Our ‘wedding’ quote
This was one of our wedding quotes – it was on the invites and included in the wedding speech.
Love it as it displays for me what love should be like.
Happy moments
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I wonder why . . .
I wonder why . . .
…every single piece you need for a wedding is three times more expensive than usual.
Have you ever heard of wedding bubbles? These bubbles are normal bubbles, the difference is that they come in form of a wedding cake for example AND three times smaller than the normal ones but cost the triple. Are people honestly that stupid to buy them? Otherwise I have no explanation why they still exist. The same for a cake. As soon as you mention the word wedding prices going upwards – but isn’t the cake made of the same ingredients as any other cake on this earth?
A really nice tailored and exclusive evening or even ball gown is less than the half of a wedding dress. Where’s the big difference? Apart from the color the work should be the same, shouldn’t it?
To save at least quite a bit of money we decided to do a bit of ‘DIY’ work ourselves.
We did for instance the invites. It took me ages and fingers full of glue but in the end it was something completely unique.
Also the placeholders\seatcards – I didn’t like the idea of buying general ones and just put the names on it. As the wedding took place in my parents’ garden and it’s all a bit vintage I bought small black plates like little chalkboards and wrote the guest names in silver on them.
Don’t hesitate to do things yourself as it seems more complicated as it will be and you give your wedding your stamp.
Faithfully,
Miss Faith
Attached a few pictures of DIY things from our wedding.
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Our summer wedding in the garden – part VII and last
Our summer wedding in the garden – part VII and last
And then there was only one thing left – a good sit-down in a garden lighted up with several fire places to let dinner settle and enjoy the slightly cooler temperature. Music for those who would like to dance and blankets for those who weren’t heated up the we were.
We didn’t had a couples first dance as my husband isn’t a dancer and my whole family isn’t as well. So even more a highlight of the evening as my dad started to dance with me. A father daughter dance, I think he didn’t even dance when he married mom so it was another very precious moment for me.
The atmosphere of the garden was awesome and at midnight we had the wedding soup to warm up from the inside although it wasn’t ended at least not for me. I was thinking before what to wear in the night as my dress had a cut out back but I wasn’t freezing at all.
We were enjoying our day to the fullest and even after all guests left we were still listening to the music, sitting outside for a while with mom and dad and my sister until around 3 am.
What should I say?
Our wedding was exactly how we wished it would be and it will always stay as this in our memories. A perfect & wonderful long summer wedding day!
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Our summer wedding in the garden – part IV
Our summer wedding in the garden – part IV
The reception started and everyone was hugging and congratulating while saying cheers to the couple, handing over gifts and flowers. I just felt like the happiest person on earth at that moment.
We had all our loved ones around us and the moment was perfect.
As this villa were we married has big stairs into a garden, we told the photographer upfront that we would like to have a picture of the whole wedding party exactly there on the stairs with my little cousin as flower girl in front of us.
She was proud to have these important tasks – she was also responsible to bring us the wedding rings during the ceremony. So cute!
Time to throw the bouquet.
I started to pick up all the single women and went up the staircase. They were gathering behind me and after I threw it I glimpsed while turning around that my best friend was almost jumping like a basketball player to get the bouquet.
After the reception all guests started to drive or walk to our garden and we stayed with the photographer and went straight out into the beautiful summer afternoon for some sun-kissed, romantic bride and groom photos.
The plan was that we arrive in our garden when all guests were sitting and had coffee or tea in front of them so that I can start my bridal speech before we cut the cake and open the cake buffet.
What I wasn’t aware of and I think my husband although hadn’t planned it like that is that he asked me after we parked the car if I want to walk up the street towards our house. I was wondering what he meant, why shouldn’t I be able to walk these 100 meters?
All of a sudden he grabbed me and started to carry me towards the garden.
Unfortunately no one was aware that he will do that so only a few saw our arrival and we don’t have pictures of him carrying his wife.
But the surprise was so lovely that I will never forget it.
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Wedding DIY
Here’s just a bit of what I prepared up to now for our upcoming wedding.
Handkerchiefs for happy tears
Small tags to hang in a tree (we celebrate in a garden)
A sign for the guestbook
The motto of the day
Our menu cards
Seat cards
I’m more than keen now to see it all on its place – pics of the real wedding decoration will for sure follow.
Take care!
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Insanity or just a bride to be?
Insanity or just a bride to be?
Did you ever plan a wedding?
My wedding ticker on the web is telling me “31 days to go”. And yes, you got it, I have a wedding ticker. Is that still me?!?
I tried to look at myself and what I’m up to during these days and realized that I am one of these brides I was joking about before. If you would have asked me how to marry the clear answer was in the same second “just a tiny formal celebration and then off to honeymoon”. Where is this woman now?
I catch myself being more on google and wedding web pages than sleeping.
And I start to make these noises. You know, these bride noises when she’s looking at something soooo cute, like “Aaaaaah” and “Ooooooh”, which means “I need that too!”
My husband to be is already asking me almost daily if we are still within the budget. Me, the one who tried to save where possible, seeing myself thinking about wedding bubbles where the price is three times higher than for normal ones.
Is that phenomenon normal or is it just me going insane?
But at least I’m still able to judge properly and I don’t know how exactly but yes, I kept the budget (so far).
31 days and while the day is getting closer I seem to relax mainly. Mainly because my subconsciousness seems to have another sight. A few days ago I woke up and knew that I dreamt of an awful wedding but luckily I wasn’t able to recall details.
As nice and perfect as a wedding should be, it’s a bit scary too, isn’t it? It’s not that I have doubts, not at all. It’s more than sure that I will say “Yes, I do!”, I mean the whole day. Will it be like we want it to be? Do we have higher expectations than what’s possible? And how will I survive my speech? Yes, the bride’s speech. Which is unusual, I know, but I said I will do it and now I have to. No way back. Just because I did it more than often in my job doesn’t mean I will get a word out on my wedding day – this was my personal misjudging. Here we go, the bride will look like a zombie while crying and trying to finish a sentence in front of all. I have to rehearse before but it will never reflect the situation…lets hope I’m doing it at least with not too many tears and interruptions.
For the time being I’m just happy that almost everything is prepared and planned so I have around 20 days to calm down. How to do that best? Any tips – they are more than welcome.
Still faithfully,
Miss Faith
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Wedding traditions
Wedding traditions
Which wedding traditions do we want on our wedding day and what is completely not our style?
There are so many typical things and some are even “expected” by guests but what we decided is to make our day as comfortable for us as we want it.
So here’s a list of traditions we will/may have:
– the husband is not allowed to see the bridal gown before the wedding day! That’s for sure.
– the wedding kiss – maybe even double as my husband could kiss my forehead also as this is more convenient to him.
– something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.
– the husband has to be at the registry office or the place where the wedding will take place before the bride arrives. My dad will guide me into the room.
– a little girl which will bring the wedding bands to the couple
– flower petals, this is a maybe as we have to check first if it is allowed.
– cutting the wedding cake
– witnesses, even if they aren’t officially needed nowadays. They will be his uncle and my dad. Quite nice as we have a Libyan tradition inserted where both, bride and groom, have an older married man as witness.
– gifts for the bride’s parents, sisters and brothers from the groom and vice versa (means from the bride to the groom’s family)
– to feed each other as sign of the caring for each other. It can be milk, dates or the first piece of the wedding cake.
– carry the wife over the threshold.
– a morning giving
What we for sure don’t want:
– spending the night before the wedding apart.
– hen night
– dancing
– bridesmaids
– kidnapping the bride
– a penny in the shoe, I will wear sandals
– wedding newspaper
– doves
– games
– veil dance
The list may grow on on both sides, I have the feeling as if we are still at the beginning of our planning although many things are prepared or planned already.
If you have nice ideas please which aren’t listed here please share them – at least the bride can never get enough hints and tips on what’s possible…
Greetings from the bride to be, Miss Faith
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The Wedding Dress
The Wedding DressI never imagined how hard it can be to find a wedding dress.
I always said I’m not the typical woman when it comes to a wedding. Never dreamt of being a princess for one day. And then I detect myself in front of thousands of dresses to like some which fit totally in the picture of a princess.
Was that the flood of pictures or what was it? At least I’m glad that I realized it myself before doing the final choice. What could be worse than walking down the aisle in a dress which let everyone stare at me in disbelief – murmuring “where’s she, that couldn’t be her?” or “what drugs is she taking recently?”.
But even with a clear mind I still had the problem of ‘being a woman’. How should we choose one when there are so many nice styles?
I reduced it a bit by buying the shoes and the bag before the dress which is limiting the dress style itself a bit and fortunately NO princess dress is going along with my shoes!
So what to do now? Once bought its yours, and if alterations have been made its even more yours.
Here the realistic Miss Faith started to think – as realistic as a bride to be – I have to add this as brides are never 100% realistic.
We will celebrate in a garden which means long trains don’t make sense as well as dresses who are too expensive. Who wants the bride to stay in the house the whole day because she’s too scared that she may have grass ruining her dress?
Our wedding should be kind of laid-back, summer, garden, loved ones around us, a big summer barbecue with a chocolate fountain as dessert. Kids running around maybe with ice cream when it’s hot in August.
The realistic bride decided now to order a dress from China, the prices are more than OK, reviews of the dresses more than Ok and I don’t have to worry in the end if something is happening to my dress.
The only thing I have to worry about is how long it will take until its here and if its fitting properly.
And here comes the “being a woman” Miss Faith – to be on the safe side I just ordered two different dresses from two different sellers and the total price is more than good so I won’t have to worry about little chocolate hands passing by my dress or pieces of cake falling in my lap.
I like both styles so much that I’m not able right now to decide which one it will be in the end and I would love to post picture here to hear your opinions but the groom knows the blog and he is not allowed to get a clue of what I may wear!
Now it’s time to keep fingers crossed until they hopefully arrive and I can make the final decision.
The story will continue…
I always said I’m not the typical woman when it comes to a wedding. Never dreamt of being a princess for one day. And then I detect myself in front of thousands of dresses to like some which fit totally in the picture of a princess.
Was that the flood of pictures or what was it? At least I’m glad that I realized it myself before doing the final choice. What could be worse than walking down the aisle in a dress which let everyone stare at me in disbelief – murmuring “where’s she, that couldn’t be her?” or “what drugs is she taking recently?”.
But even with a clear mind I still had the problem of ‘being a woman’. How should we choose one when there are so many nice styles?
I reduced it a bit by buying the shoes and the bag before the dress which is limiting the dress style itself a bit and fortunately NO princess dress is going along with my shoes!
So what to do now? Once bought its yours, and if alterations have been made its even more yours.
Here the realistic Miss Faith started to think – as realistic as a bride to be – I have to add this as brides are never 100% realistic.
We will celebrate in a garden which means long trains don’t make sense as well as dresses who are too expensive. Who wants the bride to stay in the house the whole day because she’s too scared that she may have grass ruining her dress?
Our wedding should be kind of laid-back, summer, garden, loved ones around us, a big summer barbecue with a chocolate fountain as dessert. Kids running around maybe with ice cream when it’s hot in August.
The realistic bride decided now to order a dress from China, the prices are more than OK, reviews of the dresses more than Ok and I don’t have to worry in the end if something is happening to my dress.
The only thing I have to worry about is how long it will take until its here and if its fitting properly.
And here comes the “being a woman” Miss Faith – to be on the safe side I just ordered two different dresses from two different sellers and the total price is more than good so I won’t have to worry about little chocolate hands passing by my dress or pieces of cake falling in my lap.
I like both styles so much that I’m not able right now to decide which one it will be in the end and I would love to post picture here to hear your opinions but the groom knows the blog and he is not allowed to get a clue of what I may wear!
Now it’s time to keep fingers crossed until they hopefully arrive and I can make the final decision.
The story will continue…
Keep the faith – you only win if you take a risk sometimes.
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The Wedding Wish Jar
The Wedding Wish Jar
I read a few weeks ago about a nice idea for the wedding party.
The wedding wish jar, comes from the US, and is a glass where guests put little notes in on which they pin down wishes, tips, nice words for the newlyweds.
We are not connected to the US at all but I want this jar on my wedding as I like the idea.
It’s even nice to say we take it with us on honeymoon afterwards to read in peace what our guests wrote and recap like this the happiness from our wedding day.
That’s our wedding wish jar, which hopefully soon is filled with lots of notes.
Faithfully, the wedding Miss maniac bride Faith
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Wedding maniac
Wedding maniac
My intention was to write posts during my days off around Easter and what happened?
Google seems to be my best friend nowadays and I spent time on thousands of bridal dress pages, wedding tradition pages, wedding planning pages, wedding…pages.
Here comes the wedding maniac – that’s the new nick name my husband to be gave me shortly.
But that’s how women are, isn’t it. I would be scared if I’m not planning and checking and organizing and and and – I told him he has to appreciate it as a sign of my love for him and to have the day planned as best as possible 😉
I promise to try my best and write ‘updates’ from time to time.
Faithfully, Wedding maniac formerly Miss Faith
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Wedding brainstorming – part I
Wedding brainstorming – part IMy mind is crowded during these days with everything related to our planned wedding.
A wedding is exciting but what do you think a binational wedding is? I didn’t thought that it’s so hard to plan as you need to keep in mind the timeframe.
Biggest problem for us will be the final date.
As long as all personal documents from my future husband are under review we just can stay calm and wait for a reply. This reply is essential for the further planning as it could be good, means everything is ok and we can go ahead and schedule a date, but it could also be that we have to bring something additional and the whole package has to be send in again for a review.
As not even one of these papers has to be older than six month we are facing a tight schedule.
What does it mean exactly? It means we have to plan a whole wedding within a half year but we won’t be sure until around eight weeks before the wedding if it could really take place or if we have to start the whole process again.
Did someone ever planned a wedding within six month? I think that’s already a challenge but what about eight weeks?
The main problem is that we cannot invite someone more than eight weeks before as we will not have a date. And who will be able to confirm his or her attendance without exact dates?
Therefore we have no clue how many guests we will have, how much food we need or which location will fit.
A wedding planner will quit his job at this stage as its almost impossible to book a location within eight weeks unless you don’t care about how it looks like. I do care! The last I want for my wedding is a crappy location. To get out of this challenge we said we will have a small intimate celebration with just family and best friends around so that all will fit in the garden of my parents house.
This plan was nice until some became aware of our upcoming wedding.
The draft guest list went from around twenty five to fourth five within a couple of weeks.
It seems as if our loved ones are sure they will be able to attend without knowing a date, which is causing us the next problem. My parents garden is really so nice but it’s not a park!
Where to start and where to stop now? I have no idea, my fiancé will be here with me in a few days and I can’t wait to discuss all these things with him face to face instead of talking on Skype with interrupted connections from time to time.
Until then I try to stay calm and stop thinking too much. Everything happens for a reason and I believe in it even when reality let me struggle from time to time. As long as I can think it was fine in the end.
Faithfully, Miss Faith
A wedding is exciting but what do you think a binational wedding is? I didn’t thought that it’s so hard to plan as you need to keep in mind the timeframe.
Biggest problem for us will be the final date.
As long as all personal documents from my future husband are under review we just can stay calm and wait for a reply. This reply is essential for the further planning as it could be good, means everything is ok and we can go ahead and schedule a date, but it could also be that we have to bring something additional and the whole package has to be send in again for a review.
As not even one of these papers has to be older than six month we are facing a tight schedule.
What does it mean exactly? It means we have to plan a whole wedding within a half year but we won’t be sure until around eight weeks before the wedding if it could really take place or if we have to start the whole process again.
Did someone ever planned a wedding within six month? I think that’s already a challenge but what about eight weeks?
The main problem is that we cannot invite someone more than eight weeks before as we will not have a date. And who will be able to confirm his or her attendance without exact dates?
Therefore we have no clue how many guests we will have, how much food we need or which location will fit.
A wedding planner will quit his job at this stage as its almost impossible to book a location within eight weeks unless you don’t care about how it looks like. I do care! The last I want for my wedding is a crappy location. To get out of this challenge we said we will have a small intimate celebration with just family and best friends around so that all will fit in the garden of my parents house.
This plan was nice until some became aware of our upcoming wedding.
The draft guest list went from around twenty five to fourth five within a couple of weeks.
It seems as if our loved ones are sure they will be able to attend without knowing a date, which is causing us the next problem. My parents garden is really so nice but it’s not a park!
Where to start and where to stop now? I have no idea, my fiancé will be here with me in a few days and I can’t wait to discuss all these things with him face to face instead of talking on Skype with interrupted connections from time to time.
Until then I try to stay calm and stop thinking too much. Everything happens for a reason and I believe in it even when reality let me struggle from time to time. As long as I can think it was fine in the end.
Faithfully, Miss Faith
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The proposal
The proposal
Did I mentioned already that I’m the happiest person on earth right now?
And did I mentioned already that I’m engaged? Engaged like going to marry, like starting really an adult life, being serious and sharing my life with a precious person?
If not, then you know it now – yes, I said yes to THE question.
The question we saw so many movies about, the most romantic moment in a women’s life…there are many mysteries about how a proposal should be to be perfect.
Luckily for my fiancé I’m not a girly, princess-like woman who loves pink and dreams about a wedding in a castle.
To be honest I don’t even like all this stuff. I like to be a woman, to dress up sometimes, to look beautiful, I have my nails done etcetera but if it comes to wedding ceremonies I like it pure and small.
How did he ask me?
The sky was red, the sun fading in the horizon, music was playing far away and brought to us by a summer breeze, he kneeled down in front of me…blablabla…
No, that would have been the version many expect but not me.
I have to disappoint all now as this most intimate moment is something so pure and private and even if I’m really so so happy it is a moment that belongs to us. Just the two of us who sealed somehow our future way.
But what changes if you answer the question of all questions?
As a realistic thinking person I always thought it will not change my life too much as I will stay the same person but I was totally wrong.
This feeling of connecting, of sealing a bond for the rest of my life, it’s something so new and exciting. For instance, I wear rings, always, and I change them according to my mood, but when we bought the engagement rings it was different. (Also finding the right ones was different or special but that’s another story – haha. The rebel in me wasn’t convinced of all these couple rings.) I’m hardly taking it off nowadays and whenever I look at it my heart is bumping. There is my second half present in this ring and giving me the feeling of being loved, wanted, needed, taken care of – no doubts just entirely happiness. It’s kind of weird as I never could imagine how it would be and that a tiny question could change so many things but it does. I think even if I would start to write a full book about it it will never catch all emotions as you have to experience them.
The dimension of a relationship changes in the second and I love it!
More stories soon and up to then, keep the faith!
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A wedding in Greece 2009
A wedding in Greece 2009
You are getting more memories about the travels in my life.
One amazing and completely unexpected was attending a wedding in Greece. I didn’t knew either bride or groom. My best friend from childhood days called me a few weeks prior to the wedding date and asked me to accompany him. He was invited by them to their wedding in her home town and didn’t want to go alone. A nice surprise as it was more than a welcome for me. I hadn’t planned any holidays and to go to Greece for five days was a good plan. Two other friends of him travelled there also and we decided upfront not to stay for the two days but to stay one week and hire a car. Mid September promised to have nice weather and it turned out to be true.
We four met at Thessaloniki airport and from first sight it was clear that we like each other and will make the best out of this short stay.
The couple was awaiting us at the hotel reception to give us the time schedule for the wedding days and they were so lovely. Since a long time a couple I met which was truly meant to be together. For the first night we just picked a small local restaurant and ordered a mix of different local dishes – try it if you ever go to Greece – it was delicious and not our last visit to a local restaurant. For the next evening the eve-of-the-wedding-party was planned where I’m not entirely sure if it was German or Greek or both’s traditions. It was a mix of cultures with the typical throwing crockery but also live music to dance the sirtaki, greek barbecue and German music, people talking without knowing the same language, an amazing evening or night to remember. But it was only the start. The big wedding was on the next day and fortunately not starting in the morning as we all were a bit sleepy. After a long and big breakfast the women were getting their hair done by an extra ordered stylist whereas most of the men went for a nap on the beach.
When all were ready we drove to a small Greek-orthodox church in the middle of a tiny village. It was so small that not even all guests were able to stay inside during the ceremony but that was handled easily. Doors just left open and from outside you still heard partly how the ceremony was conducted. But before we all including the stylish groom were waiting for the bride to arrive. The stylish groom? He was wearing a shiny light blue suit with a solver belt and silver shoes. Sounds weird but it was first suiting him and second to know he bet with the bride to surprise her with an unnormal outfit and she wasn’t believing him. So the moment they met in front of the church was lots of laughter and also lots of love flowing between them. The ceremony itself was held in Greek but was nice to watch. After that lots of rice was “raining” on the newlyweds which is still allowed there. I learned that its forbidden in Germany because the doves are eating too much of it and then kind of explode afterwards. And then the party started. You an say about Greek people what you like but one thing they absolutely can is celebrating. Even the oldest stayed until late at night and danced the Sirtaki. I can’t remember when I danced the last time a whole night long but this night was great. And after all the different courses of the menu also a good thing, some may take Ouzo as digestives, I prefer the Sirtaki. Many ended up after lots of ouzo and dancing to go for a swim in the early still dark morning hours which amused the rest of us. We went to bed around five in the morning which was a clear sign that the wedding was a full success not only for the bride and groom but also for the guests.
The few days we stayed afterwards were great relaxation and a bit of visiting heritage sites in Greece. I still have a reminder in my flat from this wedding as the bride was giving me one of a few olive branch crowns. She explained that her task is to give them to the persons she wants to get a special portion of luck in future and even if we met just a few days before she decided that I’m one of them. I was honored and this crown has now a place in flat, I keep it there as a reminder of this wonderful stay. Amazon.de Widgets
We four met at Thessaloniki airport and from first sight it was clear that we like each other and will make the best out of this short stay.
The couple was awaiting us at the hotel reception to give us the time schedule for the wedding days and they were so lovely. Since a long time a couple I met which was truly meant to be together. For the first night we just picked a small local restaurant and ordered a mix of different local dishes – try it if you ever go to Greece – it was delicious and not our last visit to a local restaurant. For the next evening the eve-of-the-wedding-party was planned where I’m not entirely sure if it was German or Greek or both’s traditions. It was a mix of cultures with the typical throwing crockery but also live music to dance the sirtaki, greek barbecue and German music, people talking without knowing the same language, an amazing evening or night to remember. But it was only the start. The big wedding was on the next day and fortunately not starting in the morning as we all were a bit sleepy. After a long and big breakfast the women were getting their hair done by an extra ordered stylist whereas most of the men went for a nap on the beach.
When all were ready we drove to a small Greek-orthodox church in the middle of a tiny village. It was so small that not even all guests were able to stay inside during the ceremony but that was handled easily. Doors just left open and from outside you still heard partly how the ceremony was conducted. But before we all including the stylish groom were waiting for the bride to arrive. The stylish groom? He was wearing a shiny light blue suit with a solver belt and silver shoes. Sounds weird but it was first suiting him and second to know he bet with the bride to surprise her with an unnormal outfit and she wasn’t believing him. So the moment they met in front of the church was lots of laughter and also lots of love flowing between them. The ceremony itself was held in Greek but was nice to watch. After that lots of rice was “raining” on the newlyweds which is still allowed there. I learned that its forbidden in Germany because the doves are eating too much of it and then kind of explode afterwards. And then the party started. You an say about Greek people what you like but one thing they absolutely can is celebrating. Even the oldest stayed until late at night and danced the Sirtaki. I can’t remember when I danced the last time a whole night long but this night was great. And after all the different courses of the menu also a good thing, some may take Ouzo as digestives, I prefer the Sirtaki. Many ended up after lots of ouzo and dancing to go for a swim in the early still dark morning hours which amused the rest of us. We went to bed around five in the morning which was a clear sign that the wedding was a full success not only for the bride and groom but also for the guests.
The few days we stayed afterwards were great relaxation and a bit of visiting heritage sites in Greece. I still have a reminder in my flat from this wedding as the bride was giving me one of a few olive branch crowns. She explained that her task is to give them to the persons she wants to get a special portion of luck in future and even if we met just a few days before she decided that I’m one of them. I was honored and this crown has now a place in flat, I keep it there as a reminder of this wonderful stay. Amazon.de Widgets
Thanks to Anna and Dino!
