Afterward we went to a nearby restaurant where we hung out in a smaller room with hors d’oeuvres and drinks until it was time to go into the main room. The appetizers were so good (sushi, caviar crepes, brie on crackers, etc.) and we were so hungry by the time we arrived that I ate enough so that I wasn’t very hungry when we sat down at the table in the main room. Which is a shame because they had some delicious food waiting for us.
There was dancing pretty much from the get-go, led by a quartet of musicians and singers, one of whom doubled as the emcee. He was a wild looking guy with white spiky hair, and dressed in a white-tie tux and tails. One of the other singers was vaguely Asian and reminded Polina of actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt (from Inception).
Polina and her family sang a song in Russian for the bride, Yana, and the groom. They did this at her sister Ella’s wedding too. This is a family that loves to sing! For those of you who understand Russian, here’s the performance.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v488/Waterlily88/?action=view¤t=MOV03308.mp4
Finally, it was time to cut the cake and then they opened up a whole another room filled with desserts, including a croquembouche of profiteroles (choux pastry filled with cream).
Then there was the traditional bouquet and garter toss, except they did it in reverse – Yana threw her bouquet to the guys, and Gene threw her garter to the girls. Which reminds me: there was another queer couple there, Anna and Nat (Natalie) – Anna is the tall person below in the splendid black velvet tuxedo, which I complimented them on. Unfortunately, they were sitting on the opposite side of the room, so we didn’t get to talk to them very much.
Our ears were definitely ringing and our feet were sore by the time we left, but we had a wonderful time, and I’m happy that we were able to go together. It was definitely a wedding to remember.
