My Big (not)Fat Armenian Wedding

Armenians are actually very tiny, petite people. Well, at least the women in Chris' family are. So, you can disregard the "fat" part of my post title. Other than that, my experience this past weekend with Chris at his step-sister's wedding reminded me of being part of a large, warm-welcoming family like the one in Nia Vardalos' movie. We danced in lines and circles to some awesome Armenian music. I received mad props from Chris' family and friends for jumping right in and learning the steps. It was super fun. Ali (the bride) married a non-Armenian so, of course, we had a mix of other fun music, as well.

Below is a picture of Juan and his groomsmen at the front of the church, and one of Ali before the ceremony.
The ceremony was a traditional Armenian one. And, that means that the bride and groom get CROWNED the king and queen of their own kingdom and for their wedding day. Amazing!! I was enthralled by the beautiful church, the awe-striking reception hall and, most of all, the wonderful family environment. I hope to have a few more photos of me and Chris from the wedding as his family members send them out, but, for now, the one at the top of the post is us at the church before the ceremony. I'm also including several of his family members...

Here's Chris' radiant mom, Lucille, and the glowing father-of-the-bride, Chris' step-dad, Jerry coming into the reception hall.
And, his entertaining and kind Aunt Pat and Uncle Sam dancing.
Finally, here's Chris' super sweet cousins, Julie and Lori.
The wedding was a blast overall. I was sad to leave. But, I look forward to seeing them another time, before too long.

To curb the sadness of leaving his family (just teasing... we were fine), Chris and I stopped in Atlantic City after the post-wedding day brunch for an afternoon at the blackjack tables. That was another fun experience even though we came out a little bit poorer. Atlantic City is sort of like Vegas, only smaller, with an ocean view, and less hot. Yet another new experience for me!