Raeleen and I had the amazing opportunity to join Katie + Istvan for their wedding in Romania. We had recently photographed their American wedding at Kiana Lodge just outside of Seattle and as amazing and beautiful as it was, it only captured half of their wonderful family. Istvan is originally from Romania, and his family and many friends were waiting there to celebrate their wedding, too.
So when Katie and Istvan asked us to join them, of course we couldn’t say no! This was my (Andy) first trip to Europe, and being able to share that with Raeleen and to visit somewhere so unique was quite possibly the best first European trip I could have had.
From Seattle to Amsterdam, and then to Bucharest, Romania, it was a long, but stunning view from the sky. When we landed in Bucharest, we met up with Katie, Istvan, and a few of their close friends and family, who had also just landed from Vienna with Katie’s new dress! So with about a dozen Americans and few from Istvan’s family, we all headed out to Covasna, which is part of Transylvania. I know, Transylvania!!!
When we got into Covasna, we arrived at Suga’s, Katie and Istvan’s family hotel and restaurant, and the location of their wedding reception. I can’t stress enough how much fun, inviting, and warm his family was. Everyone there for the wedding was swept into the restaurant for a private party with drinks and delicious food.
When the day of the wedding came, it was all the more amazing. Katie and Istvan took a horse drawn carriage from the reception site all the way down the cobble-stone roads to this amazing, beautiful old Church. In the pictures you can see the stonework and the gorgeous details. This church dates to atleast 1100 A.D.! It was fortified as a safe place for the people of the town during the times of Ghengis Khan, with stone walls that are nearly 30 feet high and many feet thick. Needless to say, architecture and history like this established the unique and wonderful culture of their wedding day.
At the finish of the ceremony, Katie and Istvan were again swept away down the hill in the horse drawn carriage to the reception site. We were all greeted at the restaurant with delicious blueberry liqueurs, wines, and beer. The drinks, the family, the friends, and conversation was perfect. There was hours of open dancing, cultural dance performances, an amazing vocalist, and many courses of food until well past 3 in the morning. At one point in the night, as tradition, Katie was stolen away and Istvan had to comply to a set of demands to win her back, including dancing on the table at the restaurant. One of my favorite parts!
The wedding celebrations of the trip finished with tours of Dracula’s Castle (Bran Castle), the Black Church in Brasov, a trip into the mountains to Hotel Alpin while passing gypsies, and an evening with more blueberry liqueurs, freshmade bread from a stone oven, and a huge bon fire. Too many wonderful activities to write about in one blog post.
There’s so much I could go on about. Their wedding was just so beautiful, fun, and an experience we’ll never ever forget. Thank you, Katie and Istvan, for taking us into your family, making us part of your wedding, and giving us the hospitality and, more importantly, giving us an amazing friendship.
All images © Fancy Fin Photography 2012. See our work at http://www.fancyfinphotography.com/
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