So, I’m sure you’re all dying to know how the so-called “wedding” went. Well, you’re in luck. ‘Cause I’m about to tell you.

It didn’t get off to the best start. We were going to take the bus downtown. But the bus didn’t come. And waiting for the next one would mean that we would be late. Isn’t that just something, the one day the bus doesn’t come is the day you’re going to your wedding? Hah. Some might say that’s a sign from above.. DON’T DO IT!

Well, we rushed back home and called a taxi and got downtown in okay time. To City Hall. I think I have said “the mayor’s office” before, but that’s just silly of course. The mayor has better things to do than sit around and marry people.

I started getting a little nervous when we got inside and the front hall was full of people, too many people. I knew there was going to be other couples married but it looked very crowded. Luckily it turned out that all the people were there for something else, I didn’t quite catch what it was. A conference or something. Anyway, my parents started walking up a flight of stairs. Passing a sign saying “visitor are not allowed past this sign”. I thought to myself “Hmm, well I guess we aren’t visitors, I’m sure my parents know what they’re doing”. Halfway up the stairs a lady starts following us with a polite “excuse me, where are you going?”. Heh. My parents didn’t know what they were doing and we weren’t allowed up the stairs. But the young lady nicely pointed us in the right direction.

We got into a little waiting room. And right as we entered, a couple came through the other door, having just been wed. There was a photographer in the waiting room and he went up to the couple and asked if they wanted their picture taken and if they wanted to have it in the paper. For a slight fee of course. I think they declined the offer to have their picture in the paper, but they got some copies for themselves. My parents were called in immediately, so we entered the next room. Sort of an offical looking room with brown wood floors and chairs all around. And a tall lady standing on a podium. Some kind of judge I guess. Not the mayor, at all.

At this point I took out my camera and turned it on. And it beeped and said “battery empty” and turned itself off. D’oh. Luckily I had brought spare batteries, but I wasn’t counting on running out of power right there. I felt too self conscious to start messing around and changing batteries. And honestly, the ceremony was practically over before it began. You couldn’t really call it a ceremony. My parents went up to the podium. The tall judge lady asked “do you take her” and “do you take him”. She even messed up their names. At least my mother’s name, I think my dad’s too. Maybe she was nervous. But anyway, they replied affirmatively and she said congratulations and they took two steps to the side where a guy in a police uniform (I think?) was standing. He asked them to sign the documents, and bang! It was over. And my parents married. Funnily enough, despite the bus mishap we were done five minutes before we were scheduled to go in. Over in a snap. Not exactly romantic, but it got the business done.

When we got back out in the waiting room I changed batteries and I did get some pictures taken. I’ll show you tomorrow, most likely.

Then we crossed the street and went to Rådhus Kafeen. The “City Hall café”. To get something to eat. We were greeted by an old friend. Thomas. My brother used to play with him all the time, he lived quite close by us. I think I used to play with him a bit too, but it’s so long ago now I barely remember. But fun seeing him again. My parents didn’t recognise him at first. We ended up sitting at the table and talking about some of the people who used to live next door and around in the neighbourhood. It was nice. And the food was excellent. I got “stegt flæsk med persillesovs”. The old traditional Danish dish. I don’t think I’ve ever had it before, at least not with authentic parsley sauce. And there was so much of it. I barely ate half of it. Good thing I didn’t order desert. That was the best meal I’ve had since.. since soup. By the way, mama is gonna make soup soon again. Woohoo!

So that was the wedding day. There were some little niggling feelings and issues from the past, and the bus thing was unhandy. But other than that it was quite nice. I’m glad I went, no doubt. Just being out and doing stuff as a family is actually pretty good. I can barely believe I’m saying that. Five years ago the thought of doing something as a family would have been murder to me. Despite the issues that remain, I have certainly come a long way.

I think that about covers it all. An odd, but good day. Tomorrow: pictures.

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 12th, 2008 at 22:23 and is filed under Blogging. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.