Wedding (nikah) ceremony in istanbul....cool !!!

Beautiful Turkish / Azerbaijan song (Click Open in New Tab and listen while you read the Post)

It is officially summer now and the schools are closed for summer break. I'd better get used to the sound of children playing in the pool and everywhere else in the city. I wonder what would the parents do to entertain them till they go back to school in mid-September. Mine has gone back 'home' and we'll follow suit in two weeks time.

As is common all over the world, this would be a good time to get married, if at all ha ha. Its sooo beautiful to see the summer brides in their white strapless, backless or cutout wedding gowns and in Istanbul......the designs are really breathtaking. Turkey is after all....a manufacturer of many things and wedding gowns are fantastic here. When Turkish do their wedding gown...grandeur and glamour will be the theme of the day. They will not settle for something less...a far cry from the classic and low-keyed design of Prince William's bride. Kate's design was timeless but......oh well, .......emm...! The grooms? Well...they're grooms...how much different can they be , right? Only..I was wondering how are they going to survive the 30+C sweltering heat! Poor grooms....they can't have strapless or backless tuxedo, can they? Now..perhaps you'll understand why men make awful comments about getting married, they started off with sheer torture on the very first day. Poor men !!

the table has been set....now waiting for the bride and groom to make their entrance....

right on cue...here they are, the bride has to handle the veil and 'train' herself. i guess it'll take months if not years for the groom to remember that he now has someone to 'look after'.....

the Mayor Rep. ( in red) conducting the nikah ceremony.... and you also get a vantage view of the videoman's ***
the four men to the left are witnesses. two each from the bride and groom side..

signing of the marriage contract and/or certificates......yes....marriage IS a contract !! 

...some prayers (grace) for the couple...

...all done...the groom had kissed the bride and they are officially husband and wife....congratulation !!!

some words of advice from the Rep. to the blushing bride....then..its all done, Bitti...and all in 15 mins !!!

a small photography session outside the hall...this is a small reception as the couple would normally have a bigger reception later. Our couple (host) are hosting a formal reception in Bursa the following week but we could not go as we are going 'home'.

couldn't resist taking photograph of this 'other' couple....they look so happy and gorgeous surrounded by their friends and relatives.....on average, two couples would be having their greetings and photography sessions simultaneously. 

if you got hungry during all these excitement, there's always a bufe (cafe) near you...and please pay for your own meal...the couple would not picking up any tab.....its their day today...

the handsome couple waiting to greet and thanks their guest.. 

note the big white ribbon on the bride's shoulder? that's for the guest to pin the gold coin as a gift to the couple...or you could just 'plonk' your coins into her white satin purse ....

..a guest pinning on a gold coin on the bride's ribbon....

guest waiting for their turns to collect the photo that they're buying....its almost instantaneous...

and they got it.... at TL7 a piece...mounted in a hard cover folder, courtesy of the town (city) council....

please help yourself to the souvenir (from the couple)....

a crystal potpourri cum fridge magnet 'evil eye'.........  

a photo booth for the other 'couple'.....

at the most...the whole event will take about 30 minutes before the couple speed off in their beautifully decorated car for more ceremonies at home or hotel.....its so efficient...its almost unbelievable.... 

The solemnization (nikah) ceremony takes place at the local council hall and being Turks, things was done very efficiently and on the dot timing. Due to the many weddings taking place, every couple (and his entourage) are given 15 mins. for the nikah.

When its time for 'your' ceremony, you and entourage will go into a 'mini theater' and watch (or witness) the ceremony being conducted on stage. The bride, groom, 4 witnesses and a mayor representative will take their places at the table (on decorated stage) and the mayor rep. will conduct the ceremony. After the bride and groom agreed to the matrimony, the registration books are signed by the couple as well as the witnesses (who had earlier on testified to the nikah). Then a few words of advice from the Mayor rep. and the ceremony is officially over whereby the groom lifted the veil off the bride and kissed her on both cheeks. Then everybody on stage hug each other. The ceremony being officially over..you move out of the 'mini theater.

Outside..the couple would be ready...for greetings and  photography session with guests and well-wishers. Of course, you'll be queuing up to greet the couple and have your photograph taken. Every guests are photographed. There is a reason for this! You will then either clip real gold coin (with ribbon) on a large ribbon on the bride's shoulder or you drop it into her silk satin 'purse'. See..how practical the Turks are.The gold coins would be handy during 'difficult' time and can be converted into cash easily. Now..you can't convert the toasters and pressure cookers into cash that quickly, could you? Now...that's what I call being practical.

At the end of the line, you'll see a high table with notebooks and printers. What are these? Well....remember during the good old days when you attended a friend's or relatives wedding? Remember how much you were looking forward to it and some would even tailor made or buy a special dresses or suit so that you'll look your best at wedding? Hey..granted, the bride and groom should be the best looking person at weddings but never underestimate the 'power' or 'opportunities' that one can get out of a wedding. Remember how you posed with the couple and hoped that they'll give you copies of the photos? In reality...do you really think that in between the honeymoon, the celebrations, the first quarrel with the in-laws and the euphoria, the newly wed would have time to send the photos to hundreds (if not thousands, as in my country) of the guests? Nah....unless you bring your own camera, you'll never get to see them photos, period.

So, the Turks....being  practical people, came out with this brilliant idea. The camera that took the shot of you are linked to the computer on the high table. These shots are then instantly printed, mounted in a nice hard cover and given to you if you chose to buy them. All these within 10 or 15 minutes of you being photographed with the couple. Brilliant, don't you think ?? I thought it was...at least, I've never seen something like that...or have I been missing the invites to weddings recently??

After collecting the photos and souvenirs, in this case it was an 'evil eye' attached to a small potpourri which is also a fridge magnet. Why 'evil eye'? Its supposed to protect the couple from 'evil' things and also evil thoughts. So, the eye is not evil, rather..its a 3rd. eye to watch you over.

Now..I shall leave you with a "thought for the day". Something at the ceremony shocked me tremendously. If you looked at the photos of the ceremony, you'll notice that the person conducting the nikah is a lady ( and a beautiful one,too). She is wearing the official  cloak as how a Judge would wear the cloak at court session. I've been made to understand that she is also a Judge. And if you're wondering if there is anymore (religious) ceremony after this, I've been told that there is none. Even if someone wanted to have a religious ceremony, they will need to have 'this' certificate to carry it out.

Turkey is a secular country even though 98% of its populations are Muslim. As a point of comparison and a point to ponder, Saudi Arabia won't allow women to drive and there are no female Shariah judge in my country ( let alone conducting nikah ceremony). What a stark difference....and I wonder...........

Congratulation to Gokce and Kaan....may you have a wonderful life together and live happily ever after........amen !!

Footnote :

..the lovely couple and us....
noticed the sari (yellow) Manolo (Blahnik)?
got it at an Outlet Center in the Anatolian side (ladies, I'll tell you more later)...at 90% discount...
Carrie Bradshaw (Sex And The City) ..... eat your heart out !!!!!