Poznan

Way back in June, we had the good fortune to visit Poznan for a wedding. This was the first trip to Poland for either of us and it was awesome. Poznan itself is an interesting mix of old and new, bare and bustle. The people were incredibly friendly and kind. The center of town was absolutely charming. The food everywhere was absolutely fantastic.

The wedding was at Cathedral Island, the oldest cathedral in Poland. It was friends we met from my beloved’s masters program at UCL: he’s Polish and she’s Japanese. The plan is for a Catholic wedding in Poland to be followed by a Shinto wedding in Japan several weeks later.

Unfortunately, due to a clash with the yet-to-be named caravan holiday (motorhome vacation) in July, we are not able to attend the Shinto wedding (but not to fear, we will make it to Japan eventually). More on the caravan holiday in the not too distant future… The bride impressed everyone with her reciting her vows in Polish.

The reception had a refreshingly unchoreographed feel to it compared to the typical US weddings we are more accustomed to. After the wedding, we all just hung around outside the church as everyone just kind of talked. Almost everyone brought flowers , and this is when you gave the flowers and your gift to the bride and groom. Various members of the family dutifully carried the bootie to a waiting car so that everyone at the wedding was now unencumbered of gifts and flowers.

Next, we all jump onto two buses that had been arranged to a castle for the reception. It was about an hours drive out of the city through farmland. The castle was literally in the middle of nowhere. We all gathered outside the front door waiting for the bride and groom to arrive and the staff served us all a glass of bubbly. More hanging out, talking, and singing… yes, singing. At various moments the entire wedding broke into Polish song. It was awesome.

When the bride and groom arrived, the fathers each made a lovely speech and the mother of the groom presented the bride with a loaf of rustic looking bread on a platter, which the bride broke into with her fingers and then the groom. After that they each drank a flute of champagne, turned theirs backs to us and hucked the flutes into the air which landed in the centre of the semi circle we were standing in and smashed into a million pieces on the brick paving stone, which brought cheers from the crowd… And on par with the rest of our Poznan experience, the food was delicious and the people were fantastic. What an exquisite place Poznan is, and what a magical wedding it was!

For more pictures of beautiful Poznan and gorgeous Zakrzewo Castle: Click Here.