Russian Wedding Receptions

  A Russian wedding reception often takes place on the day after the wedding ceremony. Since the ceremony and the tour of the city can take up a large portion of the first day, many couples choose to spend a second day with their friends and families. Indeed, some couples spend several days feasting and dancing with their guests.  

Tamada

The Tamada, or entertainer, serves as the master of ceremonies during a Russian wedding reception. Sometimes the newlyweds choose a friend, other times they hire a professional to perform this role. The Tamada's role includes starting the festivities off, as well as coordinating all the toasts. He also moves the traditional rituals along in a timely fashion. Finally, he organizes all the party games, the dancing opportunities, and icebreakers to make sure all the guests enjoy themselves.  

The Receiving Line

At the beginning of a Russian wedding reception, the Tamada arranges for all the guests to stand in a line at the entrance to the hall. This way, when the bride and groom arrive, they are welcomed warmly by all their guests. This offers them an opportunity to share a special moment with each of their guests, as well. The Tamada ensures that the bride's and groom's parents stand at the end of the line. When the bride and groom reach their parents, they have a few important moments alone with them. At this time, their parents offer them each a bite of bread with salt. The ritual of eating the bread bestows a blessing of good fortune upon their union. Additionally, tradition holds that whoever takes the largest bite of bread will wear the pants in the relationship. Thus begins the competitions.  

Toasts & Gor'ko

To officially open the festivities, the Tamada offers a toast for the new couple. The guests sip vodka or wine between each of these toasts. Immediately following, at least one of the guests shout, "Gor'ko!" Gor'ko means "bitter." In order to sweeten the drink, the newlyweds must kiss for as long as possible. As they kiss, their guests count the seconds. If unsatisfied by the length of the kiss, guests can yell "Gor'ko" again, and the couple must kiss again. Toasts ensue throughout the night, as does the shouting and the kissing. Fun for everyone! Once the toasting and eating are finished, the Tamada opens the dance floor. Eating, drinking, dancing, and competitions rule the night.  

Russian Wedding Competitions

Throughout the evening, the master of ceremonies arranges several competitions. Several competitions pit the bride against the groom. For example, they might race to see who can dress a baby doll first, or change a doll's diaper the fastest. The Tamada might also blindfold the groom and walk him down a gauntlet of guests. Each guest offers him a portion of their body - an arm, a leg, a hand, etc. He wins if he guesses which "guest" is his bride! Sometimes the tables turn upon the guests. For instance, a fake bride and groom might step in and hijack the wedding. If this happens, the guests must jump up and begin searching for the real bride and groom. A truly festive game of hide-and-seek!  

Guest Responsibilities

Throughout the evening, wedding guests find many opportunities to bestow cash upon the happy couple. For one thing, each guest must pay for their dishes and utensils if they wish to partake in the food and drink on offer. Additionally, guests bring gifts which are offered to the couple at different opportunities throughout the evening. Also, they place bets on several different lotteries. Undoubtedly the most popular of these lotteries includes betting on whether the couple's first child will be a girl or a boy. A pink and blue plate are set out on a table. The guests cast their bets by placing coins upon the plates. As the party comes to a close, the bride has two final responsibilities. First of all, she throws her bouquet behind her for an eligible maiden to catch. The one who catches it will marry soon. Finally, she must "clean" the floor. However, first her guests must make a mess. This they do by tossing coins and cash upon the floor. The bigger the mess, the better. I'm pretty sure the bride doesn't mind cleaning up such a mess.