Fun & Famous
THE WEDDING PART ONE
by Marion Pauw
Well, it worked out, you know! I got married! And because I've noticed that everyone secretly is a sucker for romance, I'm writing a three-part wedding report. And that makes perfect sense, because my wedding also consisted of three parts (because we wanted to keep it simple and sadly failed in that). Today part 1: the civil marriage.
Since we got married in Mallorca and it’s quite a hassle to arrange everything legally there, we decided to bike to the town hall the Monday before our departure to sign the papers. As simple as I say it now, that’s how simple we thought about it. We consciously chose the shortest option, the 10-minute option. In, sign, and out. The official, a rather sour woman with frizzy hair, asked if we were aware that there would be zero ceremony. We said we understood that and were fine with it.
I had been busy all day with bridal preparations: hairdresser (by the way, I took a big risk and went to a new hairdresser, and came out overjoyed. Louisehaalebos.nl, what a gem that is), mani/pedi, Pilates… I was still in my snake print leggings and sweater behind the computer finishing the who-is-who booklet that we had started way too late, when Chris said we had to leave in ten minutes. I hadn’t even thought about what I would wear and just grabbed my always-good-Etro jacket, a pair of jeans, and sneakers from the closet. I thought to myself that there wouldn’t be many brides who would be so casual about it.
“HOLY FUCK! I’M GETTING MARRIED!”
Because I couldn’t find my bike keys, I went with Chris on one bike. It was wonderfully sunny weather, we rode over the canals and Chris started whimsically whistling the Toots Thielemans song from Turkish Delight. We said out loud to each other a few times that we were getting married, but it still didn’t really sink in.
At the town hall, our witnesses were already waiting. My friends had quickly ripped some geraniums from a planter as a makeshift bouquet. We were still a bit giggly and walked into the town hall. We checked in at the counter. Another thing, telling an official: ‘We’re here to get married in room 34.’
We expected another sour woman with frizzy hair who would shove a pen in our hands and point out where we needed to sign. But suddenly he was there. A man in a toga. There was something very solemn about him. I believe we all had to swallow for a moment. And it was then that I really realized: HOLY FUCK! I’M GETTING MARRIED!
We entered room 34 and our wedding official started telling a whole story before we were going to sign the deed. All that time I had a huge lump in my throat and Chris was emotional too. And then the moment when you stand up, take each other’s right hand and say ‘yes’. It was so beautiful, so intense. I had mainly focused on the ceremony in Mallorca beforehand and hadn’t thought that it would be so special here in room 34.
We both said ‘yes’ and I believe even the official was moved. And then we happily biked home together, where our witnesses threw rice over us, Chris carried me over the threshold, and we drank champagne on the balcony. It was super special. I even thought: if this was all there was, I would already find it amazing.
But there was much more to come. And that will follow soon in part 2.
