There are some moments at weddings that you don't forget. Not because they are part of the ceremony, or because someone planned them carefully, but because they happen naturally and catch you completely off guard.
Maria and Sandro's wedding was full of beautiful moments, but there are two in particular that I still remember.
Sandro is Portuguese and Maria is Greek. They were a young couple, and their wedding took place just outside Kalamata, in the Peloponnese. Everything about the day felt lovely, but what really stayed with me was the relationship between their families.
Their parents were meeting for the first time around the wedding. You might expect a little awkwardness at first, as people get to know each other and try to find their place in a new family. But that wasn't what I saw. There was so much warmth between them, and they seemed completely comfortable showing it.
When Sandro arrived, both his parents accompanied him. His entrance song started playing, and the three of them held each other and cried throughout the entire song. They just stayed there, embracing each other, with tears running down their faces. I remember watching them and thinking how lovely it was that they didn't feel the need to hold back. It was an emotional moment, and they let themselves feel every bit of it.
And then Maria arrived. Her parents accompanied her, and as they brought her forward, Sandro's parents stood up and welcomed her with the words:"Welcome, our daughter."They got up from their seats and embraced her. I don't think I'll forget that moment anytime soon. It wasn't a grand gesture. Nobody had to make a speech or explain what it meant. They simply welcomed Maria into their family, as if she had always belonged there.
I have to admit, I was quite taken aback by how much affection these two families showed each other. They had only just met, yet there was an ease and a closeness between them that you don't come across every day. I found myself wondering whether their Mediterranean backgrounds had something to do with it. Greek and Portuguese people have plenty of differences, of course, but perhaps there is something familiar in the way we express our feelings. We can be quite demonstrative when it comes to love, and we're not always very good at keeping our emotions to ourselves. I'm Greek myself, so perhaps I'm a little biased!Of course, every family is different, and I wouldn't want to generalise. But watching Maria and Sandro's families that day made me think about how wonderful it is when people don't just accept the person their child has chosen, but genuinely welcome them into their lives.
And it made me think about weddings, too. We spend so much time talking about the couple, their story, their vows and the beginning of their life together. As a celebrant in Greece, I spend a lot of time writing ceremonies that bring all these things together. But a wedding is also a meeting of people who may never have met before, people who come from different places, have different habits and speak different languages, yet suddenly have something very important in common.
Sometimes, they even have to get used to calling someone else's child their own. Maria and Sandro's parents seemed to manage that part rather beautifully. I don't know whether it was their cultures, their personalities or simply the kind of people they are. Probably a little of everything. What I do know is that their warmth towards each other was genuine, and it made a lasting impression on me.
And if you ask me what I remember most about that wedding near Kalamata, it won't be a particular detail of the setting or something from the ceremony. It will be those three people holding each other while Sandro's entrance song played. And two parents standing up to welcome Maria with a simple, "Welcome, our daughter." Some moments really don't need anything more.
