for the moroccan tea....we gave it out to our guests for a favor. Since we had our reception at a moroccan restauarnt they made the tea for us..

[kerewin21 2]

Wow, Amera, you are BRAVE making tea for 200 people!!!!

I think we'll probably stick with champagne

Did you ever find out the exact significance of the dates and milk? I found an arabic music band (I'm psyched) and they're going to announce our entrance and I thought when we entered we'd do the dates/milk thing... but I don't know what to have him say about it!!!

I'm also getting a BELLY DANCER!!! It's going to be out of control, I don't know how my parents' friends are going to take it; I really hope it's fun. I was talking to my father's cousin about it (she's a very stiff kind of person) and told her to wear appropriate shoes because it would be outside, weather-permitting, and she was like, OUTSIDE?!?? I didn't mention the belly dancer.

It should be an interesting afternoon

[cbd2cai 0]

Yeah!!! A BELLY DANCER! LOL.

In Egypt you will see a belly dancer leading the zeffa . . . sometimes with a shamadan on her head. I don't know what they have a belly dancer do for Moroccan weddings other than dance and encourage everyone to have fun.

LOL, last year before I got married in Egypt, I went to a workshop here in Dallas where the dancer (Egyptian brought from Cairo) taught a shamadan dance. Wow, those things are heavy and it is hard to move and dance with it on your head. Then I jokingly said to Ahmed that I could lead the zeffa at my own wedding. He was like "what? are you serious? NO!!!" . . . of course, not, because it wouldn't be a smart thing to do . . not even dancing as a belly dancer at your own wedding would be a smart thing to do. They don't view belly dancers as very respectable women in Egypt. But that is a whole nother conversation, LOL!

[honeyblonde 0]

Sharon, Abdel says the milk and dates is like our cake and champagne here. I understand from him that it's similar, but I also know that it is as significant as exchanging vows because when we got back to the house the first day his sisters had us do milk and dates and then were ok with us going in the bedroom alone together, if you catch my drift. To them, once we did the milk and dates, we were as good as married.

I know at our ceremony when they did them (for our second time!) everything was said in Arabic, so I don't know what they said!

[kerewin21 2]

Okay, I finally found the significance of the dates and the milk, plus some other moroccan wedding customs. The day before the wedding (maybe two days), all the women go to the hammam, then after they paint the bride with henna (with women from both families present). On the day of the wedding, the family of the groom comes to the bride's house to bring her to the groom's family's house. Before entering the groom's house, the groom's family (especially his mother) offers a bowl of milk and dates to the bride and breaks an egg (not sure exactly where?) or offers a key to welcome the bride to her house. I read somewhere that the milk symbolizes purity and the date represents happiness.

I'm not totally sure how I will use this information, but thought you guys might be interested. Here are the links for the information (unfortunately all in French)

http://www.marocinfo.net/to/content/view/1017/181/

http://www.beurfm.net/forum/archive/index.php/t-1473.html

http://www.comlive.net/sujet-22933-1767.html

[honeyblonde 0]

Thanks Sharon, that's cool to know.

[jordanianprincess 0]

I watched a show this weekend called "whose wedding is it anyway?" It was a multi-cultural wedding and the bride was mexican and the groom was afghani, but she did a morrocan themed wedding.

She had a wedding cake that looked like Morrocan pillows stacked on top of each other. It was really cute and a nice way to tie in some westen traditions if you want to do that.

[noura 0]

ok, so I've been meaning to post this and doggone it, now i'm realizing it's on my pc at work... will try again later.... BUT!!! I asked Said abt the milk and dates and he told me what it all means and my dang memory is slipping... I think the milk is for purity and the dates are for happiness.. something like that.

But, hahaha... we will be doing this ceremony while i'm there in the next few weeks, so i'm taking pics and will be sure to post the details upon my return.

5 more days, ladies... 5 more days til i leave!!!!!!!! 6 more days til i'm in his loving arms again!

Noura

[jordanianprincess 0]

Noura - I'm so happy for you! I hope you have a safe trip and a wonderful time with your sweetie. I wish I was going to Jordan!!!!!!!!

[noura 0]

http://www.weddingguru.com/wt_articles.asp?pk=15&group=

here is a link to wedding customs for many places... this is the moroccan one. it was interesting and informative except that it doesn't say anything abt the "milk & dates" - which is what some of us were looking for. However, it is worth a look and you can check out many countries customs...

just fyi...

Said sent this to me

Cheers!

Noura

[kerewin21 2]

Thanks for the link Noura, there was some good information there!

When I'm rich and famous, I'm going to have a big party in one of those villas in Fez!!!!