The Civil Ceremony at Pleven City Hall, part two

Here are our shaferi. The closest equivalent in English would be the flower girl and the ring bearer. That's Steliana on the the left and Deni on the right.

Among the first to come through the receiving line was Rali's grandmother (her father's mother). Her only grandchildren are Rali and her sister, so this was her first grandchild's wedding. It was very moving for all of us.

Rali's dad has been an English teacher and translator for over 20 years, so he and my dad had no problem communicating.

Here's our "just married" photo, in the Pleven city hall (the former Communist Party building). That's the three-colored Bulgarian flag hanging vertically in the background.

Here's the whole family. From left to right, Rali's uncle Petar, Rali's grandmother Vera, Rali's father Johnny, Rali's sister Vera, Rali's mother Villi (Violeta), me, Rali, my mom Bernice, my father Rich, my sister Meredith, and my brother-in-law Greg.

And outside, on the steps of the Party building, everyone posed for a group photo. Not all of the guests came to the civil ceremony. More came to the church ceremony, and still more came to the reception. There were a total of 105 guests by the time of the reception.