Antonine Nymphaeum



via Red-Bird @ Flickr

In the spirit of this month's series : International Romance...here's an interesting idea for a destination wedding/honeymoon: The Antonine Nymphaeum.
Guest: "Where are you having the ceremony?"
Bride: "At the Antonine Nymphaeum... It's in an ancient city on the Mediterannean coast of Turkey."

Sounds original and hopelessly romantic to me. The site has survived for centuries, which bodes well for any union consecrated there, I suppose. But then, the place is a ruin, so maybe it would be a long lasting marriage, but not necessarily a good one!

Anyway, the recently restored fountain is near Antalya and all the wonderful sightseeing possibilities there. And you can always hop on a Blue Cruise...



Sagalassos archaeological site to host wedding ceremonies

Red Ribbons

via Travelthruhistory.com

In my previous post on the Turkish Rules of Engagement, we saw the couple exchange promise rings bound by a red ribbon.

In the Turkish wedding tradition, a bride wears red cording or ribbon around her waist symbolizing her chastity and a promise to the bridegroom. (As in, he's the only one who gets to untie THAT knot!)

The cake is always huge because every cousin, neighbor and co-worker is invited. Each person pins a gold coin onto the bride's dress as a gift, but sometimes the ribbon is used instead. (I think that's what happened in this photo. Beats getting stabbed by a plethora of tipsy wedding guests!)

When the first child is born, often the woman will receive visitors with a piece of the same red ribbon tied up in her hair.


Next week I'll discuss the bachelorette party and the perfect wedding shoes.