April 18th, 2009
8:45 Markel took me to his mom's house to have my hair done. His sister awoke, frantic, saying that her boyfriend couldn't move his back and they'd have to go to the hospital... They'd be lucky to make it to the wedding. Markel's mom and I simply smiled, avoiding the drama, and continued finishing my hair.
10:05 I met Markel's dad at the dry cleaners to pick up my dress. Markel's sister, María, and her boyfriend had just been picked up from the hospital where Toni had a shot in his
culete to bring his neck and back up to speed.
10:10 Flowers were distributed. Yellow flowers for the family - the dads, the moms, and grandma. Purple for Markel and the four grooms buddies. (Peta, Seta, Jefe & Juanma)
10:30 Back at the house. Markel had already left to his aunt's house to get ready with his friends. Becky and Sara were in charge of makeup, making me look beautiful while they got ready too.
10:32 Markel's stepmom, Juani, told Becky and Sara to have some breakfast... couldn't start with the makeup without eating!
11:00ish Re-start makeup. Debating colors, techniques and styles.
11:54 Sara hasn't had a chance to get ready since she's been busy making me beautiful! Becky shoos her away while she finishes the last touches.
12:05 Getting in wedding dress... remember the garter, the nylons, the jewelry...
12:35 Markel calls... "Where are you guys?" (as Markel's dad is impatiently waiting with the car for us to be finished...)
12:45 Finally we arrive to the city hall. Cheers, smiles, and cameras greet me as I get out of the car (forgetting to remove my seatbelt at first). Everyone piles into the city council's chambers. Dad walks me upstairs and seats me next to Markel and our two witnesses - Gema (my old roommate when I studied abroad) and Igor (a friend from Markel's group). First seconds of silence followed by loud cheers and claps by our friends and families - along with the occassional "¡GUAPA!"
Ceremony The councilman (of fiestas and events, nonetheless) Iñaki enters the room. He reads us the laws of matrimony followed by a poem by Rudyard Kipling. We stand up and face one another. In English, Iñaki asks if I accept the responsibilities as stated by the city of Getxo. "Yes, I do." In Spanish, he asks Markel the same. "
Sí, acepto." Our ring bearers (little Ugaitz, a second cousin of Markel's, and Aimar, my new step-nephew-in-law) bring our rings. We place the rings on our left hands, as common in the USA (Spain places wedding bands on the right hand). He pronounces us
marido y mujer. We kiss!
Mr. & Mrs After everyone piles out of the city hall and awaits us on the balcony, we walk down the stairs. At the door of the city hall is an archway of traditional Basque dancers, dressed in folk clothes. They make an arch with swords and candycane-like sticks. We walk through the archway and are greeted by a dancer called
aurresku who dedicates his dances to the new bride and groom. He is wearing a white uniform with a red sash. After he honors the new matrimony, the entire group of Basque dancers appear on the balcony and perform a few dances
all together. They dance to the beat of a small tambourine and a flute that one man plays simultaneously! Once the performance finishes, each dancer wishes us congratulations in Basque "
Zorionak" and gives us two kisses on the cheeks.
Photo session We walk over to gardens near the city hall for a photo session with family and friends. Everyone jumps in who wants their photo taken with the bride and groom. Markel and I then joined our fathers and went to a nearby windmill and cliff for the professional photo shoot with our photographers.
Punta galea is a beautiful area with a view of the bay. Can't wait to see the pictures!!
The neverending lunch Our chauffer, Markel's dad, drove
us to
la Casa Vasca restaurant in Bilbao. We mingled a bit in the wine cellar, munching on appetizers and drinking
cava. The apertifs included little sausages
txistorra and cod in different sauces from the region. Bubbly Spanish sparkling wine
cava was adorned with a cherry.
Our entrance After the rest of the guests found their place in the dining room, Markel and I entered to
What a Wonderful World as performed by Joey Ramone. After a quick "thank you" and "gracias," done in both languages, we had a seat and started the five-course meal.
The meal First plate included boiled prawns, wild salmon,
foie (duck paté) on toast and asparragus. Second plate included grilled prawns and
ragout (a stew-like seafood dish served in a shell). First main dish was grilled seabass, followed by a lemon sorbet to cleanse the palate. Second main dish was steak tender loin with potatoes.
The dessert I cut our cake with a sword-like knife that the restaurante provided us with. Markel cut my piece next. As we were served our cake, we also were served the dessert plate with ice cream, chocolate treats, and a coffee to follow.
Bouquet & garter toss Although Spanish traditional also includes the bouquet toss, we added the American tradition of the garter toss. To the sound of Beyoncé's
All my Single Ladies I tossed the bouquet... and who caught it? My sister, Sara! After a brief explanation of the American tradition of throwing the garter, Markel tossed it. His friends fought hard, but ultimately Jurgi walked away with the prize. However, the game was not over. We included the tradition (perhaps a midwest tradition?) of the bachelor who caught the garter must then place it back onto the leg of the bachelorette who caught the flowers. With red faces and lots of laughter, Jurgi put the garter on Sara's leg.
First dance Dream a Little Dream of Me sang by Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong played as Markel swept me around the dancefloor.
Karaoke The DJ got the tunes started and encouraged people to get out on stage. Highlights of the incredibly successful karaoke event included
Like a Virgin performed by Uncle Mark, Dad, Matt, and our friend Brandon as well as
Hotel California sung by Dad and I. Markel and I also did a duet of
With a Little Help from my Friends by the Beatles.
Bohemian Rhapsody and a song in Basque also made the list of karaoke performances.
Regalitos Markel's gifts to the males in attendance was a Cuban cigar recommended by a friend of ours. He passed them out to the guys (and a few ladies who wanted one too) while my mother and I handed out my gifts for the girls. I gifted a heart-shaped cookie cutter with a recipe that was my grandmother's. I wanted to share my love for baking as well as an American family tradition of sweet treats to celebrate!
The Garden After a long lunch, we went downstairs to continue dancing. The restaurant has a club that is attached below. The DJ played popular tunes that we all tore up on the dancefloor. Best surprise was Markel's grandmother headed downstairs too! She continued saying that "Today I have won another granddaughter in my life!" which lit my face with a giant smile.
Divino Cielo The after-party followed at a nearby bar called "Divine Heaven." Markel and I had arranged with the bar to allow our large group to take over the bar in turn for cheaper drinks. While our party wasn't exclusive, the majority of the bar was full of the wedding guests. Uncle Mark danced with the English and non-English speaking guests, easily making lots of friends. My brother reinacted the Basque dancing we had seen earlier in the middle of a group of friends. Around 2:00 a.m., Markel and I said our goodbyes and headed the Carlton for our first night as husband and wife.
7,902 miles on the road, 19 different states, and years of memories...
Elko, Nevada originally had been a pitstop between home and Yellowstone, but quickly we learned about the large Basque population and great eats the town boasts. We stayed at a Rodeway Inn along the "main strip" in Elko, and dined at the Star Hotel, famous for Basque-American cuisine. Walking through the doors, Basque decor jumped out at us - from photos of the Basque Country to newspaper articles about traditional Basque sport to signs reading "Ongi etorri" (welcome) to the bar stocked with Pagoa, the Basque beer hard to find even in Spain. In Basque bliss, we sat down, ordered a Sierra Nevada and Pagoa to ring in our newly Basque-American union. As we sipped away, an old Basque-American trucker-cowboy sat down next to us and started chatting with the owner and bartender IN Basque. Needless to say, I was excited and tried convincing Markel to chat with them too. Of course, he didn't... But it would have been fun!
When we sat down in the dining room, we still were in awe over the number of Basque paraphanalia lining the walls. Crests, wood-carved pictures, and family-style platters being served to tables. We ordered spicy chicken and bacon-wrapped steak for our entrees, but that was only a small portion of what we got. As starters, they brought us a simple green salad with a garlic ranch dressing, porrusalda (leak soup) and bread. With the meal came, sides of green beans, spaghetti, red beans, and french fries all accompanied our entrees. Amazing meal to start off an amazing journey.
