A Stellan Wedding

31 October, 267 6c.

What a vile backwater I have found myself in! The inhabitants of the village were all aflutter days hence about an upcoming ceremony- I had figured it would be a harvest festival of some sort, but I now see it was an error to assume these people would do anything even that civilized. It was, in fact, a marriage that had the whole populace excited! A wedding, performed outside of one's private home, with nearly everyone within five miles in attendance. I am simply astounded at the capacity of these Stellans to surpass even my lowest of expectations.

Journal entry by Owen Swift, a Gemerian noble.

History

The Stell Islands are often bereft of anything to break up the monotony, so any distraction is welcome. As such, the people of Stell love to host large community events at just about any opportunity- including weddings. Unlike other societies where a wedding is considered a private affair to be hosted in one's home, a Stellan wedding is cause for a whole town to come out and celebrate. It is treated like a potluck, with every attendee bringing something to eat or drink. It is the couple's responsibility to announce their wedding to the town and contact the Overseer for the proper permission and planning. Generally, morale-boosting events such as weddings are treated as high priority by local governments in Stell.

Execution

For all their hype, Stellan weddings are fairly laidback affairs. They are typically held outdoors in fair weather, or in a tavern if the weather is foul (and in Stell the latter is far more likely). The soon-to-be-married couple arrives first, and it is their duty to hold hands and lock eyes as all of the guests trickle in and mingle. Finally, once a half an hour has passed and guests have had a chance to drop off their gifts, the couple may kiss and join the festivities. The idea behind making the couple wait is supposedly to test their commitment to one another when tempted by other things, but it is a popular jest to observe that it rather ensures that the rest of the guests are inebriated by the time the couple joins the fray.