i am sitting in my beautiful living room with a million bouquets of flowers around me. it is setting the romantic mood i need to write about the wedding.

the day started off early in the morning when arthur and i went to go and bless the salt which would be later used for the sacraficing of the lamb. we went to the same church that we would be getting married in later and got the salt blessed.

then my mom and i went to the beauty salon and got our hair and our make up done. i put a tiara of natural flowers in my hair... stunning. i came home to see that my dad had decorated the entire hallway entrance to the apartment (banister, two floors) with daisies and beautiful flowers... it was stunning.

we came up and started gathering to wait for the khnamis and kavor people to come. i was wearing a beautiful lavendar ball-gown. i looked very pretty. so they came... they came with a bunch of cars and they came singing and dancing and screaming... and all the women came in my room and we started to dress me for the wedding. we sang traditional hars songs and they shnorhavoreled every single piece of clothes i put on by singing. i felt like i was in some old armenian movie where they are dressing the bride. they kept throwing confetti and candy and glitter on my head... and everyone got sprayed with my perfume so that the scent of the bride may be on everyone.

as tradition tells, my younger brother had to put on my shoes... so my cousin arin came in the room and represented my brothers by slipping on my white heels.

then i was all ready with garter and all.. so arthur came in the room and almost cried when he saw me (or so he told me later on that night)... gave me my bouquet and we walked out into the room where beautiful armenian music was playing and everyone was waiting. we danced for a while and celebrated.

then we all got in the cars...me in my puffy white gown and went to the church. it is not fun to sit in a wedding dress.

the first thing they did was line us up... teni (bridesmaid) the kavor kin, me,.arthur, kavor, and david (the groomsman/ my best friend and the one who introduced us) and they gave both me and arthur white doves... we held on to them and released them at the same time... into the air... beautiful.

the church service was my least favorite of the entire day because it was short and a bit commercial which was really surprising because i thought it would be even more elaborate here... but i made everyone laugh when i downed the entire cup of wine when the priest gave us the wine to sip... everyone thought it was really funny and bold.

then we went back in the cars and tradition led us to the home of arthur's parents... (but since they live on the 6th floor and the elevator was broken we went to his sisters house instead) and at the doorstep we broke two plates (one each) brought from my home. then mom sprinkled this persian (noghle) on us and his mom fed us honey with almonds for fertility and so that we may always say sweet things to one another. then they put big pieces of lavash on each of our shoulders and we walked into the house with lavash (signifies family) on our shoulders... it was cute.

then we got back in the cars and went to ARCHANOTS (which means where the bear is) that was our reception hall. it was an outdoor park with a large gazibo that seated -80. a really beautiful place that everyone was floored by.

i sat in the grass while the photographer and video guy took tons of shots that i am really going to try to post.

then the kef started. arthurs dad and my dad made a toast expressing how it is one of the happiest days of their life... and the rest is a happy dream.

we danced and danced and danced and the music was cute and fun and armenian.. and our entire half of the wedding (our side) probably sat for a total of 15 minutes each... that is how much dancing there was going on.

we danced all night, until 2.

arthur's family had bottles of cognac that they had saved from their wedding just for their son's wedding. the entire party was drinking and there was really really good old armenian cognac all night. for the first time arthur drank... for the first time in his life. he had 6 shots of cognac and did not feel a thing and did not like the taste and said he will not do it again. he even drank the wine at church. we were all soo shocked.

the food was great and the night was awesome... everyone who was there said they want a wedding just like it here in armenia.

the funniest thing was that i wore these really really cool orange sneakers under my wedding dress... everyone got a kick out of them. i guess that was very unique for armenia but everyone kept lifting my dress to see these sneakers and gym socks. funny

they say that july 27 is the day noah landed on Mt. Ararat. We were happy that it has something to do with armenian culture and i am sure it will help arthur remember our anniversary.

oh WAIT, this is the last day you can get a discount on arthur's new cd, three candles... after august 1st you will have to pay a whole 7 dollars more. so go to www.narek.com (search arthur ispirian) and get a copy of arthur's new stuff and my debut to the singing world. i can't say anything about my rap... but i will say that arthur's music is really really amazing.

tomorrow arthur and i will be godfather and godmother to a young couple who is getting baptized so that they may be married in a few days. many people here are not baptized still from the soviet times. tomorrow we will go to the new church and i will do everything to make sure this couple has an awesome baptism.

our best man and maid of honor (even though they were chosen by arthur's dad and we did not know them too well) were so amazing. they made sure we were the happiest bride and groom ever. they have become our good friends since the wedding and we spent the day today at the summer house in garni laughing and gossiping about the wedding.

i had the perfect time at the wedding. i was relaxed and fun and i remember every second. it was romantic and special because it was here on the skirts of Ararat. i was looking at the pictures today and could not find one where i am not wearing my smile.

in armenia they have the tradition of the daros... daroseh dzez... which means i hope you are next. (i say it to single people now and wish that they may get married too) seriously, darose dzez. i hope that you can find someone who completes you and fills your heart. i hope that you can build an armenian ojakh (will not try to translate that word) and that you can have that same smile i wore on my wedding day. it was unreal.

thanks for being a part of this.

sincerely,

madlene and the new guy