A SICILIAN WEDDING

Duomo di San Giorgio, Modica

There is no lovelier church in Modica than San Giorgio and here it is decked out for my young friend Giulia's wedding:

And she's here!  I'm not normally one for weddings but I've known Giulia since she was eight years old and found myself crying as she walked up the aisle with her proud dad:

An hour and a half later, the happy couple are wed:

Now, ladies, I'm sure you want to see the back detail of that beautiful dress:

And here's the other important dress of the day!  You wouldn't normally wear black to a wedding in Britain but here full evening regalia is called for:

I acquire myself an escort::

You may be interested to know that here, the bride and groom do not travel ahead of their guests to the reception and greet them there.  It is the other way round:  the newlyweds go off to have more photos taken, often at a location some distance away, while the guests sort of amble along to the reception location and wait there. [Some even go home in between!] Thus, although in this case the church ceremony had begun at 5.30 pm., the  celebration meal began at 10 pm.  As you can imagine, when the sposi do arrive, it is to much applause and cheering.

I wasn't fast enough to get shots of all the antipasti, which were served buffet-style, but here are some of them:

Of course, there were arancini:

Guests were asked in advance whether they would prefer the fish or the meat menu.  I don't eat fish but will show you both options in the following photographs:

Delizie del Mediterraneo - Mediterranean medley

Piatto di salumi

Risotto all'astice - lobster risotto

Risotto ai funghi - mushroom risotto

Trofie lido mare - trofie pasta with seafood

Trofie alla verdura - trofie pasta with vegetables

The ricciola [greater amberjack] fish is expertly cut.

Ricciola al profumo di finocchietto - greater amberjack flavoured with fennel

Filetto di manzo - fillet steak

Sorbetto al limone

Time for the wedding cake, Sicilian style:

Finally, there were bomboniere [wedding favours] for all the guests. The pretty little package contains white sugared almonds:

Grazie per l'invito, Giulia e Simone.  I'm sure you will all join me in wishing Giulia and Simone a long and happy life together. Cincin!