Interesting things

Well, Lorenda finally did it. She drove to our cell (small group) last night. It really wasn’t very exciting- it is about 600 metres away on roads where we met only one vehicle. It really didn’t even feel like driving on the wrong side of the road because the road is so narrow and there is only room for one vehicle. She has a meeting tomorrow night at a home a little further away, but still in our area. We’ll see how brave she gets.
There have been several girls at the babies’ home who have gotten married recently or will be getting married in the near future so we thought it would be fun to talk about what weddings are like here.
Believe me, we are no experts on this subject so we will just tell you what we have learned and observed. We apologize in advance for any inaccuracies.
Most weddings still seem to be very traditional. The groom pays the bride's family in livestock and/or money so that he can marry her. One woman said to me today, “He needs to buy me.” I think our sons-in-law need to read that- they got off much too easily!
Prior to the wedding there is a Presentation of the Bride (I’m not sure is presentation is the right word or not, we have heard it referred to in that way). This is the official notification that this man plans to wed this woman. When Judith and Apollo got married, this was held one week prior to the wedding. It is a very large affair with hundreds of people in attendance. Judith and her attendants wore beautiful, colorful saris for this occasion. The girls all get their hair and make up done and look gorgeous. There is a huge meal and the event lasts for several hours (I forget exactly how long).
I didn’t mention the wedding invitations. When they are sent out, there is also a wedding budget that is sent out at the same time to all who are invited. This describes all the costs associated with the wedding and states what the cost of each individual item is. People then pledge/give money to help cover the costs of the wedding. Both wedding budgets I have seen included the cost of a 15-tier wedding cake. I have not seen pictures, but I would like to know what a 15-tier wedding cake looks like.
Often the wedding parties are quite large. The photos I saw recently had 9 bridesmaids (that’s not what they call them though), 2 junior bridesmaids (don’t know what they are called) and a flower girl (not sure if that is the right name). The bride’s dress is much like they are in North America- big, beautiful and white.
Many of the males (unmarried) that we have spoken to think it is time to stop with the traditional weddings and go with something smaller and simpler. However, all the unmarried women are still dreaming about that big, beautiful day of theirs so I think the traditional wedding will be around for a while yet.
We have not attended any weddings yet, but if we do, we will be sure to post pictures.