All Aboard

When my language teacher invited me to what sounded like her destination wedding a few months ago, I eagerly accepted. For starters I really enjoy my teacher, Fina. I also really enjoy weddings. As it turns out, what I agreed to attend was the second wedding reception in her fiancé’s home town around three hours from Yogyakarta. So that meant I could attend the reception here in Yogyakarta given by her family, as well as her husband’s hometown celebration. All the better—more occasions to celebrate.

What can I tell you about Javanese weddings? Well, I’ve only experienced a few, but I can say that for those who prefer the kinds of weddings where you can eat and run, I think you’d enjoy crashing weddings here. First, the ceremony is very much optional. For Muslim ceremonies, even the bride does not attend (so really if the bride is not there, who is going to notice if you aren’t there?). Then comes the reception (often much later in the day). First, you arrive and sign a guestbook, collect a favor, and drop off a gift. Then you proceed to the stage where the couple and the couple’s parents await your arrival. You greet them and keep on walking down the steps straight to the buffet. Then you sit or stand and watch other people greet the bride and groom while you listen to the band and eat sate and bakso. Then, you are free to go.

So for those who like to mingle, dance, watch people dance, compete for the bouquet, or blow bubbles on the newlyweds, you may find Javanese weddings leave you desiring something more. That is, unless you participate in the procession to the reception site. Since I was staying with the bride and groom, the bride’s family, and her friends in Temanggung, I relied on them for transport during our getaway. I assumed we’d ride in the same cars we took to the town. So you can imagine my delight when I learned we would proceed to the reception by way of a miniature train (below). Our procession included the bride and groom, who traveled by decorated Jeep, and then some family members who perched in two horse-drawn carts. Our train brought up the rear. There was the ice-cream man on a bike who followed us there and a few men on motorbikes who had walkie talkies. We rode through town to the tune of a car alarm (I never identified which component of our procession was responsible for this). I recorded our ride on the love train in the video below.