Wedding of the Weddings is an annual meeting ofcouples who have had alcohol-free wedding receptions. The meetings have taken place in various cities in Poland since 1995. Couples come together with their children to have an all-night alcohol-free dancing party, to exchange experience on organizing alcohol-free parties for children, youth and adults and to spend several days together enjoying the local culture.
Wedding of the Weddings is a multi-layered event.[1] There are conferences usually held at a local university, with invited talks by researchers on family issues (relationships, raising children, alcohol-free weddings and other family events) and with contributions of participants. There are meetings and discussions with representatives of the local government who are responsible for family support and for alcohol-related problems. A social program is offered including sports, sightseeing tours, field trips and picnics. Performances byfolk singers andfolk dancers as well as pop stars accompany the meetings.
The major event of each Wedding of the Weddings follows a traditionalwedding rite. In the evening, there is aHoly Mass at the local cathedral, where a bishop blesses each couple after confirmation of the marital vow. Following is a wedding parade through the streets of the town to the restaurant, where areception takes place. The reception starts with apolonaise, an old Polish aristocratic dance, lasting until 4:00 am with dancing and games for participants led by professional entertainers.[2]
The Reverend Władysław Zązel,provost of a smallparish inKamesznica, became famous for spreading the tradition of alcohol-free wedding receptions. In his parish, more than 90% of all wedding receptions were celebrated without alcohol. In 1995, he was invited byRadio Maryja (a well-known Catholic radio station) to tell listeners about his experience with alcohol-free weddings. Listeners from around the country called the radio station to say that alcohol-free weddings were organized by many individuals. Zązel proposed organizing a meeting of those who had had alcohol-free weddings. The meetings were called Wedding of the Weddings.
The first two such meetings were organized in Zązel's parish in Kamesznica,[3] then inZamość,Częstochowa,Kraków,Białystok,Koszęcin,Ludźmierz,Warsaw,[4]Olsztyn,Wrocław,[5]Bydgoszcz,Tarnów,Łomża,[6]Miejsce Piastowe,[7]Radom,[8]Kraków,[9] Wieleń Zaobrzański[10] and again Kamesznica,[11] then inKrynica-Zdrój[citation needed] andMyczkowce.[citation needed] The 2017 event took place inTrąbki Wielkie andGdańsk, while the 2018 meeting was hosted byLudźmierz. In 1999, Zązel went with alcohol-free couples to Rome, where they were blessed byPope John Paul II.
Among the speakers, who usually come from the local communities, there also some prominent and well-known ones in Poland, such as:
Folk singers and dancers as well as orchestras from the Polish mountains (Gorals) attend the majority of events. Folk groups from other regions appear occasionally as well, including fromKujawy,Kurpie,Radom area andSilesia. Former and current pop stars frequently hold concerts, including Magda Anioł and her band,Antonina Krzysztoń, Viola Brzezińska with the group New Day, as well as Jarosław Wajk, a former vocalist in the rock bandOddział Zamknięty [pl],and Jan Budziaszek of the bandSkaldowie.
A central reason for the Wedding of the Weddings event is the general resistance to weddings where no alcohol is served. To combat the feeling of being strangers in culture and in Polish society, many couples seeking alcohol-free weddings also seek out other like-minded people with whom to socialize and celebrate.
Non-alcoholic weddings differ from those where alcohol is served. The wedding ceremony is usually extended by the reading of a specialblessing (and acknowledgement) from the localbishop. The wedding reception is not only exceptional due to the absence of alcohol, but it is also marked by other traditions and attractions. Astoasts in Poland are almost by definition associated with alcohol, they are either removed entirely or replaced by table speeches, goat's milk toasts, and songs in honor of the married couple and their parents. As Polish wedding receptions are usually all-night events, usually the alcohol plays a role in keeping the guests amused late at night. A non-alcoholic wedding differs significantly as dishes are served regularly, must be of comparable quality all the time, theorchestra plays the entire time, and the party features various group dances such as the polonaise,line dances, travel dances, skill dances (Zorba dance, mountain folk dances), games and competitions for the participants. Usually professional entertainers, who have undertaken special courses for alcohol-free party entertainment (wodzirej) are employed during the reception to organize and run the entertainment program.
The vast majority of non-alcoholic weddings are organized byteetotalers (not to be confused withrecovering alcoholics).[citation needed]
Another aspect shared by the participants of the Wedding of the Weddings is the non-alcoholic lifestyle. All family parties, such as birthdays or familyname days, meetings with friends or friends of children, New Year's parties, church-associated celebrations (baptisms, first communion, weddings, funerals) are organized without alcohol.
Moreover, the couples and their children are also frequently engaged in temperance societies.[12]