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Ika and Nicks wedding in Semarang Java

Wednesday January 26th was our big day and the event was made all that much more special by the fact that Sean and Chris were here from Oregon USA.

Chris and Sean were staying in the Ciputra hotel at Simpang Lima, the big square in the middle of town. We drove over to the kampung of Klipang in the east of the city at around 7am for the 8am Muslim wedding. Ika was getting made up in her Indonesian / Muslim outfit complete with hair-piece and a ton of make up.

I wore my new suit that I bought in Matahari in Kuta Square for around 1m rp ($110). The religious guys showed up and the man conducting the wedding was the same fellow who converted me on monday. Ika and I sat on the floor across a small table from him and got into some paperwork (there seems to be a lot of paperwork with everything in Indonesia). We went through some vows and I read a sheet in English for practice, then did the whole thing for real, sitting in the same position. Along for the ceremony was the Village Chief and the Area Chief. Sean and Chris were able to roam and snap away all the while. Kids played outside and there was a sense of grinding out a proceedure, not really romantic, but very legal.

A couple of things made me laugh, namely the sheet in English that I had to read was full of gramatical errors and bluntness. One of the promises I had to make was to Intercourse my wife. At the end of a smaller phrase I read was the promise to pay her family a price of 500,000rp chased. I did not understand the meaning of that phrase, Ika is pregnant but I certainly was not chased into marriage. After the wedding I was told Chased was supposed to be Cash.

After the Muslim guys shook hands and took off we had a snack and got ready for the Javanese ceremony. Ika and I had to wear thick sarongs heald up with a band 20 feet long. We each wore a black velvet jacket and I had a Kris or traditional sword tucked into the back of my sarong. The ceremony was short and consisted of me standing in the street facing Ika. In between us was a bowl of water with flowers petals and an egg on a cloth. I had to break the egg with my right foot and Ika had to wash my feet with the petal water. After that we had to kneel at her parents feet and bow our heads. Traditionally my parents should of been there too but we skiped that part.

Photographers were hired and snapped a ton of shots so we will have something to hang on the wall. Ikas mother made Sop Buntut, beef soup with rice and after partaking we changed and left for the Ciputra. I was happy things went well and especially that my buddies were around for it.

At the Ciputra we stepped into another world. Out with the old, in with the new. I brought over the bottle of Bacardi had been keeping and we all toasted a the future, Ika settled for water I think.

Photos of the event will be online soon and we also have the reception on Saturday where Sean and Chris will be made up too!