There were 12 nationalities represented at the wedding. And especially considering there were only about 55 guests to begin with, a dozen different countries is a lot. But, I guess it's to be expected when the bride's family is Czech, she's from Philly, and met her Belgian now-husband in Dublin.
We had a bridal shower the night prior to the big day - and, in case you didn't know (because we didn't) bridal showers are definitely an American thing. The guests had no clue what it was. While the event was fun, it was still a little awkward especially since not everyone spoke the same language. The Belgians spoke Dutch, the bride's fam spoke Czech or Slovak, and then most of the bridal party spoke English.
The dinner rehearsal that night wasn't much easier. I felt bad since the two groups basically stayed on their separate ends of the table. It was just difficult since not many felt completely comfortable speaking their non-native language.
Things became a lot easier and more fun following the ceremony. It was like a weight had lifted.
And the mood became even lighter once the music started and people began to dance. Even if people didn't understand the lyrics, they understood the rhythm and let their body do the rest.
I also found it interesting what songs the Europeans did know from America - Cotton Eye Joe being one of them.
I made some friends that night, and picked up some good dance moves in the process.