Cypriot Weddings

You would think that a wedding is a private affair restricted to family and friends at the most. Not in Cyprus.

For a typical, traditional wedding, hardly any formal invitations are given out and it is a public notice often in the newspaper. There are usually a thousand or more people at a Cypriot wedding and can often be much more. The ceremony is in two parts, the first one in the church which is a solemn, splendid ceremony officiated by the priest. The second half of the ceremony is the reception for the newly weds usually in a hotel. It would typically start early evening and guests would dance till late into the night.

It is traditions like this which reinforce the belief that Cyprus is one big family. How else would you explain a general invitation for a private event and guests turning up to bless the couple taking time out of their busy lives?