Growing up Greek, my peers constantly asked me if my life was like ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’. From Windex jokes, to big crazy family comparisons, I heard it all. The last time I attended a Greek wedding was when I was 6, that is until my cousin announced he would be getting married, in Greece.
The whole family was ecstatic to not only return to the beautiful island my grandparents met and fell in love at, but also to see my cousin get married and live out of the dream of being in ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’. If you think the events in the movie are crazy, just imagine living out similar, crazier, events, in Greece.
Now it wouldn’t be a good movie unless there was some drama and conflict. That being said, there was a venue change 6 days before the wedding and it was a lot more stressful than it sounds. But also like every good movie, everything worked out in the end, 36 hours later.
The wedding was in a beautiful traditional Greek Orthodox church, and to really tug at your heartstrings, the same church my grandparents got married at. The best part of the ceremony was when my sister and I were given the task of throwing rice at my cousin and his now wife while they were circling the table, an act that solidified their marriage. Additionally, throwing rice at them as they exited the church was just as fun as it was during the ceremony.
Walking into the venue was like walking right into a fairytale. There was a 360 view of the ocean surrounding us and a gorgeous view of the sunset. A small Greek band was singing during the cocktail hour while everyone took in the view and wished the newlyweds ‘congratulations’. After dinner is when the feel of a true Greek wedding came into play. The DJ, DJ Tomas, played traditional Greek music as the whole family joined together to dance in a circle in traditional Greek dance.
After growing up watching ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ (and of course seeing the sequel), I have to say that actually experiencing a big fat Greek wedding, in Greece, makes the movie look boring. Nothing can compare to the authenticity of being in a venue with all your crazy Greek relatives in our beautiful home country and celebrating one of life’s greatest parties.
My summer in Greece was truly a movie.