Who doesn’t love a Big Fat Lebanese wedding? They’re always the most talked about, and, quite frankly, I don’t think any other country goes all out that much for their weddings as much as the Lebanese do.
You might not believe how most unique our weddings can be until you attend one or two in Lebanon, or you hear foreigners overseas talking in awe and at length about the weddings they attended in Lebanon.
Yes, they are as impressively memorable s that to them in all details, and how they can possibly be other than that! Even us, locals, keep talking dreamily about them long after we attended… and until the next one.
In this list, we’ll be checking out as to why Lebanese weddings are the most glorious celebrations of unions in the world!
#1 The fancy display of food
It’s not really much of a shocker that I put food first on this list. Honestly, it doesn’t even have to be a wedding for us to go generous with the food we serve to our guests.
However, when it comes to Lebanese celebrations, we break all world records in our fancy and appealing multiple displays of delicious food; all of which look like an Eden of a kind to food lovers.
#2 The Crowd of Guests
In addition to friends, acquaintances, neighbors, and colleagues, our big weddings have to include not only all the family but also all the extended family members, and their extended family members.
And let’s not forget those individuals who neither the bride nor the groom barely knew existed. We, in Lebanon, are as interconnected in family ties that you can’t possibly miss inviting any.
And because weddings are the most awaited Lebanese occasions ever, family and guests prepare for it months in advance to ensure they present themselves as glorious as the wedding is expected to be. We are talking top fanciness from head to toe.
#3 The incredible dessert buffet
This needed its own point. I kid you not, the dessert buffet at Lebanese weddings is truly something you don’t want to miss. It’s basically an endless beautifully-made supply of delicious sweets of all kinds to fulfill your sweet tooth with multiple types of sinfully tempting desserts.
Luckily for all attendees, our wedding’s celebrations extend for hours, allowing all enough time to fully digest the main food so they can come to enjoy all the desserts they possibly can.
On a note, you ought to forget your diet and healthy eating habits when at our weddings. We do advise you, if we may, to go on an extra diet weeks before.
#4 The royal-like bride
Our Lebanese brides always appear as if out of a princess fairy tale. Their first appearances are the most awaited moment of the wedding event and for a good unarguable reason. In fact, it’s the bride’s gown that will be the main topic of conversation for days and days afterward.
Fanciness and beauty have no limit when it comes to it, and also creativity and elegance.
If you ever thought that the royalty’s brides of Europe dress up in glory for their weddings, you will change your mind at seeing our non-royalty brides, for they top them by far, and that is no exaggeration.
#5 The vision-like themes
It has been a trend these past decades for weddings in the world to have a theme. That’s nothing new to speak about. However, in Lebanon, the themes exceed imaginations.
While they are always different from a wedding to another, they are always awe-striking in their manifestation, from the overall look to the tiny detail.
In that aspect, the creativity of Lebanese wedding planners is always on a roll. You go to a wedding and think you won’t see a comparable one again.
That would be your impression or assumption until you step into the venue of the next one and are immersed in a vision of a kind, transported into a dream world, whether in space or in time.
One thing for sure, attending these weddings of ours is always a thrill.
#6 The traditional Zaffe performance
While modern and contemporary reign in our weddings, we still don’t miss including our ancestral Zaffe’s performance that roots back to the cultural traditions of our villages.
That men dance at the old beats of drums and music is always an enthralling presentation that adds a unique authentic flavor to the celebration, exemplifying old traditions.
#7 The after-party props
When we say Lebanese Wedding, we actually mean Lebanese Carnival. Both the parents’ pockets and the organizers team up to outdo themselves with the crazed props they give out…. for an afterparty!
It is like there is no better occasion than weddings for the parents to show off their love for their marrying child.
It doesn’t matter if they break any reasonable budget or if they have to sell a piece of land or take a loan; a wedding is A Wedding, and all the parental love culminates at that point.
#8 The live entertainment by famous singers
It is common that our weddings are entertained by live music but also by known singers, some of which are even big Lebanese names in the industry, such as Ragheb Alameh, Nader Atat, Assi El Hallani, and so on.
Live performance of any such famous singers at weddings is a luxury by itself as guests get to enjoy a mini-concert of their favorite celebrities.
#9 The wealth of flowers
Listen, we are not really talking about normal floral wedding arrangements.
You may see yourself walking in the venue sided by gorgeous walls of flowers, for instance, or facing at your table seat an extravagant centerpiece of flower arrangement that could take your breath away.
Flowers are in an extravaganza at Lebanese weddings, so much that you feel like you’re in the Garden of Eden!
#10 The epic celebration of the Bride
Lebanese brides have to make an entrance at the celebration venue, and it’s not just what you think about “making an entrance.” It is that particular epic moment in which the Lebanese bride herself is celebrated as she walks in as a married woman.
A lot of heartfelt efforts is dedicated to that part of the wedding celebration with an exceptional show and a particular “Zeffo El-Arous” song that is sure to give you goosebumps. Let me give you a taste of that epic moment in various of our weddings:
Have you just been invited to a Lebanese Wedding and are wondering what to do? Here is what you need to know weeks before you attend.