Where’s the Wedding?

In a land with no addresses it can be difficult to find a place.  There are street names, but no #’s.  Recently, Roberto and I were invited to a tradition Saudi wedding by a co-worker and his fiance.  We were honored to be included and to have the opportunity to see a little more of the culture.  We received the traditional invitation along with a separate information and instruction sheet in English.  The invitation said that the men would be welcome from 8:00 – 10:00 pm during which time they would enjoy a nice dinner. Afterward, they could leave or stay and visit with the groom for a while.  The women meet from 11:00 pm - 1:00 am.  During that time, the women would enjoy dinner.  Like many things here, Saudi wedding celebrations are segregated.

The men dress business casual, but the women dress up in formal gowns with as much bling on them as you can imagine and no concern for modesty since there will be no men.  Around midnight, the women cover up with their abayas (the black robe) and veils and the groom joins them for a short time.  When he leaves, they uncover and depending on the family, the dancing begins.  I was looking forward to seeing it and to meet many women.

Roberto left our home at 7:30 pm with a couple of other men from the office and planned to return to pick me up at 10:00 pm to take me for the ladies event.  He was business casual and I was all dressed up ready for a gala ball.  Around 10:00 pm Roberto called to tell me that they had been driving around for the 2 hours and never found the wedding hall.  What a bummer!!!  They had GPS coordinates that lead them nowhere.  They called for directions and even stopped to ask, but never found the location.

So sad!  All dressed up and nowhere to go.  Roberto was a sweet heart and took me out to dinner at the nice upscale restaurant at the hotel on our compound.  It was a good choice under the circumstances since there I wouldn’t have to cover up with the abaya.