CELEBRATION

In many communities of northern Europe, wedding celebrations went on for days. They were usually held at times when celebrations could be held outdoors -- and that didn't conflict with holy days or the all-important farming season.

We chose to have a celebration that was a little more than three days in length. We also used the names of the days as they were used in the dialect of Nordfjord, Norway, where the bride has a long line of family.

Fyrste Byllupsafta | Bryllupsafta | Bruradagjen | Skaaledagjen | Fridagjen | Heimdagjen

Fyrste Bryllupsafta - The Day Before the Wedding Eve

• All Day: Arrivals
• All Day: Free
• 7:00 p.m.: Dinner at Pizz'A Chicago

The day started early for us - with plenty of errands. Then..at around 10:00 a.m., the bride got a call on her cell phone from her pastor... Sue Hutchison of the San Jose Mercury News had written a wonderful article that appeared in the morning paper. The church received over FIFTY phone calls from people we did not know asking if they could come to the wedding. We and the church staff were astounded -- and it quickly became clear to us that the wedding was creating the very type of community that many of us crave in our modern society -- and don't see to get. You can read Sue's charming article, "Kilt-wearing Scot meets Scandinavian"!

The rest of the day was filled with errands and more errands...and more errands...and more errands. In fact, the groom's "bachelor party" was actually getting together with three of his friends to pick up the beer for the weekend. Pretty tame, huh? All our guests who were in in town were invited to welcome join us at 7:00 p.m. for a Dutch-treat Thursday Night Dinner at Pizz'A Chicago. We had a grand time!

Bryllupsafta - The Wedding Eve

• All Day: Arrivals
• Morning: Free
• 4:00 p.m.: Wedding Rehearsal
• 5:00 p.m.: Rehearsal Dinner
• 7:30 p.m.: Gathering and Pre-Nuptial Setup

The Wedding Rehearsal and Rehearsal Dinner were on Friday afternoon and included just our bridal party and a few family members in attendance. Because time with friends and family is precious, there was a prenuptial setup and gathering at the reception site - a "reception warm-up" and a chance for the "villagers" to get to know each other! The guests joined the rest of the bridal party at 7:30 p.m. at the reception hall for an evening of preparation, friendship, music and munchies. We all decorated for the next day's festivities, set up the reception, and enjoyed time with each other. We were not held responsible when musicians showed up and dancing broke out... The evening featured some of the best music we could offer -- and then some -- and there were dancers of all skill levels, as well as listeners who just wanted to enjoy the sounds! We even had a painless dance lesson or two for those guests who hadn't tried Scandinavian dancing -- or who hadn't danced at all.

Bruradagjen - The Bridal Day

We began our wedding day with an early breakfast and meeting our bridal party and family members for pictures in the morning. We then met the rest of our guests at the reception site to begin the celebrations. The wedding day has a web page of it's own.

Skaaledagjen - The Day of Toasts

Imagine! The Norwegians spent a whole day festing and toasting the bridal couple. While we're sure that our friends and family would have enjoyed this, the practicalities didn't quite allow it, so we combined this day with Bruradagjen -- and Skaaledagjen basically became our reception. The post-nuptial festivities were also traditional style - with a few extra surprises. Music and dancing, of course, dominated. The festivities had traditional toasts and special presentations highlighting both the Norwegian and Scottish traditions.

Once everyone had arrived back at the reception hall, the immediate bridal party (bride, groom and attendants) waited outside as everyone else went into the hall. Once the guests were assembled and everyone was in place, our kjøkemeister (Master of Ceremonies) began the festivities.

Introduction of the Bridal Pair and Sámi Joik

Our hardingfele players began the procession into the reception hall playing a Bridal March from Seljord, Telemark (Norway). They were followed by members of Nordahl Grieg Leikarring dance group. The gentlemen carried swords and the women had flower garlands. They formed an arch way under which the bride and groom entered the reception hall to the cheers of their guests. The bridal couple and honor attendants circled the hall behind the fiddlers and then stopped in the center to receive their joik.

The Sámi people are one of the aboriginal peoples of the Fennoscandian area. They are often referred to as Lapps but they themselves prefer to be called Sámi (Saamelaiset/Samerna) because Sámi is the name they use of themselves and their country. Over the years, the Sámi community has become very special to us. One of the Sámi traditions is to offer a joik (a type of traditional improvisational song) to honor an occasion. We were honored to have a St. Olaf College graduate and descendent of St. Olaf's founder, joik us on our wedding day.

First Waltz & Dancing Off The Crown

As the bridal pair had met on the dance floor and their first dance had been a waltz, it seemed more than appropriate that their first wedded dance should also be a waltz. The groom specifically requested the tune, "Let Me Call You 'Sweetheart'". The band played it three times and the second time through, the guests began to sing it, which was very sweet. On the third verse, the women from the Nordahl Grieg Leikarring surrounded the bridal pair as two women took the crown from the bride's head and put it on the head of the next woman who was to be married (the daughter of one of the Leikarring members). This is an old Norwegian tradition called "dancing the crown off" which recognizes the next bride-to-be in the community. Another tradition, which we did not follow, is to have the bridge and groom stand on a tree stump together and dance (with itsy-bitsy steps, of course!)

Grand March and Mixer Dances

Once the bridal pair had finished their dance together, it was time for the grand march. Two pairs led two lines of couples as everyone walked around the dance floor in patterns that helped people mix and mingle. It was amazing to see everyone on the dance floor (and we do mean everyone - there was hardly anyone on the sidelines watching!), smiling and enjoying themselves. We actually got a bit silly with our patterns and the Grand March went on for at least a half an hour - which almost gave our Bridal Consultant a heart attack! This was followed by a short series of "mixer" dances. Needless to say, everyone had a great time doing this and we highly recommend it as a fun way of getting people moving together.

Bridal Toasts and Exchange of Gifts

More to come...

Norwegian Dance and Fusion Dance Presentations

More to come...

The Potluck Dinner Reception

Just as at traditional country weddings, the reception will be "potluck". Our photographer said it was the best food she's ever had at a wedding! The bridal pair provided dinnerware, non-alcoholic beverages and traditional European wedding cakes and dessert. The guests were invited to bring a "specialty" dish and/or bottle/flask to add to the bounty. Ethnic cuisine was most welcome and we had it in abundance. Our local guests were asked to bring hearty portions so that our out-of-town guests could assist in other areas (breads, hors d'oeuvres, etc.). As with any village wedding, there weren't enough tables to have a sit-down dinner for everyone at the same time. Everyone took turns eating. Dinner was available from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., which accommodated everyone's "stomach clock" -- whether on Eastern or Pacific Time Zones.

The Music and the Dancing

Because people were eating dinner at different times, we kept a dance floor open during the entire reception and had music scheduled for the entire evening: We moved from more familiar dances to the more complex music, knowing that the "hard core" dancers and musicians would be staying later than the rest of the guests. The music and dancing continued until well after midnight. when the local noise ordinances went into effect. We heard that a group of guests moved the celebration to a private home in the area -- but the wedding pair called it a night. At the end of the day, everyone was tired - but happy!

Little by little, we hope to be reconstructing the playlist of music used at the reception.

Fridagjen - The Free Day

Heimdagjen - The Day of Going Home

The final day of the celebration was always one where those who had traveled far could begin their journey back. In our case, it was also the day when the bridal couple left for their honeymoon.