Big Fat Polish Wedding Number One

Flying high on our way to Poland!

The gorgeous church where the weddings took place

As promised here is my full recap from wedding #1. So the fiancé and I really cut it close in terms of flight times, as in we flew in at 12:30 pm and the wedding started at 5 pm. But luckily for us we made it (by a hair) but we made it!
The wedding began with a traditional church service after which the newlyweds greeted all their guests outside the church. Then came an element I wasn't familiar with. Apparently, it's traditional to create a "gate" to block the exit of the bride and groom from the church. This gate can be made out of anything, a human chain, items or in this case interlocking umbrellas. Just a fun way to get the festive atmosphere started!

Blocking the newlyweds way with an umbrella "gate"

The happy couple made it through their umbrella gate fairly quickly and we headed to the reception to let the real fun begin! As I mentioned in my previous posts, Polish weddings feature lots of food and vodka. Naturally, this one was no different! The couple also personalized their vodka bottles with a sweet message for their guests, which I thought was a really cute way to communicate with everyone (not to mention an amazing attention to detail!)

Personalized vodka bottles

The reception continued with lots of dancing (and eating and drinking of course). And then came the games, an element of Polish weddings that I love! That's right during the reception, guests played several fun games that kept everyone entertained (also a great idea for people that maybe aren't too keen on the dancing) and there were prizes to boot! From a modified version of musical chairs (where participants had to grab items before trying to snag a seat) to other unique contests, the games really added a fun touch that you'd probably never find at weddings stateside. (Editor's note: I'm shamelessly stealing these ideas for our wedding!!)

Round and round the chairs we go..

All too quickly, at around 5 am, the night was over. It was awesome to see all my family members and take part in this beautiful wedding! And seeing this real Polish wedding gave me some great ideas for our own big day. An added bonus: this was the first time my entire immediate family was back in Poland since we emigrated 19 years ago. Great times all around :)