this is Greg talking

Last night, from 7:30 to 10:30 pm, I went to my first Javanese wedding. It was an experience I will never forget. Most ceremonies are set up outdoors, in front of the host's house, taking up a large section of the street on that block. This wedding was held on the street next to ours, I didn't know who was getting married- but it was important to attend because it is our community. So I get waved over to sit down in the middle of a group of guys who offer me a smoke, but I decline. They light up, as do all Muslim men smoke, and continue to light up one after other for the whole wedding. It actually smelled ok, but gave me a nasty headache. Was I noticed right away was that this was a very relaxed atmosphere for the crowd- they chat and snack on a box meal that everyone gets, along with a bottle of cold tea. I taste the gummy rice bar and it's not bad-lucky for me because they were all motioning for me to eat it. Unlike the crowd, the wedding party was really serious and formal. The bride walked in behind her parents, with a lady that seemed to be the wedding organizer following closely. The bride reminded me of the Japanese women, (I think called Kimono?), where they paint their faces white and their clothes are really intricate and wrapped extremely tight. Only this bride had a fancy hairline painted black. She had to shuffle her feet and sit very prim and proper while some songs were sung and some Javanese words were spoken. By the way, I was humbled because I have been studying the language for 5 months and I understood NOTHING of what was being said in Javanese or Bahasa (which is what I study). Then the groom walks in, with his parents a whole train of what must be extended family, as the bride and family rise and slowly walk towards each other to meet in the middle of the aisle. He tosses something at her, and she bows for a minute at his feet. Then, interestingly, the father of the bride wraps a red cloth around the couple and himself, and they walk back up to the stage in a tight pack, the wedding planner following behind holding and pushing them up the stage.
Blinker. Amidst the smoke there's a blinding light shining on us from the roaming camera crew, and a speaker system so loud and distorted I winced every time someone spoke loudly. I happened to be 15 feet directly in front of a speaker.
Behind the wedding party, there's a huge display of flowers, draped over really ornate wooden dividers. The men are all wearing black and gold sarongs (like an Irish kilt) with a tux-like suit coat, a wrapped hat, and a sword tucked behind their back and into a cloth waist belt. There are two little girls with fans, like our little flower girls, who flank the wedding couple and fan them off and on. They couple feeds each other some wedding cake, like we do, and some tea. I was looking for one of them to smash the cake into their spouse's face, but it didn't happen. Then there are some more songs, one by a guy who paused for 10 seconds at a time, singing mostly through his nose. All of this so different, so fascinating.
Then the whole wedding party leaves, and another box meal is served. At this point I am thinking it is over, because usually when you serve food that is the signal that you can eat and then leave. But 15 minutes later the wedding party returns, having changed clothes. They bride and groom are now both wearing solid bright yellow outfits from head to toe. I'm watching them slowly proceed to the front when I get hit in the chest by something. It startled me and when I touch my chest I feel this small round object in my shirt pocket! I quietly fished it out and saw that it was an olive-shaped nut that had fallen from the tree above me. How goofy.
So once they all were seated again, a man gets up and begins to talk really slow and serious. He then begins to pick speed, cracking jokes one after the other. At first, the wedding party was to uptight to laugh, but pretty soon they couldn't help it and would occasionally break into laughter for a few brief seconds. I was really wishing I could understand him, I was the only foreigner at the wedding, and the only one not knowing what's so funny. At one point, he turns to me and says, in decent English, "I am sorry, I do speak English very well" and then he went back to his stand-up act. I was surprised he even saw me amidst the crowed of 200+ people. He must have went on for a solid hour, cracking jokes one after the other. He reminded me a lot of Chris Rock. Fast talker, lots of different voices and facial expressions. He was so different from the formal, slow rhythm of the whole ceremony, it just made it all the more interesting. As soon as he finished, it was all done and I went home with a huge headache but a great memories.