Moroccan Wedding

Last month we were lucky enough to be invited to a Moroccan wedding! One of our best friend's sisters was getting married, and he asked us if we would like to go. We said absolutely!

Our other good friends who were going to the wedding came over to get ready with us.

The day before, we'd rented shoes and traditional fancy dresses, called kaftans. High heels are not my specialty, but our friends said they are a must for weddings!

The kaftan, though, I absolutely loved!

We felt like princesses...

...with an adoring public.

 

Finally, at about 10:30pm, our friend arrived to pick us up. As we entered, we were handed dates and small glasses of milk - cultural symbols of hospitality for travelers and guests. It was a traditional wedding, with only women (the men, just the close family and friends of the couple, ate in a partitioned-off area to the side). We sat in a large room with about 150 other women and an all-female music group, which played popular and classic Arabic music all night.

Around 11:30pm, the first treats appeared! A flock of waiters (all women) suddenly materialized with trays, and after posing for pictures (the entire wedding was extremely well-documented), they began handing out little cakes and glasses of juice.

Above is a mini lime tart, and below is a chocolate cake bite and avocado juice.

After a while, the bride was led out in an incredibly elaborate kaftan and headdress. Our friend told us after that his sister said it was super heavy and uncomfortable!

Then, after walking around the room with her eyes closed, she disappeared. We were very confused, until lots of cookies arrived. The waitresses bought little cloth bags and huge platters, and everyone got to choose some to take home.

The bags also contained a super traditional type of bread made with sugar, eggs, and anise.

It is dense, crumbly, and lightly sweet, and if you go to a Moroccan wedding, you will not leave without it.

Then the bride came back! This time in a beautiful pink kaftan. She walked around the room again, and then was lifted up by four attendants and carried around.

She threw chocolates to the guests, and then the food arrived!

The first course was pastilla, a phyllo pastry-like shell filled with rice noodles, seafood, and spices. It was crispy on the outside and steaming hot on the inside.

Then the main course arrived - half a lamb for each table, lying on a bed of mint and served with freshly ground cumin.

I had to make an exception from being vegetarian to try it - and it was well worth it. Sooo tender and incredibly flavorful, it was delicious with the spices and fresh bread. The main course was followed by fruit platters with oranges, pears, mangoes, bananas, and pineapples.

After dinner, everyone danced more, and near the end of the night, the bride and groom appeared to cut the cake (actually, there were ten little cakes) and receive good wishes from the guests. Then they left for a nearby hotel, and everyone resumed dancing. Around 4am, people started to trickle out, including us. We headed home full, happy, and tired.