How would it look like
Details, Traditions and Timeline
Wedding (planned) timeline
???? The main things you need to know in a Bralish (Brazilian / Polish) Wedding ????
Ceremony
As Christians, the ceremony will take place in a Catholic church. In Poland, the ceremony is a regular mass - taking an average hour long.
In the Bralish (Brazilian / Polish) wedding, the ceremony will start sharp in time.
The groom enters the church with his mother first In (Brazilian tradition). Then, the bride will enter the church with her father and the mass will start regularly.
In the church, the best man and bridesmaid will be seated right behind the groom and bride.
After Ceremony head to Reception
The transport between the ceremony and reception will be provided by the couple.
So, no worries about arranging transport for this part.
Arrival to Reception
Once you arrive at the reception, all the guests wait the couple to arrive in order to start the Reception. In the meantime, everyone gets a drink of something bubbly.
Bread, salt and Vodka
Before starting the reception the newlyweds are greeted by both mothers with bread and salt and 2 glasses of vodka (Polish tradition).
In our Bralish wedding, we added a twist, it will be one shot of vodka and one of cachaça.
Bread and salt is a very old Slavic tradition with the meaning of the bread and salt to symbolize prosperity, durability, and happiness - not sure what the vodka was supposed to symbolize , but its's good anyways =)
Drinking and Cleaning
After the interesting shots of vodka, then the young couple drinks a glass of champgne to "clean" and celebrate; with the empty glasses they are thrown to the floor to crush them – it is necessary to bring happiness!
The glasses will be should be cleaned by the couple.
It may happen that after/while the couple are cleaning the glasses some singing occurs ?
Polish
Sto lat, sto lat,
Niech zyja, zyja nam.
Sto lat, sto lat,
Niech zyja, zyja nam.
Jeszcze raz, jeszcze raz, niech zyja, zyja nam,
Niech zyja nam!
English - Translation
A hundred years, a hundred years,
May they live, live with us.
A hundred years, a hundred years,
May they live, live with us.
Once again, once again, may they live, live with us,
May they live with us!
Português - Tradução
Cem anos, cem anos,
Viva, viva-nos.
Cem anos, cem anos,
Viva, viva para nós
Mais uma vez, deixe-o viver, viva-nos
Que ele viva por nós!
Wishes to the couple
The guests line up to pay their respects to the couple and wish them all the best for the future.
Three kisses on the cheek and flowers/wine for the bride, a handshake, and the gift to the groom.
The bride hands her gift to her bridesmaid and the groom hands the gift to the best man. After that it's a short stroll to the Reception.
Heading to your table
Now we are ready to head the tables. Kindly search which table your name was assigned to in the table map.
First Meal
This will be a three-course meal.
There may be additional singing in the form of traditional demands for the bride and groom to kiss (the word 'gorzko' may be sung to encourage this).
A Lot More Meals
Then it will have 2 more meals that will be served during the wedding duration.
Do not attempt to eat everything served to you or feel obliged - even though they are very good food and great to drink with a full stomach =).
You have to regard the food as symbolic. It's a symbol of wealth and plenty, an overwhelming feast for the happy event.
The vodka situation
Vodka is a big deal at Polish weddings.
In our Bralish wedding there will different choices of alcohol, so if you're not a vodka fan don't panic.
That said, if you want to join in with the traditional stuff there are a few things you should know i.e. vodka is only drunk collectively.
Glasses are filled, somebody proposes a toast, vodka is drunk, washed down with a glass of juice (they're not mixed) and glasses are refilled in readiness for the next toast.
There's no casual solitary sipping. It's all or nothing every time.
Dancing
The time in between sitting down to eat and drinking toasts of vodka (or other alcohol of your choice) is filled by dancing.
Dancing is a big deal at Polish/Brazilian weddings.
As with the food, do not underestimate how much dancing there will be.
And gentlemen, the familiar male effort of hanging around the bar while the other half prances around to music is not acceptable, you're going to have to join in at some point.
It's also worth noting that throughout the reception the groom must dance with every lady present, even if for only a few seconds, and the bride with every man.
Throwing Bouquets and Ties
The throwing of the bouquet has the same function at a Polish wedding, except that it takes place at the party and not outside the church.
We might also opt for the Polish tradition where men try and catch the Groom's tie.
Transport home
For guests, we provide transportation to the house or place of accommodation. Transport will be provided from approx. 2.00 am every half hour. To arrange transportation, please inform the witnesses or the bride and groom.
We will have drivers hired to take you home/hotel.
