So last Friday my good friend Kholy got married!!!! I guess I came back to Alexandria right in time for the wedding and I am so happy I did because that wedding was AWESOME!
Egyptian weddings are a little different from American weddings. Being that Kholy and his new wife Sara are Muslim they obviously didn't get married in a church. Instead they did a katib il kitab, which literally means the writing of the book. I was not there for that part of their marriage. I was invited to the equivalent of the reception in the US, but its not usually right after the katib il kitab. So it was essentially a big party.
Once Sarah arrived the party began with the zifa. Honestly, I don't know how to spell that word but basically the bride enters with a caravan of musicians and they play their instruments and sing and dance as they march towards the groom. It kind of reminds me of when the bride walks down the aisle in church but obviously much louder and more fun. Everyone participates by singing and clapping while surrounding the bride as she walks to her groom.
It was something like a celebrity wedding. Everyone looked amazing in cocktail dresses and suits, the decorations were perfect for the setting. The trees in the garden were decorated with lights along with beautiful center pieces on the tables. It looked perfect. Oh and I can't forget the two famous musical performers and then a DJ. We danced the entire night!
Now let me tell you about the food! The garden was surrounded by food. There was more than 30 diffferent entrees to choose from and all of them were delicious. They even had their very own shawarma stand! And the shawerma was perfect. I wish I could have taken advantage of that stand more but there was too much food to try. I didn't even get to the salad table even though I really wanted to get the fatoush. Oh I forgot to mention there was an ice cream stand right next to the shawerma stand. But by the time we were ready to get dessert I was too full for ice cream. I had to save whatever room I had left in my stomach for Om Aly, my favorite dessert. In case you don't know what Om Aly is just know it is the best dessert ever! It is kind of like bread pudding baked in an oven with nuts. Okay that wasn't a very good description but it tastes like heaven. Also for dessert I have these fried dough balls dipped in honey. I love those too but I don't know what they are called. I will find out and let you know.
After we were done eating, everyone returned to dancing for the rest of the evening. Despite the pain I felt from wearing high heels I had a wonderful time! It was a fantastic wedding and I am so happy for Kholy and his wife!!!!
If you would like to read more about Egypt or the wedding read Monica's blog, monica-egypt.blogspot.com, or Katelyn's blog cakelyn.wordpress.com
